HOSPITALIZATIONS

Hospitalizations in Hidalgo County have gone from an alarming increase over time to now soaring, with 380 people with COVID-19 being treated in local hospitals compared to the 266 the county reported just one day ago. In addition to the sharp rise in hospitalizations, the county also reported 407 new cases of COVID-19 and six more deaths, five of whom were vaccinated. The new cases, composed of 72 confirmed and 335 probable cases, raise the county’s overall tally to 128,178, of which there have been 73,709 confirmed, 51,273 probable and 3,196 suspect cases since the start of the pandemic. Cases in schools have also increased significantly with 654 students and 218 staff members testing positive in Hidalgo County campuses, raising overall totals to 6,551 and 1,909, respectively, since those numbers started being tracked in August 2021. Of the 380 people in hospitals with COVID, 35 are pediatric patients.

Since July 2020, the city of Houston has been <a href="https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/12/07/omicron-variant-detected-in-houstons-wastewater-health-department-confirms/" target="_blank">testing wastewater</a> for signs of a coronavirus surge.

Texas exhausts supply of monoclonal antibody treatment as omicron cases surge

One year ago this month, Rotceh Pena was surprised when she was diagnosed with a severe COVID infection.

We continue to track the number of COVID-19 cases across the greater Houston area.

HOUSTON – Relaxed restrictions were rolled back Tuesday in some Houston-area counties where coronavirus-related hospitalizations remain high. A similar change was implemented in the Trauma Service Area that includes Dallas earlier this month. Galveston County asks for exemptionHenry said he has sent three requests for Galveston County to be exempt from the tighter restrictions, but those requests have gone unanswered. He said that hospitals in Galveston County are taking patients from the surrounding area and only 65 county residents are hospitalized with COVID-19. He said the Galveston County District Attorney has said he will likely not accept charges related to violations of the order.

It took him four days to be able to get a test, for which he paid $150. He shared his positive result with his staff, encouraging them all to get tested, too. For some of them, however, it took two weeks to get tested and receive results, preventing them from working. The experience convinced Sanchez to pivot his business for the second time since March and to reopen the two Moe’s restaurants Dec. 2 as COVID-19 testing sites.

“It’s likely too early for us to have yet seen the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations. We’re now in our 11th day since Thanksgiving and we are four days out from Hanukkah and 18 days from Christmas, 19 days from Kwanzaa, 24 from New Year’s Eve,” Pritzker said Monday. “These next four weeks may be the most crucial month of this entire pandemic. We quite literally have very limited leeway in our hospital systems to manage another surge.”

BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas – Nineteen counties in North Texas are facing new restrictions, after seven straight days where the percentage of COVID-19 hospitalizations topped 15%. Some sports in Galveston, Brazoria and Chambers County are seeing numbers increase. On Friday, the current hospital rate was 7.2% in Galveston County and 9.7% in Brazoria County. Galveston County Judge Mark Henry requested an exemption from the Governor if the hospital region reaches the 15 percent threshold. Dr. Anthony Rogers in Brazoria County says they’re trying their part to stop the spread of the virus.

“I don’t think there’s anyone studying this carefully that does not think that’s going to happen. We are absolutely going to have a rise, we are without question going to see a significant increase in hospitalizations. “The outcomes from hospitalizations have improved and we’ve gotten better at taking care of patients,” said pulmonologist Dr. Howard Huang. We have learned a great deal throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that informs our preparation for the next potential surge. These plans, which are continuously reviewed and adjusted as needed, include accommodating more critical care patients in our facility and providing additional staff as needed.

The data has limitations, however. Contact tracers aren’t able to reach everyone who tests positive, especially as cases spike, and the health departments in Chicago and Cook County, which have the highest number of cases, aren’t anywhere near meeting the state-set goal of reaching 90% of infected individuals. The city and county health departments are still working on hiring more contact tracers and integrating their data into the state system.

HOUSTON – New statistics suggest overworked Houston area hospitals may be beginning to turn the corner on the COVID-19 surge. While Houston remains a hot spot for the worst public health crisis, new statistics on hospitalizations are guardedly encouraging. As of Monday, in 147 patients were waiting for a bed, 39 of them needing ICU beds. What does that mean for those patients waiting for a bed in intensive care? The statistics suggest that Harris County can avoid another shut down if the hospitalization rate continues to trend downward.