Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Nearly two years since Coryell County and Texas first began grappling with a pandemic, COVID-19 issues continue and have caused local disruptions.
"I wish I had some good news about numbers but I don't," said Coryell County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Harrell. He noted that at least 174 cases had been reported by Coryell Health, which does not include any cases in which a patient is diagnosed and/or treated elsewhere.
The silver lining to the concern is that there have been fewer hospitalizations from the most recent variant than there were from previous variants.
"We have a 12.62 percent hospitalization rate, and when we reach 15 percent is when it takes on a different (approach)," Harrell said.
There have been 10,781 cases of COVID-19 reported since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 (not including the most recent 174 cases), "and we'll be over 11,000 before too long," Harrell said.
A total of 173 fatalities in Coryell County since March 2020 have been attributed to COVID-19, he said.
The highest vaccination rate is among people age 65 and older, with nearly 75 percent being fully vaccinated in Coryell County.
At-home tests are being manufactured by multiple companies, including one of which is in the Austin area "for folks that can order them online," Harrell said. He added that he has heard a family can apply to receive eight of those tests each month.
One area that has been hit hard by COVID-19 is in education, with some schools experiencing some staffing issues.
"There is a shortage of substitute teachers because of illness and a lot of kids and staff are out," Harrell said.
In a note to parents, Gatesville Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Barrett Pollard talked about the effects of COVID at local schools.
"We wanted to inform you that COVID-19 continues to rise in our schools and community," he said. "After having gone several weeks with zero cases, we now have reported cases of students and staff at each of the five campuses."
He said campus nurses will contact parents if their children need to quarantine, and they will also offer guidance on what to do regarding a positive test or exposure to COVID-19.
Updated information about COVID-19 cases districtwide is available at www.gatesvilleisd.org on the "COVID Dashboard and Safety Plan" tab.
Healthcare has also been impacted significantly.
"A great deal of those in the healthcare system are out with COVID also," Harrell said.
Asked about the availability of beds in intensive care units, Harrell said, "In our county we're still good. We don't have any ICU beds occupied by COVID patients right now."
Coryell County Judge Roger Miller said that "across the region, ICU beds are being filled rapidly. That's not just because of COVID (but other medical issues, too). What's being done about staffing?"
Harrell said Coryell Health's hospital and clinic were both helping to staff RehabLiving at The Meadows nursing care facility, and noted there are staffing shortages in the medical field across the state of Texas.
During an update at the Gatesville Lions Club, Tom Creek said he had talked to Dr. (Adrian) Dirk at Coryell Health and had received information about the most prevalent strain of COVID-19.
"Omicron is a little bit different than the Delta variant - it spreads 20 times faster," he said. "It's like a wave and some people may get it and not know it, while others develop flu-like symptoms."
He added that "less than 2 percent of the omicron cases are serious," but that people who develop symptoms or test positive should quarantine for at least five days, and should continue to wear a mask for at least five days afterward.
