The meeting was to officially raise the county's COVID-19 threat limit, as well as approve the purchase of up to 65,000 rapid antigen COVID-19 test kits that cost over $1.8 million and a . Get highlights, trending news, and behind-the-scenes insights from Houston Public Media delivered to your inbox each week. Over the past few weeks the region has been hit hard by the arrival of the Delta variant, Hidalgo said during the briefing. And to drive home the point of vaccines, she stated that 90% of COVID patients admitted at Texas Medical Center hospitals are not vaccinated. The site will continue to offer other pertinent information, such as wastewater monitoring data and the percentage of county residents who have been vaccinated and boosted. The Harris County Auditor's confidential hotline and website allow employees, vendors, grant applicants and the general public to anonymously report instances of fraud, waste or abuse of the County's funds, resources and projects 24/7 in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Vietnamese. The. Just enter your ZIP code to generate your local pollen forecast & see today's predicted allergy impact. HARRIS COUNTY,Texas(KIAH)Judge Lina Hidalgo today announced that she is raising the countys COVID-19 Threat Level Indicator from Level 3: Yellow to Level 2: Orange, the systems second highest threat level. And as of Wednesday, 599 people in Harris County general hospital beds were infected with the virus up from 358 at. These are the four levels of the COVID-19 threat system for Harris County: Level 1 - Severe (red) Stay Home Level 2 - Significant (orange) Minimize All Contacts Level 3 - Moderate. We can make this the last time this happens but for right now, for the sake of our hospitals and for the sake of our workforce, we have to sound the alarm once again, she said. Harris County raises COVID-19 threat level to 'Red' as - Chron Harris County's Lina Hidalgo talks re-election plans, COVID threat Hidalgo also said everybody should resume wearing masks to protect those that arent vaccinated. "The 14-day average for COVID-positive ICU cases is now 18.1%; the positivity rate is now 35%," Hidalgo said. These are the four levels of the COVID-19 threat system for Harris County: Level 1 - Severe (red) Stay Home Level 2 - Significant (orange) Minimize All Contacts Level 3 - Moderate. Harris County has been at its highest threat level for nearly a year, after Hidalgo raised the level to "red" in June. Copyright 2022 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved. Dallas County, Texas Covid Case and Risk Tracker Greg Abbott, local governments cannot enforce their own stay-at-home orders, as Abbott allowed them to do in the early stages of the pandemic. Throughout the last couple of weeks, long lines have been noticeable across Houston for COVID-19 tests. The current COVID-19 positivity rate in Houston is 38%. Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, also gave this warning to those who haven't gotten the vaccine and have gone this far in the pandemic without catching the virus. Selected for the magnitude of the issue and our ability to make progress in Harris County. Tractor Pulling Parts Featured Items 300/400 Series Front Cover 300 and Due to the explosive growth of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus across Harris County, public health officials are strongly urging all eligible Harris County residents, especially individuals 65 and older, to get their booster shots as soon as possible. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel. Harris County is currently yellow, but Hidalgo anticipated the community level could rise to orange with the risk for transmission increasing with children back in school. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Medical Center and our Member Institutions have collected and analyzed data to track COVID-19s impact on the Greater Houston community. Hidalgo added she also worked with Commissioner Ellis and Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia to deliver 111,000 tests to school districts across Harris County. As for the region Texas is a part of, as of July 17, the variant comprises 84 percent of new coronavirus cases, Hidalgo noted. According to Hidalgo, the positivity rate has doubled every two to three weeks in the county, making it faster than the previous wave of cases that began last December. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo > Home "We expected [the countys threat level] to get to level red," said Dr. Lars Thestrup, the Medical Director for the Houston Marathon. April 15, 2021, 5:10 AM Dallas, Austin and San Antonio have all seen downgraded threat levels, yet Harris County is still at the highest tier. The alert level has been reduced from 3 to 2. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. To view COVID-19 and related data on a global scale, refer to the resources below. Flu Season | Harris County Public Health | Texas Level 3 means there is a moderate threat and the local healthcare system is well within capacity. Hidalgo also talked about the health budget for the county. HOUSTON - Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced on Monday that she raised the county's COVID-19 threat level to red, the highest level. Level 1 indicates a severe and uncontrolled threat to COVID-19 and urges residents to stay home except for essential needs such as going to the grocery store to buy food or medicine, according to Harris County Public Health. Watch the media briefing in its entirety below: Copyright 2021 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved. It's a statistic that was backed by Dr. Peter Hotez, one of the region's leading infectious