COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increase in North Texas
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Among family and friends, you may be noticing more positive COVID-19 cases. A new report from UT Southwestern shows not only are they increasing in North Texas but now, hospitalizations are too.
Local health officials are calling this as a summer wave, not a surge. They want everyone to be aware of the situation so we can get on top of it now.
"We're now in excess of 700 patients with COVID-19," Stephen Love, president and CEO of the DFW Hospital Council, said.
The rise in admissions is mostly patients over the age of 65.
"I think what it is, is that people have not gotten their boosters, it could be that they have underlying problems.. medical issues," Love said.
New predictions from UT Southwestern show total COVID-19 hospitalizations are expected to increase over the next several weeks in Dallas County and could even return to elevated levels, past 1,000 occupied beds, by August if trends persist.
"The sequencing that's been done it is certainly indicating that the BA.4 and BA.5 are primarily what's causing people to be in the hospital," Love said.
"BA.5 in particular is extremely, even more easily transmitted," Dallas County Health & Human Services Director Dr. Philip Huang said. "We keep saying all these variants are getting transmitted more than the previous ones and this one is even more than what we've been seeing earlier."
Dallas County's Public Health Committee has upgraded the COVID risk level to orange, which means use extreme caution.
There has been almost a 30% increase in hospitalizations in just a week.
It reported so far, 73% of residents have received one vaccine and only 24% of those eligible have been boosted.
"Kids going to school in the fall - that's something that were really concerned about," Huang said. "Now, being in school and the kids being closer together being inside more.."
Hewants to remind parents there are vaccines approved for children six months and older and recommends everyone mask up in crowded settings.
"Especially for people who are vulnerable," he said.
Ahead of the start of school — Parkland is now hosting "Walk in Wednesdays." This means parents can bring their children in for immunizations without having to make an appointment. If interested, check out more information here.
