Harris Co.’s COVID threat level rose from yellow to orange in the middle of last peak

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday raised the county’s COVID-19 threat level from “moderate” yellow to “significant” orange amid peak cases during of a “fourth wave” of the pandemic.

The county chief cited several forces during the summer outbreak, but pointed to the current wave of hesitation and misinformation regarding vaccines amid a highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

According to Hidalgo, the positivity rate has doubled every two to three weeks in the county, making it faster than the previous wave of cases that started last December. She added that the rate of intensive care has doubled every five weeks.

Regarding vaccination rates, Hidalgo said just over 50% of the county’s population have been vaccinated against COVID, which is well below President Biden’s target of 70% he says. wanted to reach for the nation earlier this month.

And to get the point across vaccines, she said 90% of COVID patients admitted to Texas Medical Center hospitals are not vaccinated. This is a statistic that was backed up by Dr Peter Hotez, one of the region’s leading infectious disease experts, who supported Hidalgo during his threat level briefing.

WATCH: Luck ‘about to run out’ for those not vaccinated, warns Dr Peter Hotez

“To put it bluntly, and in very harsh terms, basically anyone hospitalized for COVID right now – pediatric hospitalizations aside – these are adult hospitalizations. Anyone hospitalized or in intensive care with COVID right now is there by choice, is there because they haven’t made the effort to get vaccinated. And that’s what we need to fix, “Hotez said.

Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, also gave this warning to those who have not received the vaccine and have gone this far into the pandemic without catching the virus.

“The big thing that worries me now is anyone who is unvaccinated and has been fortunate enough to escape COVID, your luck is about to turn. This is how transmissible this virus is,” Hotez warned, as part of his own advocacy for people to get vaccinated now, especially as the school year approaches.

Hotez added that while the county is doing slightly better than most parts of the southern United States, it is still not close to the level of vaccination rates in the Northeast. This, he says, will pave the way for the Delta variant to accelerate the spread in this area.

“We have about 44, 45 percent of the whole [Texas] vaccinated population, “Hotez said.” It’s not great, and especially among [Black, indigenous and people of color] communities. “

Hidalgo has also pleaded with residents to wear face coverings until the numbers get back under control, although the county judge has expressed awareness of the limited power she has to order people to mask themselves. Earlier this week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott insisted he would not bring back a mask warrant.

It would be “inappropriate to require people who are already immune to wear a mask,” Abbott said.

SEE ALSO: Do vaccinated people have to dress up? Houston health experts respond amid COVID outbreak

Barely two months ago, Hidalgo lowered the threat level from “red” to “orange”.

Then it turned yellow again, urging people to stay alert unless they were fully immunized. Level 3 means there is a moderate threat and the local health system is well within capacity.

The color-coded alert system was first introduced at the height of the pandemic last year. It is designed to help provide the public with advice on how to protect themselves.

Here are the four levels of the COVID-19 threat system for Harris County:

• Level 1 – Severe (red) Stay home

• Level 2 – Significant (orange) Minimize all contacts

• Level 3 – Moderate (yellow) Stay alert

• Level 4 – Minimal (green) Resume normal contacts

Some indicators that were considered red flags during the 2020 pandemic have increased in Texas.

On Sunday, the state’s positivity rate – the case-to-test ratio – rose above 10% for the first time since February, a threshold Abbott had previously identified as dangerous.

Less than half of Texans, 43% on Sunday, were fully immunized.

SEE MORE: Just a reminder: here’s who can and can’t make you wear masks

Our Texas Tribune partners contributed to this report.

Eyewitness News answers your questions about the COVID threat level and its significance. To find out more, follow Marla Carter on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.