A top health official has hinted at another surge in numbers reflective of fresh new tallies of COVID-19 infections, citing more cases admitted to over a dozen of hospitals in Texas.
According to Memorial Hermann Health System President and CEO, David Callender, COVID-19 cases are “trending in the wrong direction,” even as he claimed that the Texas Medical Center and over a dozen more healthcare facilities in the greater Houston-Metro area are close to full capacity.
“For the first time in many weeks, we’re actually seeing the numbers of new cases in COVID-19 go up, as well as the number of hospitalizations for COVID-19,” said Callender.
Government records showed the Texas Medical Center recorded an average of 398 daily positive tests results last week, translated to a positivity rate of 4.0. The figure is three times more than the 133 fresh cases the week before, which accounts for a positivity rate of 1.3.
These developments also saw a spike in the reproduction rate, which was pegged at 1.58%, which is way higher than the .91% reproduction rate registered the week before.
“That of course means that the infection is again spreading in greater Houston,” said Callender, even as he hinted at the most probable reason behind the new surge in COVID-19 infections.
Claiming that a significant number of their population has yet to be vaccinated, Callender cautioned the public against being complacent – especially with a far more contagious COVID-19 variant on sight.
“We still have a significant portion of the Houston population that has yet to be vaccinated. And now, we’re dealing with this new Delta variant, which is more transmissible,” he added.
Having said that, Callender urged state residents to have themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 before thinking of going back to what they’ve been used to before the onset of the global pandemic. “We don’t want Delta to get you,” he quipped.
