Just one week prior on Aug. 15, Harris County reported 37,326 active cases.
At the same time, the number of daily average hospitalizations at Texas Medical Center hospitals has hit a new high.
County leaders have continually urged residents to get vaccinated against the virus, even offering a $100 incentive for individuals who get the shot at a HCPH site as of Aug. 17. About 58% of county residents age 12 and older were fully vaccinated as of Aug. 22, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“The consequences of this tragedy are all the more tragic when we remember there is a vaccine that is safe and effective and widely available,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at an Aug. 17 press conference. “Harris County residents are losing their lives who don’t have to, and families are suffering who do not have to.”
Hidalgo announced in mid-May that the county would lower its COVID-19 threat level for the first time since June 2020 as the region saw a downward trend in new cases. By Aug. 5, she announced it would be raised again to “severe,” signifying an uncontrolled level of the virus in the community.
Harris County has had 478,845 total COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, including 5,231 deaths. Find comprehensive data for Harris County here.
