Brazos County health officials worried about growth in COVID, delta variant activity

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BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Brazos County health officials are increasingly concerned about the activity of coronaviruses and delta variants.

As of Monday, 44 new cases of COVID were reported in the county, bringing the number of active cases to 202.

Active cases are starting to increase again, according to local dashboard data.

“Since we last spoke I’m more worried and you know I don’t like these trends at all and that’s something that’s preventable. That’s the story here, ”said Dr Seth Sullivan, of the Brazos County Health Authority.

Sullivan and local medical leaders say the delta variant is here in Brazos County, despite no laboratory confirmed cases yet. According to Sullivan and other medical experts, getting the vaccine is your best defense. Over the weekend, a replacement for the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team and five House Democrats from Texas staying in Washington during a state government standoff tested positive for COVID-19.

“The vaccine is not 100 percent in preventing disease. But it’s very good for prevention, as a population preventing the spread of the virus and the only way for us to stop the progression of the next variant, and the next variant, and the next variant is to start decreasing the transmission. of disease.

As of Monday, 21 people remained hospitalized for COVID in Brazos County.

“We’re not completely out of the woods when it comes to COVID-19. It’s still in our community and so if you’re not vaccinated there’s a good chance you’ll still get it. The delta variant is the most contagious strand, so we see it, ”said Jason Jennings, Regional President of Baylor Scott & White Health.

“We are not living up to the numbers, luckily and thank goodness we had during the winter months, but we are seeing more positive patients entering our hospital,” Jennings added.

“I think what’s important to our viewers right now is that it’s preventable. There are ample vaccines available and there is rigorous data available on the safety of these vaccines and this is our tool. It’s our only tool right now, ”Sullivan said.

265 people have died from the virus in Brazos County. Nationwide, more than 609,000 people have lost their lives to COVID-19, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

St. Joseph Health sent KBTX a statement on local activity:

St. Joseph Health has seen a recent increase in COVID-19 cases at our Brazos Valley hospitals. At this time, we are unable to confirm whether these new cases are the Delta strain or the older strain. While we are not currently seeing the number of COVID-19 patients we have seen previously, it is important to remain vigilant and we encourage anyone who is able to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Multiple studies report that the majority of people hospitalized with the delta variant are either unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, indicating that available vaccines offer protection against this new strain. To find a list of places offering the vaccine, visit www.vaccins.gov

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