DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – The number of reported COVID-19 cases in North Texas are on the rise, while immunity appears to be falling.
According to the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation, the week-over-week increase in positive reported cases in Dallas County is in the 30-40% range if you average out over several weeks to account for the recent changes in the state and county data reporting infrastructure updates.
“The positive reported cases are a baseline since we know that at home testing can account for 3-5x more cases and the results are not reported,” said PCCI Director, Steve Miff. “While increasing, we are still at small baseline active case numbers, so week over week percentages needs to be interpreted appropriately.”
According to Miff, ER visits, while low and constant for several months, are also starting to increase. Hospitalizations remain relatively flat, but typically lag ED arrivals by about a week.
Miff isn’t overly concerned about the rising number of reported COVID cases, but is more worried about a drop in immunity.
“A potential community future risk is the aging immunity with 874,977 Dallas County citizens eligible and overdue for a booster shot,” said Miff. “Out of these 800,000 plus individuals, 66% are more than 9 months since they were fully vaccinated.”
According to PCCI, Dallas County vaccinations are slowing. 59% of the Dallas County population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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