695 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital; SAWS work to lift cooking water

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff have kept the community informed of the local response to COVID-19 and the winter weather in their briefing Thursday evening.

Nirenberg reported that COVID-19 case data is not available at this time due to the severe weather this week. New cases and deaths are expected on Friday.

The mayor also reported that 695 patients have been hospitalized, 257 in intensive care and 149 on ventilators.

There were 69 hospitalizations in the past 24 hours, Nirenberg said.

Wolff and Nirenberg both talked about the COVID-19 vaccine rearrangement at the Wonderland Mall and Alamodome administration sites. Click here for the latest information on all vaccination sites.

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CPS energy

Nirenberg provided a CPS Energy update on their leadership during the briefing. He said the company has not fully powered all customers, but the company’s efforts have improved significantly.

Currently, some 6,000 customers still have no power, mainly due to damaged equipment, Nirenberg said.

CPS Energy’s leadership continues to push for energy conservation to maintain the stability of the national grid.

San Antonio Water System

Robert Puente, CEO of San Antonio Water System, joined Nirenberg and Wolff at today’s briefing to update the community on the current water situation.

Puente said certain neighborhoods are still affected by a lack of water pressure. He said broken pipes at some businesses and other areas contributed to the lower pressure.

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SAWS is in the process of creating distribution centers for those who don’t have water and will also supply bottled water to those who need it. Click here to view bulk water distribution locations.

Puente said SAWS would help customers with their bills, as water was used to leak spouts to keep pipes from bursting in homes and businesses. Click here to learn more.

The president and CEO say SAWS is working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to try to waive certain requirements to lift the water boil notification. He said there were no line interruptions, no contaminants and that SAWS uses a closed system, so the thing that triggered the alert was TCEQ’s water pressure alert regulations.

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Puente says that about 20% of the SAWS system has no water and 20% is low pressure. He also said gas stations are fully operational, putting more people under pressure.

Winter Weather Deaths

Dr. Junda Woo, medical director of the Metropolitan Health District, said the city’s health department is working with the medical examiner’s office to find out how many people have died from complications caused by the winter weather.

Watch the full briefing in the video player above to hear more from city and county leaders.

LAKE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT: