CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Family outings and social gatherings might have to be put on hold this upcoming Labor Day weekend.
Health experts warn that the Coastal Bend is seeing a spike in COVID-19 right now and this holiday, will be no different than the others.
Dr. Kim Onufrak, with the Public Health District gave a detailed insight on what holidays can mean for COVID-19 cases in the community.
"We see a peak after a holiday weekend and usually it comes two weeks after a holiday. We saw that with Fourth of July, we saw that after Memorial Day weekend, and after Easter,” Onufrak said.
Due to the high number of cases present in the community, Onufrak understands the pressures healthcare workers must deal with.
"I had a colleage in Long Beach, Texas having to take care of Corpus Christi patients,” Onufrak said.
However, Onufrak isn’t the only health care professional that understands the severity of the situation. Dr. Chris Bird, Lead of Informatic and Modeling believes that the Coastal Bend can mitigate the spread of the virus.
“I think at this point, it’s been demonstrated that it's possible to live your life and have COVID-19 be around and not get it,” Bird said. “You can do a lot of things that can reduce your risk like wearing a mask when you're inside and staying a fair distance away from other people."
Both Onufrak, and Bird said socializing with individuals who are vaccinated and wearing a mask can lower your chances of getting the virus.