Fort Bend County residents ages 10-20 make up majority of recent COVID-19 cases

The majority of recent COVID-19 cases in Fort Bend County have been infections among residents between the ages of 10 and 20, according to county officials.

Dr. Jacquelyn Johnson-Minter, director of Fort Bend County Health & Human Services, provided a brief update about the state of COVID-19 in the county to Fort Bend County commissioners during their May 11 meeting.

To date, 403,712 Fort Bend County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 317,000 residents are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The number of new COVID-19 cases is averaging 100 cases or less per day, Johnson-Minter said, adding that the number of hospitalizations and deaths is remaining stable.

The shift to seeing the most infections among younger residents is expected, Johnson-Minter said, since older residents were prioritized when vaccinations were first distributed.

“We’re vaccinating older people and the [COVID-19 virus] is just doing what it does—it’s finding those who are susceptible, and that is our younger people,” Johnson-Minter said.

However, the news that children ages 12-15 can now receive Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is promising, Johnson-Minter said, since the county can begin vaccinating those younger residents. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration expanded the drug's emergency use authorization to include adolescents on May 10.

“Now, we have another group to get going,” Johnson-Minter said.