Dallas County raised its COVID-19 threat stage to yellow on Wednesday as North Texas well being authorities proceed to report rising coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations.
COVID-19 circumstances have elevated by 20-30% previously two weeks in Dallas County, in response to a letter from the Dallas County Public Well being Committee to Choose Clay Jenkins. The county has seen a 36% enhance in COVID-related hospitalizations in the identical timeframe.
Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 account for almost all of circumstances within the space, the letter stated.
Dallas County had been at a threat stage of inexperienced since April.
“The first driver of this enhance is that a lot of the inhabitants stays unvaccinated, under-vaccinated or unboosted with the COVID vaccine,” the letter stated.
The letter additionally says growing case numbers, % positivity, hospitalizations and ICU admissions are causes for the change in threat stage.
“Whereas Dallas County at the moment has decrease COVID-19 case volumes and hospitalization charges than reported in different waves, the acceleration in numbers of circumstances, hospitalizations, worker absenteeism and the transmissibility of the present circulating pressure is growing the burden on the well being of our residents and our healthcare system,” the letter stated.
Below the elevated threat stage, the committee beneficial vaccination and booster pictures if eligible and that people at excessive threat ought to masks indoors, particularly in crowded rooms.
Dallas County follows Collin and Tarrant counties in lately elevating their COVID ranges as properly. As of Wednesday, Tarrant County is within the red.