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Houston Health Department, partners announce free COVID-19 testing schedule for week of November 30
Coronavirus updates in Central Texas: Travis County reports 147 new confirmed cases
Coronavirus updates in Central Texas: Travis County reports 147 new confirmed cases
COVID-19 numbers:
- Texas: More than 1.1 million cases have been reported in the state, and more than 21,300 people in Texas have died, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
- Central Texas counties:
- Travis County: At least 38,045 cases have been reported and at least 483 people have died. At least 35,087 people have recovered from the virus.
- Hays County: At least 7,097 confirmed cases have been reported and at least 99 people have died. At least 6,290 people have recovered from the virus.
- Williamson County: At least 12,272 cases have been reported in the county and at least 162 people have died. At least 11,304 people have recovered from the virus.
Updates:
6:15 p.m. – Travis County reported 147 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total to 38,045 cases and 483 deaths since the start of the pandemic. At least 35,087 people have recovered from the virus.
Travis County currently has 205 people hospitalized with COVID-19, with 69 in the ICU and 39 on ventilators.
3:10 p.m. – The Austin airport predicts 12,127 outbound passengers on Sunday, Nov. 29. The airport said it would be the busiest day since the pandemic started by about 1,000 people.
So far, Sunday, Nov. 8, was the busiest at the airport during the pandemic when 11,006 flyers were screened. On Wednesday, the airport had 10,843 passengers.
11:30 a.m. – Starting Wednesday, Austin ISD will offer three days of district-wide, drive-thru rapid testing for all on-campus students and staff who will physically report to campuses for teaching and learning. AISD strongly recommends testing for those that are showing COVID-19 symptoms, those who have had close contact with someone who is positive or showing symptoms for COVID-19 and those that recently traveled for Thanksgiving.
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE THEATRE FAN ON YOUR LIST!
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE THEATRE FAN ON YOUR LIST!
This holiday season, give the theatre-lover on your list season tickets for Houston’s home for musical theatre! For the 2021/22 Season, TUTS returns to the stage with some of Broadway’s biggest hits, and you’ll have access to the best seats at the best prices.
Heavy Rainfall Expected Through Weekend
A strong system of thunderstorms will bring heavy rainfall across Harris County and the surrounding region beginning Friday and continuing through Sunday. Widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated areas of 6 inches, are likely. High winds and hail are also possible.
Street flooding will be possible in areas that receive the highest amounts of rain. There may be some rises on area creeks and bayous.
Residents should expect higher traffic volumes this weekend due to holiday shopping and travel! Never drive into high water and use extreme caution at underpasses and low-lying areas where water accumulates. Always remember to Turn Around, Don’t Drown! DO NOT DRIVE through high water and NEVER DRIVE AROUND BARRICADES!
Just two feet of water can sweep your vehicle away.
STAY INFORMED
- Check driving conditions before getting on roadways at Houston TranStar: www.houstontranstar.org.
- View live rainfall rates on the Harris County Flood Warning System Website: www.harriscountyfws.org.
- Get updates from trusted sources such as: National Weather Service Houston-Galveston, Harris County Flood Control District, and ReadyHarris.
- Local Weather: National Weather Service Houston-Galveston
- Road Conditions: Houston TranStar
Jefferson County ICU beds full as holiday weekend begins, some patients already being transferred to Houston
COVID-19 patients are occupying 36 of the 86 ICU beds in the county
There are no available ICU beds in Jefferson County according to data released by officials on Wednesday.
It’s not the first time this has happened in November. Dr. Qamar Arfeen said we’re in a mini crisis mode right now Thanksgiving Day less than 24 hours away.
Hospitalizations are up, but they’re manageable at this point. That’s why our actions in the next few days could make all the difference.
Doctors and nurses nationwide are as prepared as they can be for a possible surge in the coming weeks.
“It is of concern, that if, God forbid we have a increased surge of number of patients presenting to the emergency room that are sick, requiring hospital beds, that’ll be a challenge for us,” Arfeen said.
He’s the COVID-19 unit lead intensivist at Baptist Hospital in Beaumont.
“COVID patients in the hospital have almost doubled in the past two, three weeks,” Arfeen said.
There’s been a 112 percent increase in COVID-19 patients in the ICU in Jefferson County. This is the fourth time this has happened in November alone.
If things get worse, Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said the county will request state resources.
“We’re almost running into full capacity. In the past two days, we’ve had to transport patients to Houston,” Arfeen said.
Arfeen said transferring patients is normal, they are prioritizing COVID-19 patients, so people with other illnesses are taken to Houston hospitals for better care.
“So transferring is not a bad sign, it’s just getting them help when we’re out of capacity,” Arfeen said.
While cases are rising, Dr. Arfeen said they’re equipped to better treat them. Part of that is because of the antibody drugs the state started shipping last week, but there’s a catch. They’re only helpful for high-risk patients who aren’t experiencing severe symptoms yet.
“Our goal of course is to treat them early and effectively so that we don’t out burden our hospitals,” Arfeen said.
He said if you do test positive, it’s best to seek treatment as soon as possible. You can reach out and set up a virtual appointment for doctors to prescribe any medications if necessary by sending a message to covid@dgphysicians.com.
U.S. Covid Hospitalizations Top 90,000 For First Time
It was an unhappy Thanksgiving in the battle against the pandemic. U.S. Covid-19 hospitalizations topped 90,000 for the first time Thursday, marking the 33rd consecutive day the country has set a record in that metric.
Data from The Atlantic‘s Covid Tracking Project shows that 90,481 people were hospitalized with the disease, up by 522 from Wednesday. And Johns Hopkins University reported today that another 1,232 Americans died of Covid-19 on the holiday, raising the U.S. death toll to 263,454. It also reported 110,611 new cases on Thursday, for a U.S. total of 12.88 million. The daily death and cases counts are lower from the previous because of a holiday lag in testing results.
Meanwhile, California remains a national hotspot for coronavirus, with its 10,862 new daily cases Thursday trailing only Illinois’ 12,022 ((see the chart above).
At the current rates, roughly 120 Americans are being infected every minute and about 70 are dying every hour. And the outlook for the near future doesn’t appear to be rosy.
“If the surge takes a turn of continuing to go up and you have the sustained greater than 100,000 infections a day and 1,300 deaths per day and the count keeps going up and up … I don’t see it being any different during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays than during Thanksgiving,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
Johns Hopkins also reported today that global Covid-19 cases have topped 61.3 million and deaths are at nearly 1.44 million.
You make us so thankful!
Thank you for being there for us!
With everything that 2020 has brought us, we are so grateful to have you, our wonderful and supportive audience members, with us. We hope that you are able to safely enjoy time with your loved ones, near or far away, over the holiday. Thank you for being a part of our HGO family.
