CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In just a few days, new cases of the virus have surged in the Coastal Bend.
"Just through our testing site alone, we probably had about a 11.1-percent jump in positivity rate, so that is pretty high compared to where we were at last week," Dr. Kim Onufrak said.
The uptick hitting at the worst time.
"We are in the holidays, everybody has holiday gatherings and unfortunately, I think we are starting to see our surge, though, right now,” Onufrak said.
Because of the surge, Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales is making sure the community is ready and hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
"I got county testing to standup while the city was on vacation all next week,” Canales said. “We're ready to expand hours. We executed the county contracts with Christus Spohn."
She said as soon as the county got word on the dramatic increase in cases, calls were made.
"We've also discussed and placed an order for new monoclonal antibody therapy treatments that can be administered,” she said.
Canales said Nueces county is in good hands, but our local health care system can only do so much. They need the community to do their part, too.
"If you only have 53-percent of your population vaccinated, you still have 50-percent almost that are not and that is the problem," she said.
Health officials warn to hold back on holiday gatherings if you feel under the weather at all.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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