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Kerr County resident died from COVID-19 Aug. 21

Death toll continues to rise as Delta variant pushes Texas to limit

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported a Kerr County resident died from COVID-19 on Aug. 21 — the second to die on that day.

In recent days, the number of deaths reported statewide has ticked up, and it takes the state up to 10 days to record a death. In Kerr County, August produced at least three days with two or more deaths from COVID-19.

While the DSHS online spreadsheet that tracks the date of death shows 106 Kerr County fatalities, those numbers don't seem to represent deaths at Peterson Regional Medical Center.

In August, Peterson Health reported five deaths at Peterson Regional Medical Center — normally within a day of that person's dying from COVID-19. Only one of Peterson's deaths matches a day on the DSHS spreadsheet. The Lead estimates that 16 Kerr County residents have died from COVID-19 in August and more than 150 since the pandemic's start.

On Friday, Texas reported another day with more than 25,000 new and probable cases, nearly 14,000 hospitalized and more than 300 deaths. About 4,000 people were being cared for in intensive care units.

Earlier Friday, Peterson Regional Medical Center said it had a record 42 patients admitted with COVID-19.

Author

Growing up in Southern California, Louis Amestoy remained connected to Texas as the birthplace of his father and grandfather. Texas was always a presence in the family’s life. Amestoy’s great-grandparents settled in San Antonio, Texas, drawn by the city’s connections to Mexico and the region’s German communities. In 2019, Louis Amestoy saw an opportunity to make a home in Texas. After 30 years of working for corporate media chains, Louis Amestoy saw a chance to establish an independent voice in the Texas Hill Country. He launched The Lead to be that vehicle. With investment from Meta, Amestoy began independently publishing on Aug. 9, 2021. The Amestoys have called Kerrville home since 2019.