Number of positive cases drops in Galveston County and other COVID-19 updates

As of Oct. 1, there have been 1,700 breakthrough cases in Galveston County, per the GCHD’s Oct. 1 update. COVID-19 cases occurring in people who are fully vaccinated are considered breakthrough cases, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This equates to an approximate 0.93% breakthrough rate; nearly 181,500 county residents are fully vaccinated, per the GCHD. The county is offering vaccines at indoor, drive-thru clinics as well as booster shots for those who qualify.

There are 96 county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Oct. 1, down from 117 in mid-September, per the dashboard. Four of those hospitalized are under the age of 21, and 12 are younger than 31.

Click here to view GCHD’s coronavirus dashboard.

Greater Houston COVID-19 updates

Common coronavirus metrics tracked by the Texas Medical Center are on the decline, according to the medical center’s data dashboard. On Sept. 20, the TMC reported COVID-19 ICU patient numbers have seen a slight dip compared to last week—a 5% decline—from 610 down to 579. Click here to read more TMC coronavirus updates.

While Harris County Public Health rolled out a variety of initiatives this summer to incentivize vaccines, experts say reaching herd immunity—when a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease—is becoming increasingly unattainable. Click here to read more about those initiatives and how Harris and Montgomery county officials are responding to virus and vaccination trends.

In Fort Bend County, more than 80,000 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. From Sept. 1-26, the county reported 8,170 new cases of the coronavirus with a high of 1,499 on Sept. 8. This is the most cases reported in a single day and the ninth time more than 1,000 cases were reported in a day.

However, the seven-day new case average, a metric used to account for daily variations in newly confirmed cases, has declined since early September. This figure stands at 248.14 as of Sept. 26, down from 447 on Sept. 8. Click here for more Fort Bend County coronavirus data breakdowns.

Hannah Zedaker, Claire Shoop and Hunter Marrow contributed to this report.