HOUSTON — The number of new coronavirus cases has been increasing for the last several weeks in Houston. Now, hospitalizations are up, too. It’s a trend Houston health officials are watching closely.
“We’re seeing the reported number of new cases rising. We know hospitalizations are a lagging indicator, so no surprise, we’re seeing more people present for hospital care with COVID-19,” said Dr. David Callender, President & CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System.
According to Texas Medical Center data, hospitalizations have been inching up since late October. As of now, the numbers are still far below the peak over the summer. Roughly 16% of patients in intensive care have COVID-19 in the Texas Medical Center.
“It seems that many of the new cases that we’re hearing about have been transmitted in social situations where people who know each other get together, they don’t wear masks, they don’t maintain social distancing,” Callender said.
He’s urging people to be safe when getting together with family or friends for the holidays because about half of people with the coronavirus are asymptomatic.
“The bottom line is we don’t want you to have the disease. We don’t want high-risk people to have the disease, because they can get seriously ill and even die,” he said.