Vaccinations Trending Up In Montgomery County Amid Latest Wave

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX — For the first time since April, Montgomery County has seen a slight uptick in vaccinations administered over the last two weeks, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

During the week of July 12-18, people in Montgomery County received 5,514 vaccine doses, the lowest weekly total since 5,042 doses were given between Feb. 15-21, when a winter storm caused millions of Texans to lose power and the Texas power grid experienced rolling blackouts for several days.

Since hitting that low in mid-July, vaccinations have risen the last two weeks with 7,373 doses administered during the week ending July 25 and 8,550 doses given last week.

The rise in vaccinations coincides with a spike in cases in the United States, including Montgomery County, which public health officials are attributing to the spread of the delta variant. The Montgomery County Public Health District reported 3,452 active cases of COVID-19 in its update Monday, a nearly sixfold increase since June 30.

Misti Willingham, public information officer for the Montgomery County Hospital District, said that because of the amount of positive test results, the time it takes to conduct genomic sequencing and the fact that not all tests are submitted for sequencing, it was impossible to say exactly how many of the new cases in Montgomery County are delta variant cases. However, she added it was highly likely the delta variant is one of the reasons for the rise in cases.

"Because the delta variant now accounts for the majority of cases in the U.S., there is a strong likelihood that a positive test result indicates an infection with the delta variant," Willingham said in a statement to Patch.

"There are many factors contributing to the newest wave including lower vaccination rates, decreased mask use, and the emergence of genetic variants in which there is evidence of increased transmissibility."

To help combat the rise in cases, public health officials in Montgomery County are promoting COVID-19 vaccines and encouraging people to practice the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated guidance for mask wear. Last week, the CDC recommended that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people in areas of substantial and high levels of transmission wear masks indoors. Montgomery County is considered an area of high transmission.

In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order banning government entities and public schools from instituting mask mandates. County Judge Mark Keough also has eschewed the use of mask mandates in Montgomery County.

While it's unclear if the delta variant is the reason more Montgomery County residents are choosing to get vaccinated, the uptick mirrors a trend across Texas. In both the county and across the state, vaccine doses administered per week peaked in early April and had been following a general decline until the last two weeks. Montgomery County saw a brief rise from 25,247 doses doses to 26,309 doses between the weeks ending April 25 and May 2.

Despite the last two weeks, the amount of vaccine doses administered are still far below where they were at the peak of vaccinations in Montgomery County, just over 34,000 per week. According to DSHS, 48.59 percent of eligible Montgomery County residents are fully vaccinated.

Public health officials are hopeful that the increase in people choosing to get vaccinated will continue to help mitigate the impact of this latest wave of the pandemic.

"Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy for COVID-19," Willingham said. "We hope to see an increase in people receiving the vaccine."

Graphs: Texas Department of State Health Services