As of late Wednesday, 325 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Texas, and they all had something in common. Not a single one had been vaccinated.
As hospitalization rates remain steady, local health experts are frustrated by the vaccination trends. Local rates are similar to those seen across Texas, with about 48% of residents 12 and over fully vaccinated. One note of concern lies in the fact that only 24% in the local 12-15 age group have had the shots.
Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council President/CEO Stephen Love told KRLD News that local doctors are concerned if the vaccination rates continue to lag, the coronavirus will surge again starting this fall.
Love said while the U.K., or Alpha, variant of COVID continues to diminish in North Texas, local hospitals are seeing a growing number of the Delta variant.
And, with less mask wearing and social distancing, local hospitals have seen a significant increase in the number of children treated for RSV, another very contagious virus. Experts say the same preventive measures for COVID-19 can help reduce the spread of RSV, of which virtually no cases were seen in North Texas in 2020.
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