COVID cases rise in North Texas as students return to school
COVID cases rise in Texas as students return to school
The number of COVID-19 infections in North Texas is on the rise. The cases aren’t spiking at an alarming rate, but they do line up with the start of school.
DALLAS - The number of COVID-19 infections in North Texas is on the rise.
The cases aren’t spiking at an alarming rate, but they do line up with the start of school.
COVID Cases Rising
By the numbers:
Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, the chief of infectious diseases at Children’s Health in Dallas, said the hospital has seen a 60% increase in positive cases heading into the start of school.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reports COVID-19 infections have increased in 34 states.
The region that includes Texas has an 11% positivity rate, which is higher than most parts of the country but still much lower than pandemic levels.
The impact on hospitals is lower as well. Children’s only has two children currently in the ICU due to COVID.
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Dr. Kahn tried to put it all in perspective.
"It’s curious that this is all coinciding with the opening of the school that we had over the last couple of weeks," Dr. Kahn said. "Now the virus is changing subtly. And I think some of that immunity may wane, whether from natural infection or from vaccination. But I think that the overall numbers are nothing like we saw at the beginning of the pandemic.
Symptoms of COVID
Dr. Kahn said the symptoms of COVID-19 are still the same as they’ve always been.
According to the CDC, that includes:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- New loss of taste or smell
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
The preventative measures haven’t changed either.
"The vaccine recommendations are quite complicated now. So just touch base with your child’s pediatrician or with your primary care provider. The other thing is to wash your hands. I think that’s not appreciated as much as it should be," Dr. Kahn said.
The Source: FOX 4's Steven Dial talked to Dr. Jeffrey Kahn of Children's Health in Dallas to gather information for this story. Other details are from the CDC website.