With COVID-19 On Rise, MCPHD Urges Residents To Get Vaccinated

CONROE, TX — Montgomery County health officials are strongly encouraging residents to get vaccinated if they haven't already as active cases continue to spike in the county.

The Montgomery County Public Health District reported Monday that active cases of COVID-19 jumped another 1,017 since its weekly update Wednesday, bringing the county's total of active cases to 3,452. Health officials announced it will increase the amount of updates to three days per week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — in response to the recent rise in cases.

Montgomery County has its highest number of active cases since a steep decline in February following a wave of cases in January during the height of the pandemic. The county has experienced a nearly sixfold increase in active cases since June 30, when MCPHD reported 594 active cases. The positive test rate is at 17 percent, up from 12 percent last week and 7 percent two weeks ago. On June 30, MCPHD reported a 4 percent positive test rate. The spike in COVID-19 indicators comes as the delta variant spreads across the United States.

"If you have yet to be vaccinated, we are strongly encouraging you to do so," MCPHD said in a tweet. "Emerging variants are proving to be more contagious and, in some cases, more serious than previous variants."

Health officials also pointed to those who can't get vaccinated, specifically children under 12 years old, as a reason why those who can get vaccinated should do so. According to MCPHD, 367 children under age 12 tested positive for COVID-19 in July compared to just 69 such cases in June. In total, 2,100 children under 12 in Montgomery County have tested positive for COVID-19 in 2021.

Vaccinations have seen a small uptick in Montgomery County the past two weeks, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Between July 19-25, Montgomery County residents received 7,374 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Last week, 7,887 people received a dose of the vaccine.

Those represent the first increases in vaccinations week over week since mid-April, but the numbers are still far below where they were even in the last week of May, when 12,736 doses were administered in the county. Montgomery County closed its mass vaccination hub at Shenandoah's Woodforest Bank Stadium on June 1.

In Montgomery County, 48.53 percent of eligible residents age 12 and older have been vaccinated, according to DSHS.

MCPHD also confirmed the death of two more county residents, a Conroe woman in her 50s and a Montgomery woman in her 70s, bringing the county's total to 354.

There are 208 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county, an increase of 50 since Wednesday. According to DSHS, there are 71 intensive care unit beds available in Trauma Service Area Q, which serves nine counties — Austin, Colorado, Fort Bend, Harris, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller and Wharton.

Related: Only 7 ICU Beds Available For 11 Counties, Including Austin Metro

Health officials added 1,393 new cases in the latest update, bringing Montgomery County's tally to 60,052 cases since the onset of the pandemic. The amount of reinfections stayed the same with 23.

Vaccine information

DSHS has set up a public vaccination website to help Texans register for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment close to them. To schedule an appointment, click here.

National pharmacies CVS and Walgreens also are distributing the vaccine across the country. To check availability in your area and register for a vaccine, click here for CVS and here for Walgreens.

For more information on vaccination locations throughout Texas, click here.