By Marín Loup
3:39 p. m. August 4, 2023 CDT
COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Texas have more than doubled in the past month, according to data from the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Board, reflecting national case trends as the new year approaches.
Dallas-area hospitals reported 196 hospitalized patients with the virus on Aug. 3, up from 91 hospitalizations on July 3. In mid-July, the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a report on the U. S. The U. S. reported a slight increase in cases nationwide for the first time since January.
Public fitness experts say that while they are cautiously following the local rise in hospitalizations, other people are panicking. Just over a year ago, fitness systems in North Texas recorded more than 700 COVID-19 hospitalizations, prompting the CDC to designate Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties as prime network spaces for the spread of the virus.
“It’s a slow but noticeable increase,” said Dr. Trish Perl, an infectious disease specialist at UT Southwestern.
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It’s getting harder and harder to track the spread of COVID because other people are more likely to get tested at home, if at all. Wastewater testing, which allows researchers to measure viral load without relying on others reporting positive tests, recently demonstrated slight increases in COVID-19 cases in Dallas County, said Dr. Philip Huang, director of fitness and human services.
Hospitalizations due to the disease also offer epidemiologists a more consistent source of data, though even those that might go unreported, Perl said. It can also be tricky for hospitals to distinguish between patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and those hospitalized for other situations who test positive for the highly contagious virus.
The subvariants XBB and XBB. 1. 5 account for the majority of COVID-19 cases in the state as of July 15, according to data from the Texas Department of State Department of Health. The strains are cousins to the omicron variant, which has wreaked havoc on North Texas hospitals for months. At its peak, the Omicron wave led to more than 4,000 hospitalizations.
Existing strains appear much less severe than the original omicron variant, and most people’s immune systems can take over the virus, especially if they are vaccinated. People with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for serious complications.
“People with underlying fitness situations want to be diligent about their safety,” said Steve Love, president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Board.
Researchers are confident why COVID-19 is spreading more and more right now, and the answer most likely lies in a combination of several factors.
Most likely, immunity to the latest and most up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine, formulated to attack the omicron variant, is waning. A new booster dose targeting XBB. 1. 5 could get approval from the Food and Drug Administration by the end of August, Pfizer’s chief executive said. Albert Bourla said Tuesday on a call to investors.
Extreme heat may also be involved. Texans who gather indoors to escape record-breaking temperatures are more likely to spread the virus than if they were outdoors.
Viral illnesses, such as colds and flu, spread in autumn and winter. Perl said he would expect COVID-19 to follow a similar pattern.
Some viruses evolve to spread in seasons where they have little competition. It’s possible, Perl said, that newer variants of COVID-19 are better suited for times like summer, so they don’t have to fight off diseases like influenza or respiratory syncytial virus.
Rates of influenza and RSV rose abnormally last winter, and hospitalizations due to the virus even exceeded hospitalizations due to COVID-19 at one point.
Marin Loup. Marin Wolf is a physical care reporter for the Dallas Morning News. In the past she covered economic news for The News’ business office, as well as race and diversity for Bloomberg News. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at the Chapel Hill Hussman School of Journalism.