NUECES COUNTY, Texas — Another new record has been broken when it comes to active COVID-19 cases in the Coastal Bend.
As of Wednesday, there are nearly 4,500 people currently battling the virus. That includes the more than 300 reported new cases.
Of those active cases, 328 are hospitalized with just over 70 people in the ICU battling the virus. Sadly, there was one COVID-19 related death.
Folks who are keeping track of the projections in Nueces County are painting a dire picture of just how high COVID cases could rise.
"I implore you to please get vaccinated," said Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo. "When you have a large increase in the number of people getting infected, that results in more people in hospitals and more people who may not survive this terrible disease."
According to city and county leaders, the more contagious Delta variant is sweeping across the Coastal Bend. Nueces County now has the highest hospitalization rate of COVID-19 patients in the entire state of Texas.
"We've really got to stop meeting like this," said Dr. Chris Bird.
Bird, who is now the head of the modeling team at TAMUCC, put the current situation in perspective during a new media briefing on Wednesday. He spoke about how we're worse than we were last year when Texas was shutdown.
"If we hit 15% for seven, businesses would roll back their capacity, that order is not in place any more; we're actually at 27%," said Bird.
Bird said if we continue on the path we're on without changing our habits, the number of COVID patients in the ICU could double from what we had during the peak of July 2020.
Currently, Bird said we are right about the peak of the winter in terms of people in the ICU right now. After a year and half, the message remains the same: wear a mask, social distance, get vaccinated.
As of today, 41% of Nueces County residents are fully vaccinated, not enough to achieve herd immunity.
In an attempt to increase that number, Mayor Guajardo announced a new initiative modeled after the one that helped homebound elderly residents get the vaccine.
It's called the 'In Home Vaccination Program' and is for any and all residents who are 12 and up to receive their vaccination without even leaving home.
"The City of Corpus Christi Fire Department will come to you to give you that vaccine," said Guajardo.
It begins Thursday. Call 826-2489 (CITY) to sign up.