Breaking: Dallas County raises COVID-19 threat level to red, or ‘high risk of transmission’
The county’s public health committee decided last week to keep the level at orange but expressed concern at the threat of the omicron variant.
Penny Mayo, LVN gives a COVID-19 vaccine shot to a person at a drive-through vaccination clinic at Texas Motor Speedway on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 in Fort Worth. Dallas County’s public health committee has raised the COVID-19 threat level to red, or “high risk of transmission” in response to a spike in cases and hospitalizations due in part to the omicron variant.
Last week, the committee chose to keep the threat level at orange but hinted that it may change as cases increased. The threat level issues guidance for what people in the county should do to slow the spread of the virus, but does not create any penalties for not abiding by them. Those include avoiding crowded spaces and wearing a mask indoors.In a letter to County Judge Clay Jenkins, the committee said that the positivity rate of COVID-19 tests has increased to 40% in some healthcare settings, and that the county’s hospitalizations have gone up 50% in the last week.
“We understand that everyone is tired of the pandemic and wants to get back to normal and celebrate,” the committee wrote. “New Year’s gatherings, especially those in bar or other large indoor public settings pose a substantial risk for spread in the community. We encourage everyone to celebrate at home, or in small private gatherings, utilizing pre-event testing, masking, physical distancing and ventilation strategies to reduce the risk of spread.
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