Virus cases going up as Texas hits fall phase
Areas with earlier surge, including Harris County, seeing smaller uptick
A wave of coronavirus infections is spreading across Texas, with the state reporting more than 8,000 new cases for two straight days, the highest back-to-back total since early August.
Statewide, the rate of people testing positive for the virus has been above 10 percent for over two weeks, a sign of uncontrolled spread, according to federal health guidelines. And coronavirus hospitalizations are hovering just below 6,000, a nearly two-fold increase from a month ago.
“It looks like we’re certainly in this fall phase of seeing the virus begin to spread in multiple parts of the state once again,” said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Department of State Health Services.
The rise in new cases, which began in early October in El Paso and parts of North Texas, is moving into other regions, including those around Dallas, Laredo, College Station and Texarkana. All four areas have reported more than 10 percent of their hospitals filled with COVID-19 patients.
Hospitalizations have also increased in Bexar County, according to state data, and hospital officials in Harris County warned last week that they are seeing early signs of new outbreaks. The statewide increase in hospitalizations has been more gradual than it was in May and June, when caseloads surged in Houston and other major cities.
On Sunday, Texas surpassed Cali-
fornia in recording the highest number of positive coronavirus tests in the U.S. since the pandemic began.
Gov. Greg Abbott sent medical staff and supplies to El Paso and the Panhandle last month, but has otherwise been reluctant to intervene or acknowledge the outbreak. He has not held a news conference on the pandemic in over a month, and told a reporter last week that “guardrails” are in place to increase public health restrictions in regions where COVID patients make up more than 15 percent of hospital capacity. A statewide mask order also remains in effect.
“Just because people are testing positive for COVID, that in and of itself is not a sign of danger,” he said at a campaign event. “Asign of danger is when you have increased hospitalizations.”
A spokeswoman for the governor reiterated that Thursday, and said the state is “working closely with local officials to quickly provide the resources needed to address these spikes and keep Texans safe.”
“The state’s coordination efforts go hand-in-hand with enforcing the existing protocols, a strategy that proved effective in slowing the spread over the summer and containing COVID-19 while allowing businesses to safely operate,” she said in a statement.
Abbott had previously designat-
ed a test positivity rate over 10percent as a “red flag” but has since abandoned that metric. Last month he allowed local officials to reopen bars in regions where COVID-19 patients fill less than 15 percent of the hospital beds.
At the same time, Texas cities and counties are on notice not to order lockdowns or take other restrictive measures such as curfews.
In El Paso, hospitals are overflowing with patients, and the
county has tried imposing a twoweek lockdown to curb the spread. Attorney General Ken Paxton moved to intervene last week, issuing a letter to the county judge and seeking a court order to block the restrictions on Tuesday. A ruling is expected Friday, according to the El Paso Times.
The outbreak in Texas comes as cases are exploding nationwide. Health experts with PolicyLab, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said youth sports and small
household gatherings are likely driving the surge, especially in areas where temperatures are dropping.
“As the weather becomes colder, these gatherings are taking place indoors, oftenin the absence of strict mask use, creating the perfect conditions for a virus that can spread among people who are crowded into a poorly ventilated space,” they said in a post.
On Thursday, the number of active cases in Central Texas hit its highest levels since August, and health officials there said more than half of them have involved adults between the ages of 20 and 39. That is a trend similar to what officials saw in the lead-up to the summer wave.
The numbers are also rising in Harris County. The positive test rate is currently 8.1 percent, compared to 5.6 percent a month ago. The rate had gradually declined from the July 6 high-water mark of 21.9 before it began rising the past month.
Houston-area hospitalizations are up, too. Hospital systems that belong to the Texas Medical Center admitted 125 COVID-19 patients throughout the area Wednesday, compared to 102 a day last week and 76 a day a month ago.
Dr. Luis Ostrosky, an infectious disease specialist at UTHealth in Houston, said the biggest outbreaks are in regions thatwere not as hard-hit earlier this year, while cities that were, including Houston and San Antonio, are seeing slower upticks. He expects that to continue until Thanksgiving, and worries that family gatherings will lead to new outbreaks.
“It’s after Thanksgiving that worries meat this point,” Ostrosky said.
Van Deusen said deaths are beginning to pick up statewide — a sign that infections are leading to serious illness. The state reported 133 deaths on Thursday, and has recorded more than18,400 COVID deaths since March.