NUECES COUNTY, Texas — Coronavirus cases in the Coastal Bend are on the rise and cases among children are reaching higher numbers than they did this time last year.
On Tuesday, the Corpus Christi Independent School District welcomed students back to the classroom. After one day back, more than 100 positive cases were reported among students and staff.
The COVID-19 case chart is an informational tool the district began using last year to notify parents, students and staff about the number of positive cases within the district. In just one day, the chart is already seeing double digits, and health officials are concerned.
The chart showed 112 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. Of those 112, six are staff members.
“Those may have been folks who were on campus," Leeane Libby with CCISD said. "Those may have been folks who were off campus, students or staff."
Libby said those case numbers will be updated every business day.
“These are cases that are reported to us from families and or staff,” said Libby. “We do work very closely with the health district. We are required to report the cases to the health district.”
Corpus Christi-Nueces County Health Director Annette Rodriguez said the number of cases among children even before school started were concerning.
“The last weekend in July, we had 376 children COVID positive and then the first week in August, we had over 600 kids that were COVID positive,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez added that last year, we were seeing two to four cases among children a day, but now, the number is higher.
"100 plus kids every day are getting COVID-19," said Rodriguez.
And it's not just the cases that are increasing. Hospitalizations are on the rise as well.
“I think we have around 16 children that are currently hospitalized and they're all age groups," Rodriguez said. "They're from 18 years of age all the way to months, just a few months old. They're not even one yet."
The number of children hospitalized is bigger than what's being reported in Austin -- a city three times larger than Corpus Christi.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the City of Austin reported 12 children hospitalized with COVID-19.
Rodriguez said with the surge we're seeing, every step to protect children must be taken and one way is for those who are old enough to get vaccinated.
“Your saving grace right now is going to be wearing a mask, covering your nose and mouth, washing your hands often,” Rodriguez said.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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