Kerr County’s COVID-19 cases remain low; Abbott requests additional federally supported resources

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on December 31 that Texas has formally requested resources for federally supported testing locations, medical personnel and additional federal allocations of the monoclonal antibody treatments. The Texas DSHS has also requested three teams of medical personnel to provide additional support to hospitals in urban areas of the state that do not have DSHS-contracted staff.

Abbott’s request for more doses of infusion treatments is because they have been proven to be effective in fighting the virus and reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations. There are sixteen state-sponsored infusion centers, ten of which are operated by the Texas Department of Emergency Management, while the others fall under the auspices of the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The infusion centers provide monoclonal antibody doses free of charge to all Texans who test positive for COVID-19 and have a doctor’s referral. More infusion centers will open up in areas as needed and can be located by visiting meds.tdem.texas.gov.

Locally, Kerr County is reporting 142 active cases of the coronavirus, according to Dub Thomas, Kerr County’s Emergency Management Coordinator. As of Monday, January 3, the county is confirming: 7,064 recoveries; 142 fatalities of permanent Kerr County residents due to COVID-19; 12 hospitalizations of patients currently receiving treatment for active COVID-19; 24,245 county residents who are now “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19 (48.50%).

Gillespie County officials are reporting that 55.43% of all eligible residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as of January 3. The county confirms there are 89 active coronavirus cases, 4 COVID-19 hospitalizations, 3,620 recoveries and 84 confirmed COVID-19 fatalities since the pandemic began.

As cases of COVID-19 have been surging nationwide, the state’s largest pediatric hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, said Monday that 90% of its children hospitalized had the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Hospital officials also confirmed that one-third of those children are under the age of five, a group still not authorized to get vaccinated.

On Monday, January 3, Texas DSHS reported that new COVID-19 cases and positivity rates hit new record highs. The most recent data shows 340,110 active COVID-19 cases, 7,017 hospitalizations and 74, 736 COVID-19 deaths. Texas DSHS says that 56.63% of all eligible Texans are fully vaccinated against the virus.

Other COVID related news breaking on Monday was the confirmation that Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is self-quarantining with mild symptoms after having tested positive for the virus last week. Patrick’s campaign released a statement Monday saying Patrick has since tested negative and is completing his quarantine period.

Patrick has been in the news several times in recent months after suing the Biden administration over the federal requirement for federal government workers and contractors to be vaccinated. “The federal government does not have the ability to strip individuals of their choice to get a vaccine or not. If the President thinks his patience is wearing thin, he is clearly understanding the lack of patience from Texans whose rights he is infringing,” Patrick said in a statement.

Patrick is running for re-election in 2022.