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COVID-19 has not gone away yet in South Texas, health experts warn

In July, nine people died from the virus.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Parking lots are filling back up again and people are heading out. That's why local health experts are warning the public: before you head out, don't forget to keep your guard up because COVID-19 is slowly on the rise in the Coastal Bend.

"The thing is," said Dr. Salim Surani, a medical professional. "The increasing numbers are not a surprise"

From July 1-14, there have been over 300 cases of COVID-19. More of our neighbors are getting the virus, but fewer people are getting vaccinated.

"We are putting our guards down too close, and our vaccination rate is not that high," said Dr. Surani.

As of late, there's been a new strain of the coronavirus spreading in other parts of the nation, and it's spreading quicker than COVID-19.

"About twenty-five percent of the cases in the United States are related to the Delta Variant." Said Dr. Mulukutla Ramakrishna, a Pediatrician for the Nueces County Medical Society. "This Delta Variant is 60% more infective than the other variant"

The new variant doesn't exactly look like what we're used to seeing and hearing about in COVID-19.

"They have serious sore throat, they have common cold symptoms, they have allergy symptoms, feeling tired, feverishness. But they don't complain of loss of taste and loss of smell like the other one," said Dr. Ramakrishna.

They say we can live normally but when we're inside a building, social distancing and wearing a mask could help prevent COVID-19 and other viruses from spreading.

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

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