Here are the latest numbers reported to Marsha Hardy on 11-12-2021 per the Department of State Health Services [DSHS] for San Saba County:
1. New Confirmed and Probable Cases entered on 11-11-21: 2
2. Confirmed Cases Reported since 10-28-21: 6
3. Confirmed Cases Reported since 10-12-21: 17
So, in the last 30 days, San Saba County has reported 17 cases of Active COVID-19; with 6 of them being reported in the last 15 days (2 of these since Thursday, November 11th).
Message from Dr. Craig Whiting:
If you have tested positive for COVID you may be a candidate to receive treatment with monoclonal antibodies as we described in previous editions of the newspaper. You can contact your primary care provider to learn more and obtain this parenteral treatment. Parenteral means that it is given as an injection, either as a “shot” in the arms or as an intravenous (IV) infusion over a few hours’ time.
Now there is promising news of potential oral medications that can effectively treat COVID that may be available within the next several months. This could significantly improve our ability to combat this infection. This is important as COVID continues to be a leading cause of death in the United States, in some areas it is the number one cause of death, ahead of cancer and heart disease. While the number of cases in Texas, and specifically in the Hill Country Region, has been diminishing in recent weeks it nonetheless appears that we are in for another spike based on the Delta Variant activity in other parts of the USA and Europe.
While we wait for effective treatments to be available it is important to remember that preventing infection is always better than trying to treat an infection that has already set in. And we know that the immunity that the COVID vaccines provides does begin to wane after several months and so getting a booster is an excellent idea. Do consider getting a primary series of COVID vaccine if you’ve not been vaccinated or get the booster if it has been 6 months or more since your last dose of vaccine.
COVID Vaccine Clinics will start this week in San Saba. The first will be Thursday, November 18th, and the second will be four weeks later on Thursday, December 16th. Both will be at the San Saba Civic Center from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The clinics will offer initial vaccinations for those who have not received a COVID vaccination in the past, as well as booster vaccines for those who have had any of the three available vaccines. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available.
A booster is recommended for those 55 years of age or older or who have a medical problem that may put them at greater risk of contracting or dying from COVID. These problems would include diabetes, heart disease, obesity, use of immune modifying medicine and others. For those who received initial doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, a booster is recommended to be given six months after the second dose of the vaccine. For those who received the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine, a booster is recommended two months after receiving that vaccine. Either of the mRNA vaccines, Pfizer or Moderna, can be given as the booster for the Janssen vaccine. The mRNA vaccines have been shown to give a significant boost to the strength of the immunity that is obtained from the Janssen vaccine.
We will provide vaccine to people who don’t have an appointment; however, we need to know how many vaccine doses to request, so making an appointment will help us plan. And, we will give priority to vaccinate those people who have an appointment. To sign up, go to: <https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c49aba92aa0f4c43sansaba>. You can find the internet link to sign up for an appointment on the newspaper’s website as well as on San Saba County Emergency Management page on Facebook. Or you can also call Marsha Hardy at (325-372-8570) to sign up.