PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Jefferson County tax assessor collector Allison Getz is one of two who tested positive for the coronavirus at the office despite having a vaccine.
She said she wants to get the message out that the virus can hit anybody.
As of Wednesday, five employees at the Jefferson County tax offices have tested positive for COVID-19.
Mid County tax offices had to close two locations after vaccinated and unvaccinated employees tested positive for COVID-19.
Jefferson County tax assessor collector Allison Getz is one of two who tested positive for the coronavirus despite having a vaccine. She said she wants to get the message out that the virus can hit anybody.
Getz was vaccinated in January and February and said she had been "very careful" in a recent Facebook post.
She got a Regeneron infusion and is on medication, she said.
“I want to be proactive,” Getz said. “I want to get in front of the disease. I do not want to wait until I start feeling worse or start having a problem."
After five employees tested positive for COVID-19, Getz closed the offices so everyone could be tested. Three of the employees who caught it were not vaccinated.
Getz has no idea how she caught it, but she said she wants the community to know "how easy it must be to catch this awful disease."
“I think folks need to realize that even with the vaccine, you still have the unpleasant chance of getting this terrible disease, and it's miserable," she said.
Getz believes the vaccine kept her from getting sicker than she got. She had a high fever Tuesday and respiratory troubles Wednesday morning, but felt better when she started moving around, she said.
“That makes me feel awful for the people who are in the hospital that can't get up,” she said. “I see how everything can go downhill really quick if you don't get on top of things."
Anything that the community needs to do at the tax office can be done by mail or online, Getz said.
“There's really very little things that need to be done in person,” she said. “So, I would encourage everyone if you can, please do it by mail or online, and don't come in if you can help it."
While Getz cannot mandate anything, she has asked everyone to wear masks and advises the community to get vaccinated to stop the spread.
“I'm certainly not telling anybody what to do,” she said. “I would never do that, but my personal feeling is getting the vaccine is not going to hurt. It's going to help. I'm just asking everybody to be careful and to do everything they can to prevent themselves from getting it."
That message is echoed by health officials, like Dr. Msonthi Levine. He spoke about the disappointment health officials are feeling as Southeast Texas broke a record for case numbers in a single day with 567 in the region.
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"[I’m] flabbergasted really that with this country being the way it is, the best country in the world, that we're back in this position when all the knowledge is out there, we know what to do and for whatever reason we just didn’t get it done," Dr. Levine said.
Dr. Levine said if things continue as they are, it may be necessary to increase restrictions again
"In terms of preventing more and more spread and trying to get control and bend the curve, yes. We might have to do some of these semi lockdowns or basically kind of start limiting patient interaction," Dr. Levine said.
In the meantime, Getz said she's keeping to herself to avoid passing the virus.
"In my case what I worry about are my parents, and my grandkids," she said. "I don't want to spread it to anyone, and that's what has upset me the most about it. I don't want to be a spreader.”
Getz will keep the public informed on any changes, she said.
"We still have enough people who have tested negative to be able to keep running the offices, but that may change,” Getz said. “With me being positive, I’m encouraging everyone that was around me to get tested again, just to be careful. We will definitely let the public know as things change. If we don't have enough folks to be able to do the business, then we may have to close down some of the offices again."