New cases of COVID-19 on the rise in Texas

TEXAS – After a period that has seen a drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases and resulting hospitalizations in Texas and across the country, we are now facing a worrying trend. New cases are starting to increase and more Texans are being admitted to hospitals.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 2,613 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, 849 new probable cases and 29 new deaths attributed to the virus on Tuesday.

The state further reports that 2,282 Texans are currently being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals.

Recent state data shows the positivity rate in Texas now stands at 7.43%, the highest since early March.

In Williamson County – which includes Georgetown, Hutto, Liberty Hill, Leander and a number of other cities – cases of COVID-19 have doubled in the past week. In response, the county has moved to the “orange” phase of its color-coded risk guidelines, which is the second highest phase.

Texas is hardly alone. Confirmed infections reached a seven-day average of around 23,600 per day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23. according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And all but two states – Maine and South Dakota – have reported that the number of cases has increased in the past two weeks.

“It is certainly no coincidence that we are looking at exactly when we expect cases to occur after the weekend of July 4,” said Dr Bill Powderly, co-director of the division of infectious diseases at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

At the same time, parts of the country are facing deep resistance to vaccines.

The main concern in Texas and elsewhere is the delta variant. Experts say it spreads more easily due to mutations that allow it to attach better to cells in our body.

The good news is that studies have shown that available vaccines work against variants, including the delta variant.

As cases increase in Texas, new vaccinations have declined. State data shows that 14,174,926 Texans have received at least one dose of vaccine and 12,236,524 are fully immunized. Texas is home to nearly 30 million people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.