Waco Journal
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
  • Local News
  • Community
  • COVID-19
  • Texas
  • Education
  • Politics
No Result
View All Result
Waco Journal
  • Local News
  • Community
  • COVID-19
  • Texas
  • Education
  • Politics
No Result
View All Result
Waco Journal
No Result
View All Result

‘It’s looking bad’: COVID numbers in Houston continue to spike, even before full impact of holidays

by Gavin Wright
January 3, 2021
in Texas
‘It’s looking bad’: COVID numbers in Houston continue to spike, even before full impact of holidays
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

TEXAS – As Houston left 2020 in the rearview mirror, the coronavirus continued to spread throughout the region unchecked, with some of the highest positivity rates since the start of the pandemic.

And that spike will only continue to climb, experts warn, because the numbers do not take into account additional surges tied to holiday gatherings from Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. The pandemic has already claimed the lives of more than 4,600 people from Greater Houston.

The positive test rate statewide hit a record Friday at 21.15 percent, according to a Houston Chronicle review — surpassing the previous high mark, 20.55 percent, in July.

“It’s looking bad,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. “We still haven’t seen the full impact of what’s happened after Christmas and New Year’s, so you know it won’t get better — it’s only going to get worse.

Local government officials continued to urge Houstonians to remain careful and cautious as hospitals and doctors begin the long process of vaccinating Texas residents.

“We’re in a very, very precarious situation,” said Rafael Lemaitre, spokesman for County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “As grateful as many of us are to finally cross the threshold into 2021, we’re going to have to keep our shoulder to the wheel in the new year as a community. This virus is not through with us.”

Across Texas, 12,481 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, marking the fifth consecutive day of record hospitalizations. More than half of the state’s trauma service areas, including Houston, Galveston and Victoria, reported that COVID-19 hospitalizations make up more than 15 percent of total hospital capacity, the threshold that signifies “high hospitalizations.”

In Houston, officials at the Texas Medical Center said that local positivity rates have risen to about 15.3 percent, significantly higher than last week’s daily average of about 11 percent, and the number of average daily positive tests has more than doubled compared with the same week last month.

“As we embark upon a new year, we are facing the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic with a record number of new cases,” TMC President William F. McKeon said in a daily update to staff. “However, we now have renewed hope with the arrival of new vaccines that together we can move to protect our community as soon as possible to isolate and extinguish the COVID-19 virus from our communities.”

Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders, if hospitals continue to experience such high numbers of COVID patients for seven consecutive days, some businesses would be required to limit operations until conditions improve.

The increased positivity rates come as Houston and Texas continue to vaccinate front-line workers and the most vulnerable residents. So far, about 340,000 Texans have begun the vaccination process — with about 52,800 of those vaccinations occurring in Harris County.

Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday announced the opening of a public clinic that will administer doses of the Moderna vaccine. Health care workers, people over 65 and people with serious underlying health conditions are eligible and must make an appointment by calling 832-393-4220 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. starting Saturday.

But Hotez warned that Harris County and others across Texas face a “daunting” challenge to vaccinate enough people to neutralize the virus’ danger.

In Harris County, public health authorities will have to ramp up a vaccine distribution program to administer the medicine to some 500,000 residents a month, he said — a volume that the Texas Medical Center and other hospitals, clinics and medical practices aren’t equipped to handle.

“We’re not anywhere close to that,” he said.

Instead, the county should consider opening vaccination centers at places such as NRG Stadium or the George R. Brown Convention Center, he said.

“If we can just gear up to get people vaccinated, then nobody has to lose their lives from COVID-19,” he said.

Related Posts

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Miller welcomed 12.2-million-dollar cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture to administer the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program
Texas

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Miller welcomed 12.2-million-dollar cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture to administer the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program

August 29, 2023

Waco, TX - According to the state officials, the purpose of the RFSI program is to build resilience in the...

TxDOT is hosting a statewide virtual public meeting with in-person open houses this spring for Connecting Texas 2050
Texas

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced an increased enforcement until September 4, 2023

August 29, 2023

Waco, TX - According to the state officials, Texas law enforcement agencies are among those that will increase their efforts...

Commissioner Miller pledges to take a close and careful look at the issue of mRNA vaccines in livestock, state officials say
Texas

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Miller announced The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service awarded over $1.4 million in Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding to Texas

August 27, 2023

Waco, TX - According to the state officials, this grant allows TDA to fund projects that will open new market...

Governor Greg Abbott announced that the City of Rosenberg has been designated as a Film Friendly Texas community by the Texas Film Commission
Texas

Gov. Abbott announced that 150 Texas public schools have been awarded the Purple Star Campus Designation for the 2023-2024 school year

August 24, 2023

Waco, TX - According to the state officials, the Purple Star Campus Designation program recognizes Texas public schools for their...

Gov. Abbott has reappointed Kris Coons to the Correctional Managed Health Care Committee for a term set to expire on February 1, 2027
Texas

Gov. Abbott announced nine Jobs and Education for Texans grants totaling more than $2.8 million to five Southeast Texas schools to support career and technical education training programs

August 23, 2023

Waco, TX - According to the state officials, the grants will reportedly help the schools purchase and install equipment to...

