COVID-19 cases could increase in Houston

HOUSTON – Heat waves might not be the only type of wave Houston residents will have to deal with in the coming weeks, as Houston Health Department experts predicted a potential “Covid wave” as cases have slowly increased over the past five weeks.

Earlier this week, KPRC 2 spoke with Dr. David Persse, chief medical officer for the Houston Health Department, who said he and his colleagues have seen an increase in cases lately.

“We have seen an increase in the amount of Covid that we detect in wastewater,” Persse said. “We’ve also seen more cases in doctor’s offices, but fortunately we haven’t had too many cases requiring patients to be hospitalized.”

To track potential spread, the Houston Health Department tested wastewater from 40 different water treatment plants for traces of the virus.

They noted slight increases in viral load over the past five weeks. As of June 17, the team found that viral saturation had reached 273%.

While this number may seem high, it is still well below what it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, for example, saturation levels reached over 1,500%. However, experts say these increases are predictable given what they know about the behavior of the virus.

“COVID-19 exhibits different behavior than other respiratory illnesses,” said Porfiro Villareal, a public information officer employed by the Houston Health Department. “We’re seeing different peaks, and because it’s a new virus, it’s behaving differently than we would typically expect.”

For example, Villareal noted that most respiratory illnesses spread during the colder seasons, but COVID-19 has also spread well during the warmer months, which could contribute to a “summer surge” of new cases.

However, he doesn’t think this should be a major cause for concern. Although COVID-19 has shown unique behavior and requires further study, Villareal said it’s not much different from how scientists adapt to new flu strains each year.

Much like the flu, COVID-19 will likely continue to mutate, but according to Villareal, that doesn’t necessarily mean the situation will spiral out of control. Instead, he said it was more likely that scientists would continue to create new booster vaccines to deal with future mutations.

In the meantime, he encouraged people not to panic, but to take reasonable health precautions, such as wearing a mask in crowded spaces and taking special measures to protect populations who may be immunocompromised.

But above all, Villareal had a simple piece of advice for anyone worried about getting sick:

“Now more than ever, is the time to make sure you have received your COVID-19 vaccine,” Villareal said. “Viruses are unpredictable, but the vaccine is safe, effective and the best thing you can do for your health, especially if you have loved ones who might be vulnerable. »