BEAUMONT, Texas — Southeast Texas health officials are bracing for what they believe will be a record breaking number of COVID-19 cases after the 2021 holiday season.
The omicron variant has become the dominant strain in America, accounting for more than 92 percent of new cases in Texas. Harris County reported its first omicron-related death on Monday, Nov. 20, 2021.
So far, Southeast Texas has not seen the same trends as larger metropolitan areas. However, while hospitalizations in Beaumont remain low, there has been a slight rise in cases recently.
On Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. Beaumont reported 74 new COVID-19 cases. In the U.S., COVID-19 cases are up by 96 percent.
Many pharmacies and doctor’s offices in Southeast Texas have the vaccine and the boosters available and are ready to help.
You can sign up to get a vaccine through health departments in Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange County, Hardin County, Newton County, Jasper County and Winnie by visiting Vaccine.BeaumontTexas.Gov and signing up for an appointment. Vaccines are available for anyone regardless of which county they reside in.
Some of the pharmacies in the area offering vaccines and boosters are…
Around the country, officials are encouraging everyone to get vaccinated and boosted.
Also available locally are treatments such as monoclonal antibody therapy at the Beaumont Infusion Center located at 5550 Eastex Freeway. Officials with Baptist hospital said that they are treating about 40 people a day.
“The good news about this is that all those who are testing positive are being able to be managed as an outpatient," Todd Senters, president of Baptist hospital said. "Our inpatient numbers have not started to increase.”