The rate of COVID-19 cases coming back positive in the Houston area rose in the week of Dec. 13-19, according to the Texas Medical Center.

Key takeaways from the TMC data show the number of new cases of COVID-19 per day nearly tripled when comparing the week of Dec. 6-12 to the week of Dec. 13-19, rising from 721 new cases per day to 2,094 new cases per day between those two weeks. Meanwhile, hospitalizations increased from 68 people per day between Dec. 6-12, compared to 110 per day on average between Dec. 13-19.

Although the number of coronavirus cases per day is higher this December than in December 2020, hospitalizations are comparatively lower so far. In the second week of December 2020, Harris County hospitals admitted an average of 15.95 new COVID-19 patients each day. In that same time frame this year, 2.34 patients per day are admitted.

The number of people in both general ward beds and intensive care unit beds are lower this month compared to December 2020.

More than 1.2 million people have been fully vaccinated in the Houston area, according to the Texas Medical Center. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends individuals age 18 and older to get the booster.