One year after the Great Texas Freeze we have been on a series of Roller-Coaster rides: from Delta to Omicron, from 2 Doses to Boosters, from Urban Traveling Nurses to Rural Hospitals staffed with National Guard Troops. And yet, Omicron Hospitalizations are down. How far down? Not as much as it would seem. Compared to data from one year ago, we
no further along than when the Governor made his "Mission Accomplished" announcement and all restrictions were ended.
We have talked about spread as a function of the Holiday Travel Calendar. With this Summer's Travel Rates looking to exceed recent levels (you will want to follow Texas's ill-advised case against Federal mask mandates for Air Travel that are scheduled to expire on March 18: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/16/texas-planes-mask-mandates/?_ga=2.20172856.1071428776.1645460219-41162178.1645460219 ), all of us will be tested on how much we have learned about masking up, home antigen kits, and "just saying no" to large crowds when the Covid-19 emperor reveals himself during the upcoming political season.
Figure 1 shows that Hospitalizations across the state still have a long way to go before we reach those lows corresponding to pre-Delta days. This is the point at which the demographics of Covid-19 deaths changed from those who were Seniors to those who were unvaccinated. (Read Red Covid Update: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/briefing/red-covid-partisan-deaths-vaccines.html?searchResultPosition=61 ).
In fact, for N. Texas and the Panhandle, our present Hospitalization Rates are equal to the maximum levels attained during 2020's Summer Surge. Clearly, it is no time to drop mask mandates indoors. Interestingly, while Sports venues enforced few if any controls "right off the bat", Arts and Entertainment Events continue to call for Vaccination Proof and/or recent PCR Test Results. This is what you will need if you want to attend the World Class Houston Livestock and Rodeo next month: https://www.rodeohouston.com/Visit-the-Rodeo/Visitors-Guide/Guest-Services .
There is nothing new to report on the Vaccination Numbers (See Figure 2).
According to DSHS data, reported by county, boosters represent between 30% of those who are fully immunized. Nowhere in articles I have read about Covid-19 along the border (https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/18/texas-border-laredo-covid/) is there mention that these Counties have not kept up with Boosters. Most of this is related to the fact that this population is uninsured, so corresponding Health Departments need to revisit those who were first in line one year ago soon or the high Border Rates of Vaccination will put their Effective Vaccination Rate at (1-.3)*82 = 57% well below the 70% initial target that held their losses down from Delta last Summer.
