HOUSTON — While the percentage of COVID-19 test results coming back positive in Harris County continues to hover around 9 percent, that number is even higher in some of the region’s most populated suburban counties.
Galveston County's rate was 12 percent during the week of Nov. 29, the most recent statistic available. That’s up from 5 percent on Nov. 1.
Montgomery County's rate was at 11.6 percent, with public health officials confirming a record number of active cases this week.
In Brazoria County, the positivity rate was 13 percent during the first week of December, nearly double November’s rate of 7 percent.
Fort Bend County’s average positivity rate is at 11 percent, up from 5 percent roughly a month earlier.
Dr. Jacquelyn Johnson-Minter, Director of Health & Human Services at Fort Bend County, told Commissioners Court Tuesday the county is approaching 25,000 COVID cases, with 5,000 of those reported in the previous two weeks.
“It represents widespread and uncontrolled transmission of SARs-COV-2 in our community,” Dr. Johnson-Minter told commissioners.
Dr. Johnson-Minter said hospitals are seeing a higher percentage of COVID-positive patients.
"We've had to acknowledge, we all have, that COVID fatigue is real among all of us,” she said. “Risk assessment and making wise choices are very critical right now, and as tired as we all are of doing those same things, of washing our hands, wearing our masks, and making wise choices with our activities and with our distance, being tired has its consequences as well."
Dr. Johnson-Minter said health officials are seeing more people ignoring milder symptoms of the virus.
“Those who have fatigue, who have headache, who have congestion, who have sore throats, who have things that they would attribute to an allergy or sinusitis, those are often symptoms of COVID-19…and that can cause spread,” Dr. Johnson-Minter said.
She recommends people get tested and stay home if they are feeling sick.
Dr. Johnson-Minter will join County Judge KP George and Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Flathouse on Wednesday afternoon at a press conference outlining the county’s COVID-19 risk level.