Texas officials worry about COVID-19 vaccines as numbers worsen

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Top Texas officials again asked health care providers to administer several coronavirus vaccines on Tuesday, the same day the state reported that the proportion of Texans whose coronavirus tests return positive has reached unseen levels since a summer wave. of cases that overwhelmed some hospitals.

The state reported on Tuesday that 163,700 Texans were vaccinated with at least one dose of vaccine. About 1.2 million doses were allocated to providers statewide in the first three weeks of their arrival, according to the State Department of Health Services.

“A significant portion of vaccines distributed in Texas could be on hospital shelves, as opposed to administering vulnerable Texans,” said Gov. Greg Abbott. said in a tweet Tuesday night.

The tweet came after health officials asked providers who received doses of COVID-19 vaccine to “immediately vaccinate” all eligible Texans, including people 65 and older and those at least 16 years of age. an eligible medical condition. That renewed push echoed a statement that Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner in Texas, sent to providers last week instructing them to “manage their entire allocation at full speed.”

“Dr. Hellerstedt issued a statement today to clarify to all providers that people over the age of 65 and people with medical conditions who have a higher risk of severe death from COVID-19 are now eligible to receive the vaccine. “ said spokesman Douglas Loveday. “The supply of vaccines remains limited, but more vaccines will be delivered to suppliers each week. It will take time to vaccinate everyone in these priority groups.”

Pressure from Texas officials for suppliers to administer more vaccines is happening The average seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate in Texas remained above 15% for a week, according to state data released Tuesday. And this sustained rate hike comes a day after the state reported a record number of Texans hospitalized with the virus.

“We can expect an increase in the number of cases in the coming weeks, and as a result and not far behind the increase in cases will be an increase in hospitalizations and potential deaths,” said Angela Clendenin, epidemiologist and biostatistician at Texas A&M University School of Public Health.

Clendenin said the increase in the positivity rate is probably partly due to a higher number of tests among asymptomatic people and those with only mild symptoms.

On Tuesday, the state reported that 17.15% of molecular coronavirus tests returned as confirmed cases in the last seven days. The average seven-day positivity rate has remained above 15% since December 22.

Abbott said in May that a sustained positivity rate of over 10% was a cause for alarm.

“If the positivity test rate is higher than 10%, this is one of those red flags we’re starting to look at,” Abbott said in a May 5 press briefing.

But in recent months, Abbott has repeatedly sworn to any new stop. Instead, he pointed to a state-wide mask mandate that remains in place and certain occupancy reductions that are triggered when the proportion of COVID-19 patients in a region exceeds 15% of the hospital’s capacity for seven days. An analysis by the Texas Tribune found that these restrictions did not do much to ease burdened health care systems in the areas most affected by the virus.

“Government. Abbott continues to rely on hospital-based hospitalization metrics used by physicians and medical experts to help inform and guide the state’s ongoing efforts to mitigate COVID-19, “said spokeswoman Renae Eze. “As some communities experience an increase in hospitalizations, Texas is working closely with local officials to quickly provide the resources needed to address these peaks and keep Texans safe, including growing medical staff and supplies.”

In September, Texas DSHS began releasing a new version of the state’s positivity rate. Consider the date on which a test was administered, not when it was reported. This change in reporting revealed that the share of people who received positive test results was higher in the spring than was initially revealed.

Texas’ high rate of positivity is the latest in a series of values ​​that have worried public health experts, especially in the middle of the holiday season, which could exacerbate a virus that is already spreading.

On Monday, the state reported that more Texans were hospitalized with the virus than at any time during the pandemic. And earlier this month, the state’s stock of available intensive care beds fell to its lowest point so far. On Tuesday, there were 11,775 people in hospitals and 653 beds available for the ICU.

Two weeks ago, Texas began vaccinating front-line care workers and residents and nursing home staff, marking a significant first step in the fight against coronavirus. But experts estimate that it will take six to nine months for the COVID-19 vaccine to become widely available.

“It is more important than ever, where we are today, to remain very vigilant about physical distance, wearing a mask, good hand hygiene and avoiding non-essential travel and meetings with others outside our households until the vaccine becomes widely available and a significant number of people become vaccinated, “said Clendenin.

Mandi Cai contributed to this story.

Disclosure: Texas A&M University was a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan news organization, funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial backers play no role in Tribune journalism. Find a complete list of them here.