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Hospitalizations and coronavirus-related infections are on the rise in Texas as the Lone Star State vaccinated less than half of its total population, according to data from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
As of Thursday, there were 2,653 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, an increase of 134 new patients from the previous day, according to state health data.
Thursday’s hospitalizations come after the state health department recorded 1,888 hospitalizations the previous Thursday.
In addition, more than 3,000 new infections were recorded on Friday alone, with the seven-day average rising by about 963 from just a week ago.
The increases in cases and hospitalizations come as health officials warn of further outbreaks of coronavirus across the country in part because of the highly transmissible delta variant.
New COVID-19 clusters have been particularly prevalent in communities where vaccination rates are relatively low.
About 50% of the total population of Texas had received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine as of Friday, with roughly 43% fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, the vaccination rate in Texas is higher than in some neighboring states, including Louisiana and Arkansas, which have between 35 and 36% of their populations fully vaccinated.
The two neighboring states have also seen recent outbreaks of coronavirus infections, with Arkansas reporting its biggest daily jump on Tuesday new cases in five months with 1,476 new cases.
CDC Director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyOvernight Defense: Milley reportedly warned Trump against Iranian strikes | Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer killed in Afghanistan | 70 percent of active-duty military are at least partially vaccinated Overnight health care: CDC director warns of ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’ | Biden says social media platforms are ‘killing people’ | Florida accounts for 20% of new Biden cases: Social media platforms ‘kill people’ MORE said on Friday that COVID-19 “is becoming an unvaccinated pandemic,” adding that vaccinated people are protected against the virus.
“The good news is that if you are fully vaccinated you are protected against severe COVID, hospitalization and death, and even against the known variants, including the delta variant, that are circulating in this country,” Walensky said. .
She added: “If you are not vaccinated you are still at risk.”
While Walensky said local authorities should consider implementing mask warrants in areas with low vaccination rates, GOP leaders such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have opposed maintaining restrictions on coronaviruses. .
Abbott is one of many GOP governors to have imposed a ban on businesses and state agencies requiring people to provide proof of vaccination and in May issued an executive order banning state government entities from impose mask mandates.
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