CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — We are entering 2021 with the United States leading the world in coronavirus cases and deaths.
Here in Texas, hospitalizations are breaking new records as the state surpassed 12,000 hospitalizations in a single day earlier this week.
"2020 was rough, the first quarter of 2021 will be even rougher," local pulmonologist Dr. Salim Surani said.
"It will take some time for the number of cases to go down and the mortality and hospitalizations will continue to be very high."
Dr. Surani said he expects the surge of COVID cases from the Christmas holiday will only get worse through mid-January because of the extended new year's holiday.
He said poor communication has made it harder for people.
"And people, I can't blame them because they have been seeing so many mixed messages," Dr. Surani said.
He said so far, about 40,000 people have either had the virus or gotten the vaccine. He added it will take the vaccinations of 70-percent of the population or around 180,000 more residents to build a herd immunity, which could take many more weeks after the second injection.
There's always virus mutation to worry about also.
"I think the other challenge is that the new variant of the virus, which is a mutation, it spreads faster," Dr. Surani said.
"So far, the vaccination is working good, but we need to be very vigilant and we need to keep on checking the samples. Just like if there is any mutation with the virus, we need to come up with a new vaccine very quickly."
On a positive note, 60-percent of people questioned in November said they would "definitely or probably" take the coronavirus vaccine if it were available today.
That number is up from 51-percent in September, according to a study published by the Pew Research Center.
Dr. Surani said you can't let down your guard for the next few months.
"We need to keep the physical distance," Dr. Surani said. "Wear the face cloth covering, wash the hands, disinfect the surface. Outdoor is always better than indoor."
He said he hopes to see this area actually do better than other areas around the state and the nation.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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