Governor Greg Abbott announced that the City of Rosenberg has been designated as a Film Friendly Texas community by the Texas Film Commission
Texas

Gov. Abbott announced the Texas Music Office and the City of Dalhart will co-host a Music Friendly Texas Community workshop on Wednesday, August 9

August 2, 2023

Waco, TX - According to the state officials, the Texas Music Office Community Relations and Outreach Specialist Chip Adams will...

Mom took a metal bar and beat her 11-year-old son before stabbing the child through the back of the head while his two younger brothers were in the room because she thought the boy was demon; convicted!
Community

Mom took a metal bar and beat her 11-year-old son before stabbing the child through the back of the head while his two younger brothers were in the room because she thought the boy was demon; convicted!

by Gavin Wright
October 3, 2023
0

According to the court documents, the 36-year-old mom, later identified as Latina, was found guilty of capital murder in the...

Read more
Mother drove her two children to bridge and threw them off, killing her 10-month-old baby son and severely injuring his 5-year-old brother, because they had ‘germs and that the water below the bridge was good water’; sentenced!

Mother drove her two children to bridge and threw them off, killing her 10-month-old baby son and severely injuring his 5-year-old brother, because they had ‘germs and that the water below the bridge was good water’; sentenced!

October 3, 2023
Wife drove to her estranged husband’s home, walked in while he was sleeping and shot him while he was still in bed because he still wanted to divorce and refused to change his mind!

Wife drove to her estranged husband’s home, walked in while he was sleeping and shot him while he was still in bed because he still wanted to divorce and refused to change his mind!

September 27, 2023
Father, who threw a large blanket over his 6-month-old baby daughter and suffocated her to death because the child was crying and he wanted to play video games, pleaded no contest!

Father, who threw a large blanket over his 6-month-old baby daughter and suffocated her to death because the child was crying and he wanted to play video games, pleaded no contest!

September 27, 2023
Parents let their 6-month-old baby nearly die atter being eaten alive by rats; the child suffered more than 50 bites and was missing flesh from all four fingers and thumb, exposing bone on all five fingertips!

Parents let their 6-month-old baby nearly die atter being eaten alive by rats; the child suffered more than 50 bites and was missing flesh from all four fingers and thumb, exposing bone on all five fingertips!

September 24, 2023
Mom took a metal bar and beat her 11-year-old son before stabbing the child through the back of the head while his two younger brothers were in the room because she thought the boy was demon; convicted!

Mom took a metal bar and beat her 11-year-old son before stabbing the child through the back of the head while his two younger brothers were in the room because she thought the boy was demon; convicted!

by Gavin Wright
October 3, 2023
0

According to the court documents, the 36-year-old mom, later identified as Latina, was found guilty of capital murder in the...

Mother drove her two children to bridge and threw them off, killing her 10-month-old baby son and severely injuring his 5-year-old brother, because they had ‘germs and that the water below the bridge was good water’; sentenced!

Mother drove her two children to bridge and threw them off, killing her 10-month-old baby son and severely injuring his 5-year-old brother, because they had ‘germs and that the water below the bridge was good water’; sentenced!

by Gavin Wright
October 3, 2023
0

Prosecutors said the defendant, Ureka, was sentenced to life in a state correctional facility without the possibility of parole for...

Wife drove to her estranged husband’s home, walked in while he was sleeping and shot him while he was still in bed because he still wanted to divorce and refused to change his mind!

Wife drove to her estranged husband’s home, walked in while he was sleeping and shot him while he was still in bed because he still wanted to divorce and refused to change his mind!

by Gavin Wright
September 27, 2023
0

According to the police officials, the 62-year-old suspect, later identified Christina, reportedly drove to her estranged husband's home, walked in...

Father, who threw a large blanket over his 6-month-old baby daughter and suffocated her to death because the child was crying and he wanted to play video games, pleaded no contest!

Father, who threw a large blanket over his 6-month-old baby daughter and suffocated her to death because the child was crying and he wanted to play video games, pleaded no contest!

by Gavin Wright
September 27, 2023
0

According to the court documents, the 20-year-old dad, Alex, murdered his baby because the child cried while he was playing...

About Us

A community needs news and Waco Journal is proud to serve 50,000 households each month through our website covering Waco and the other local counties.

Learn more

Recent Stories

  • Mom took a metal bar and beat her 11-year-old son before stabbing the child through the back of the head while his two younger brothers were in the room because she thought the boy was demon; convicted!
  • Mother drove her two children to bridge and threw them off, killing her 10-month-old baby son and severely injuring his 5-year-old brother, because they had ‘germs and that the water below the bridge was good water’; sentenced!

Categories

  • Local News
  • Community
  • COVID-19
  • Texas
  • Education
  • Politics
Currently Playing

© 2023 Waco Journal

  • Local News
  • Community
  • COVID-19
  • Texas
  • Education
  • Politics
No Result
View All Result