Cases of the Omicron Covid variant are exploding in Texas and make up the vast majority of new infection in Harris County, where it is believed the first death from the variant in the U.S. has been recorded.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo spoke to the media to announce she was raising the county's covid threat level from yellow back to orange, when she received some bad news.
"My phone was ringing, I'm sure you noticed and it was our public health director telling me that we just had our first Omicron related death," Hidalgo said.
The man, in his 50's, had not been vaccinated against the virus.
Hidalgo says she knows raising the threat level feels "like whiplash. We saw the downward trend in hospitalizations and cases only to see trend things back up again and it is so frustrating. I feel it too."
She says the good news is being vaccinated and boosted will likely mean, should there be a breakthrough case, a mild infection.
"That is a huge light at the end of the tunnel for all of us, that this can be something that just makes us a little bit sick for a few days," the judge said.
The bad news, she says, is two fold.
"Omicron is spreading incredibly quickly. An increasing number of cases in Harris County are related to Omicron," Hidalgo said. "It's more transmissible and the amount of time it takes for the number of Omicron cases to double is very worrisome."
Early data suggests it is doubling every two to three days, while the Delta variant doubles every 11 days, she reported.
She says Omicron is hitting older people. "A majority of severe breakthrough cases are in folks 65 and up, 69% of breakthrough Covid 19 hospitalizations are in those 65 and up. It is much better when folks have their booster."
Raising the county's covid threat level means unvaccinated residents should minimize contact with others and avoid any medium or large gatherings. Everyone should remain vigilant, wear a mask, get vaccinated and get a booster.
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