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COVID-19 is spiking in nearby rural areas

Factors in these rising numbers are the reopening of many businesses in May and back-to-back holidays in the last several weeks.

DUVAL COUNTY, Texas — Positive COVID-19 positive cases are skyrocketing across Texas, and many of those new cases are being reported in rural areas of the state.

This week, nearby Duval County reported 50 cases. This represents a one week growth of over 700-percent. Other rural counties are unfortunately reporting similar spikes.

Experts say while initial cases were older patients, recent numbers point to growing numbers of young people under 30 years old, who could be fueling this uptick. Other factors in these rising numbers are the reopening of many businesses in May and back-to-back holidays in the last several weeks.

Dr. Juan Gutierrez with the University of Texas San Antonio said the rate at which COVID-19 is spreading across rural Texas should be a wake up call to all Texans.

"Rural communities have the advantage of low population density," Dr. Gutierrez said. "Human contact is much less frequent than in metropolitan areas, but that doesn't mean that infection is not going to take place there. It only takes one contact to get infected."

Other counties of similar populations are also seeing their cases climb.

Dr. Joseph McCormick, an epidemiologist with the University of Texas at Brownsville, said one group of young adults are suddenly leading the pack when it comes to positive cases and transmissions.

"Before the quote "opening of the economy," before Memorial Day, when it was about 30 to 35-percent, now these young adults make up 60 to 65-percent of our cases," Dr. McCormick said. 

Those age groups are also contributing to rising numbers in children and older adults.

"These are all coming from known contacts; this is further evidence that these young people are driving the transmission," Dr. McCormick said. 

More widespread testing is of course increasing numbers in all areas of the state and across all demographics, but one thing that is not increasing is hospital capacity and the medical crisis we're seeing in large cities.

"Houston has already depleted their hospital capacity, and Houston has one of the largest hospital systems in the world," Dr. Gutierrez said. 

It's just a matter of time until that happens in our local rural medical centers.

For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.

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