The change follows Harris County’s transition from its previous COVID-19 threat level system to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Community COVID-19 system earlier in September. According to the HCPH release, the county’s COVID-19 levels would have been “trending down green” under the previous system.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the decrease was “testament to a community effort” in the HCPH announcement and urged residents to continue getting bivalent boosters, which protect against the omicron variant as well as earlier strains of COVID-19.
“And although the community level is currently low, we still want to encourage residents to take necessary precautions to keep us in this category, especially as we continue into the fall season and are presented with new variants, and with the holidays just around the corner,” Hidalgo said.
The Food and Drug Administration amended its emergency use authorization on Aug. 31 for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to approve bivalent boosters. Pfizer’s booster is approved for those age 12 and up, while Moderna’s is approved for those age 18 and up.
Residents can schedule booster appointments with Harris County Public Health through its website. Pharmacies, including CVS and H-E-B Pharmacy, have announced plans to carry the booster.
