A recent report by UT Southwestern Medical Center shows COVID-19 hospitalizations are once again on the rise in and around Dallas.
The report shows a 67% increase in just the past two weeks.
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With the Delta variant fueling a coronavirus surge all over the country, the report says to expect "roughly 600 new infections per day by August 9" as well as 400-500 concurrent hospital cases.
The report also offers expected outcomes that show a much more positive outlook if some of 2020's pandemic-stemming measures are reinstituted – mask mandates, social distancing and business restrictions – even with the current vaccination pace. In that projected future, the hospitalization number approaches zero by mid-fall.
Conversely, the report shows that if behavior were to revert completely to pre-COVID patterns, with absolutely no safety measures, the hospitalization number could surpass 1,200 by October.
It also states that using hospitalizations as a measuring stick gives a clear picture of a community's severe cases because, while it might lag 1-2 weeks behind new infections, it's a statistic that's not prone to delays in reporting or deficiencies in testing capacity.
You can read the full report at UT Southwestern's website.
