More than 236,000 people have been tested by UTMB for the coronavirus since early 2020, 133,000 of those in Galveston County, according to data Sharma presented related to the health system’s findings. Of the Galveston County residents, around 16,500 have tested positive, which means a 12.3% overall positivity rate since the start of the pandemic.
The antibodies created by residents who test positive have not been shown to last longer than three to four months in the body, Sharma added. Over the last six to eight weeks, the positivity rate has been below 7% in the county, according to UTMB data.
Pandemic waves last between eight to 12 weeks from the first noticeable increase in cases, he said; the data presented showed the last notable wave in Galveston County was in the early-to-midsummer months.
While the overall mortality rate in the county has remained at 1.2% in recent weeks according to Galveston County Health District data, the UTMB data showed significantly higher mortality for hospitalized coronavirus patients. Among those hospitalized in Galveston County, the mortality rate is 9.4%; that rate is nearly double—17.3%—at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Hospital in Galveston.
Still, Sharma said the county has performed well with regard to social distancing and masking protocol as well as in terms of testing.
“I can say safely within the health system masking has really prevented the spread of infection,” he said, adding that residents should continue following public health guidelines to avoid contracting the virus since its effects are different on every person. “The presentation of this virus is very varied. You don't know how your immune system is going to behave. ... We are seeing everything.”
The county has seen a total of 12,857 coronavirus cases since mid-March, according to the GCHD COVID-19 dashboard. Of the total positive cases, 92% are considered to have recovered, per GCHD data.
About 730 additional cases have been reported in the last 15 days, which is an average of nearly 50 cases a day—nearly double the mid-October rate of 22 cases a day. In total, 153 people have died from the coronavirus in Galveston County.
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Of the total positive cases, 3,486, or 27%, have been in League City. Galveston and Texas City have seen 2,391 and 2,126 positive cases, respectively, and Friendswood has seen a total of 877 positive cases, according to GCHD data. Just over 30% of the 862 total active cases are in League City; about half of the active cases countywide are among residents ages 31-70.
Nearly 2,600 total positive cases have been reported in residents ages 21-30, the highest of any age group, and 111 of those cases are considered active as of Nov. 3. However, no county residents under age 31 have died from COVID-19. Nearly 4,700 total residents ages 0-30 have recovered from the coronavirus, per GCHD data.
There are currently 53 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county, mainly concentrated in Texas City and League City. Residents age 71 and older make up more than half of the total number of current hospitalizations; one resident under age 11 is currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Nearly 400 total county residents have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 as of Nov. 3.
