The Amarillo Department of Public Health is urging more people to get vaccinated as the region continues to see an increase in respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and influenza, with more than 1,500 cases of COVID-19 active and nearly 2,400 cases of flu-related illness reported this week.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 out of 10 Covid deaths reported in the United States have been in adults 65 years old and older. Staying up to date with Covid vaccines is the best protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death from Covid,” a news release issued this week states.
“Not only are Potter and Randall counties seeing an increase in Covid cases, the cases of flu A are also increasing significantly,” said Dr. Todd Bell, Amarillo Public Health Authority in the release. “In some cases, individuals are testing positive for both Covid and the flu, which puts them at severe risk. This is a critical time, as we all want to gather with family and friends for the holidays. Don’t wait to get vaccinated. It is safe to get the Covid and flu vaccines at the same time.”
It’s especially important for the following people to get the new booster that protects against current strains because they are at increased risk for severe illness from Covid:
- People age 50 and older.
- Residents of long-term care settings.
- People with certain underlying medical conditions.
- Pregnant and recently pregnant people.
“The data supports the vaccines and boosters,” said Dr. Bell. “In fact, research has shown that people ages 12 years and older who got an updated bivalent booster have a 3 times lower risk of testing positive for Covid compared to unvaccinated people.”
According to the health department, hundreds of millions of people in the United States have safely received COVID-19 vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history. However, Potter and Randall counties continue to lag behind the regional, state and national rates of COVID-19 vaccinations – which could lead to a major impact on the Texas Panhandle this winter.
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Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a vaccination. Free vaccines and boosters are available at the Amarillo Public Health Department and Amarillo Public Health mobile clinics. The vaccines and boosters will not be free in the near future, so Amarillo Public Health encourages residents to take advantage of this opportunity now. Those who have received a Covid vaccine or booster more than two months ago are eligible for the new booster. The new booster provides additional protection from the original virus and the Omicron variant, which is the most contagious variant yet.
Flu update
As the Texas Panhandle region is seeing an increase in respiratory illnesses, the health department has also shared its weekly flu report, which is created by all the local providers who voluntarily report influenza to Amarillo Public Health Department in Potter and Randall Counties.
Previous weekly flu reports can be found on the health department’s website. Data is categorized by week, from Oct. 16 through Dec. 12. The week of Dec. 5 had a total of 2,129 flu and flu-like cases of illness reported.
For the week of Dec. 12, there were 1,166 cases of influenza A, 29 cases of influenza B and 916 cases of flu-like illness, according to the flu report card.
With 277 cases classified as “undifferentiated,” the weekly total was 2,388.
COVID-19 update
In the department’s weekly COVID-19 update, 1,564 cases were considered active, with two new deaths and an increase of 510 new COVID-19 cases.
According to the report card, the 510 new COVID-19 cases amount to a seven-day, new-case average of 73, with a seven-day positivity rate of 12%.
That brings the total number of cases in Potter and Randall counties to 86,151 and the total number of deaths to 1,314 since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, according to the report card. As posted on the APHD’s site, a total 82,120 recoveries have been reported for the area.
Potter County’s total cases since the start of the pandemic rose to 41,168, with 761 active, 39,631 recoveries and 776 deaths related to the virus.
Randall County’s total COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic rose to 43,830, with 803 active, 42,489 recoveries and 538 deaths related to the virus.
The report card contains the latest data from BSA Health System, Northwest Texas Healthcare System, and Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center. By the Centers for Disease Control standards, Potter and Randall County’s community levels of COVID-19 remained low, or green.
The Amarillo Public Health COVID-19 Hospitalization report, also being released weekly, noted 42 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, 57% of whom were unvaccinated. Of those, 12 patients were in the ICU, six unvaccinated, with four on ventilators, two unvaccinated.
The hospitalization rate for Trauma Service Area A, which includes Potter and Randall counties and the bulk of the Texas Panhandle, was 2.89% as of Wednesday.
By the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) standards, Randall County’s community levels of COVID-19 remained low, or green as of Thursday, but Potter County’s rose to medium, or yellow, noting the following: “If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, and get tested if you have symptoms.” Lubbock, Deaf Smith and Hale were among nearby counties with a “high” CDC rating.
Free mobile vaccine clinics
In December, the city of Amarillo Public Health Department is hosting free COVID-19 mobile vaccine clinics, with first and second doses and the new booster available. Everyone age 6 months and up is eligible to receive a vaccination.
The next mobile vaccine clinic is 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Legion Auxiliary Unit 54 and Salvation Army.
In addition to mobile vaccine clinics, vaccinations are also available at the Amarillo Public Health Department. Learn more, including how to schedule a free ride to the Amarillo Public Health Department, at www.AmarilloAlerts.com/findavaccine.
For additional tips for staying safe this winter and the most up to date COVID-19 information, visit www.AmarilloAlerts.com.
Weekly flu reports can be found at www.amarillopublichealth.org .
The city of Amarillo Public Health Department, located at 850 Martin Road, offers the new COVID bivalent booster and COVID-19 vaccines for everyone aged 5 and older. They also offer other adult and children’s vaccines to those that qualify.
For the complete report of all Amarillo Public Health COVID-19 data, visit amarillo.gov/coviddashboard .