disease experts, who stood with Hidalgo during her briefing on the threat level. Greg Abbott insisted that he would not bring back a mask mandate. The new system will allow the public to make their own decisions about the level of risk they are comfortable with taking, knowing that the chance of being hospitalized with a severe illness is relatively low if they have been vaccinated and boosted, Hidalgo said. Your subscription will be migrated over. These are the four levels of the COVID-19 threat system for Harris County: Level 1 - Severe (red) Stay Home Level 2 - Significant (orange) Minimize All Contacts Level 3 - Moderate. Hidalgo cautioned that the risk for contracting COVID-19 is still present. OVID-19 Community Levels help individuals and communities decide which prevention actions to take based on the latest information. Please email [email protected] for the most recent files if you do not find them below. Coal miner dies in southern West Virginia, governor says 1 Illinois County Rises to 'High' COVID Alert Level Under CDC Its not too late, Hidalgo said. William Mapes, 73, of Freeburn, Kentucky, died Sunday, Justice said Sunday in a news release. To report an emergency any time, call: (713) 755-5050 Read more about the C.D.C.'s . That will, he says, pave the way for the Delta variant to accelerate spread in this area. "To put it bluntly, and in very stark terms, essentially anyone who is hospitalized for COVID right now - pediatric hospitalizations aside - this is adult hospitalizations. At this level, county officials, urge unvaccinated residents to minimize contact with others, avoid any medium or large gatherings, and visit only permissible businesses that follow public health guidance. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Recommends All Houston Residents 'Outbreaks are present and worse,' Harris County Judge raises COVID-19 HOUSTON - On Monday, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo raised the county's COVID-19 threat level to 'red', the most severe level possible. HOUSTON A Cypress mother accused in a child abuse case involving twin teenagers was extradited back to Harris County over the weekend. Harris County could raise COVID threat level to red soon, Lina Hidalgo says Since January, the county had been at Level 1: Red, the highest risk level amid the "explosive growth" of Omicron cases. Hotez also cautioned that case levels could increase heading toward the winter, especially if another variant emerges. Orange, or Level 2, signifies an uncontrolled level of COVID-19 in Harris County. Douglas County Health Department discusses end of COVID emergency She won the jackpot. MORE HEALTH NEWS: Houston doctors say flu season could be early and more severe, so get a flu shot now. Published: 11:00 AM CST January 10, 2022 Updated: 5:52 AM CST January 11, 2022 HOUSTON Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Monday raised the county's COVID-19 threat back to its highest. the Musical comes to Hobby Center, Houston on the tail end of a severe weather outbreak, Constable: Woman arrested after her kids found in, HPD: Family of 3 dead in possible murder-suicide, McConaughey, wife on flight with severe turbulence, Burger King brings back fan-favorite item, 13-year-old teen says she was stabbed at Texas City, Suspects in custody after police called to Bellaire, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The US Department of Energy has assessed that the Covid-19 pandemic most likely came from a laboratory leak in China, according to a newly updated classified intelligence report. Hidalgo also noted that the countys COVID-19 positivity rate is doubling every 2.3 weeks, faster than at any point during the third wave of the disease in December. The countywide COVID-19 positivity rate is 7.3%, up from 5.29% on July 1. The Harris County Public Health website offers guidance for each of the three threat levels, including recommendations for wearing a mask, traveling and social gatherings when the county is green, yellow or orange. Harris County leaders not ready to lower emergency status - impact At this level, unvaccinated residents should minimize contact with others, avoiding any medium or large gatherings, and only visiting permissible businesses that follow public health guidance. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. They're ending up in our hospitals." ", Just a reminder: Here's who can and can't make you wear masks, Level 2 - Significant (orange) Minimize All Contacts, Level 3 - Moderate (yellow) Stay Vigilant, Level 4 - Minimal (green) Resume Normal Contacts. Sure, were nearing the completion of the third year of this pandemic. She added the ICU rate has doubled every five weeks. For more information about testing, visit Testing Locations and Information. The new system places a greater emphasis on new cases than the old one, but it still considers the number of people who are being hospitalized or admitted to an ICU with COVID-19, Hidalgo said. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates - Texas Medical Center HOUSTON - The COVID-19 threat level in Harris County has been lowered to Level 2: Orange, as positive cases and COVID-19 ICU populations are decreasing. COVID-19 Community Levels - Harris County, Texas Staff writer Andrew Dansby contributed to this report. The county had raised the threat level from yellow to orange on Dec. 20. Omicron surge compels Harris Co. to raise COVID threat to Level 2 The prior system used four threat levels: green (minimal), yellow (moderate), orange (significant) and red (severe). The Fraud Hotline Number is 866-556-8181 or click here for . This is the highest threat level possible warning of significant COVID-19 spread.