COVID-19 cases in Tarrant County hit a spike in August. Are infections still on the rise? – Fort Worth Report

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Tarrant County experienced a COVID-19 spike in the middle of August when 1,152 new cases were reported. This was nearly double the 605 cases reported in July.

Dr. Carol Nwelue, an internal medicine physician with Baylor Scott & White Health in Fort Worth, said heading into the fall, COVID-19 cases were expected to increase and they did.

There have been times within the last couple of months, where weve seen pretty big increases on the outpatient side, which tells us that the virus is still around, she said.

(Source | Tarrant County Public Health)

COVID-19 cases continue to be of concern during the holiday season.

As of Dec. 16, 943 new cases have been reported in Tarrant County. Nwelue noted that the data on the number of new infections could be unreliable, given that some cases arent reported to public health officials.

Documented cases of the virus in Tarrant County have not been as prominent as in the news in previous years. The region saw 2,406 reported cases by this time in 2022 and 3,289 new cases by the end of December 2021.

The virus also isnt making a large amount of people sick enough to be hospitalized, said Nwelue.

Cases have mellowed out, at least in the hospitals, she said. Were definitely seeing more mild cases than when the pandemic started.

As of Dec. 16, only 2.37% of emergency department visits have been associated with COVID-19, according to Tarrant County Public Health. Experts are linking these COVID-19 cases to the most prominent variants in the region, EG.5, HV.1 and JN.1.

Like many other viruses, coronavirus has evolved and formed new variants, including Omicron, HV.1 and now JN.1.

In August, EG.5 was the most prominent strain in the U.S. with 17.3% of cases, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

In October and November, HV.1 became the dominant variant and accounted for one-third of cases nationwide with nearly 30% of new COVID-19 infections.

As of December, the coronavirus subvariant JN.1 is causing about 20% of new COVID-19 infections in this country and is the fastest-growing strain of the virus, according to CNN. However, it is most dominant in the Northeast, where it is estimated to cause about a third of new infections.

The majority of cases in Texas continue to be linked to HV.1, said Nwelue.

Like other variants, symptoms remain the same for HV.1: changes in taste and smell, dry cough, fatigue, fever, runny nose and sore throat.

Heading into the new year, those who are immunocompromised or have a weakened immune system are recommended to receive a booster vaccine now. Even though no vaccine currently targets HV.1, the updated COVID-19 vaccine made available in September still offers protection against new variants.

Tarrant County Public Health recommends anyone ages 6 months and older receive the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

If you are in urgent need of a booster, click here to see where you can receive a free vaccine in Tarrant County.

Nwelue encourages residents to practice good hygiene by covering coughs or sneezes with a tissue; avoiding close contact with those who are sick; avoiding contact with your eyes, nose and mouth; and to get plenty of rest.

David Moreno is the health reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.orgor viaTwitter.

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policyhere.

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COVID-19 cases in Tarrant County hit a spike in August. Are infections still on the rise? - Fort Worth Report