Results of genetic sequencing this week showed that the infection was caused by the Omicron variant strain. Officials prepare for fast peaking Of the new cases, 176 were confirmed and 77 were probable. Updated: Dec 14, 2021 / 10:25 AM CST AUSTIN (KXAN) The possible first cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant in Travis County have been found in three Kelli Smith, Staff Writer. More than a week later, the rate has more than doubled, reaching its highest point yet with a 22.3% positivity rate. The first cases of the Omicron variant identified around the world Two Omicron Cases in North Texas: Here's What We Know UT Health San Antonio and University Health. Steven Y. Chang reports consulting fees from PureTech Health and Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, and participation as a Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) member for a study at UCLA, outside the submitted work. So I think that's one to keep things in perspective. The first case of the omicron variant has been detected in Harris County. As omicron arrives in the area, Austin and Travis County extend Bowling, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor of medicine at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio and University Health, says there are a lot of questions they still need answers to as the variant goes through its robust genetic sequencing program. The investigation by EIS officials found that, from 2015 to 2021, Clark County averaged about four such cases a year. Leahy returned to St. Louis in 2013 to anchor local newscasts during All Things Considered and produce news on local and regional issues. Logistic regression models were adjusted for date of hospital admission (biweekly intervals), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services region (10 regions), categorical age (1849, 5064, and 65 years), sex, and race and ethnicity (Black or African American, non-Hispanic; White, non-Hispanic; Hispanic or Latino, any race; Other race, non-Hispanic; and Other, unknown) unless otherwise noted. XBB.1.16 dubbed Arcturus on social media is another descendant of omicron. Logistic regression models for VE of 4 monovalent doses were restricted to patients aged 50 years admitted during April 5, 2022January 31, 2023, and were adjusted for continuous age. ; Influenza and Other Viruses in the Acutely Ill (IVY) Network. On Monday, Dec. 13, the University of Texas at Austin Health Services notified Austin Public Health (APH) of preliminary lab results indicating the presence of the COVID-19 omicron variant in three individuals in Austin-Travis County. Bowling says it remains to be seen whether or not Omicron will overtake Delta in the U.S. So we still dont believe weve experienced quite yet the peak of omicron in Denton County. Monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccination provided substantial, durable protection against COVID-19associated IMV and death during the Omicron variant period, including among older adults. Briefly, case-patients were defined as those who received a positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or antigen test result within 10 days of illness onset and within 3 days of hospital admission, and either received IMV or died in the hospital within 28 days of admission. Its just the magnitude of it and the duration thats in question.. 3501 et seq. The agency speculates that these are omicron cases, due to how quickly the virus is spreading but how mild the cases are. The latest developments highlight the urgent need for vaccinations and booster shots ahead of the Christmas holiday. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Tarrant County public health director Dr. Vinny Taneja said families should be cautious about mixing with unvaccinated relatives. The cases reported mild symptoms and said they had not traveled in the last 14 days. This activity was determined to be public health surveillance by each participating site and CDC and was conducted in a manner consistent with all applicable federal laws and CDC policy.. XBB.1.16 dubbed Arcturus on social media is another descendant of omicron. An Atlanta based band that was in North Texas for a show said their equipment was stolen from their hotel Friday night. Scientists are learning more about the variant everyday I want them to get vaccinated. He graduated from the University of North Texas. Matthew C. Exline reports grants from NIH and Regeneron, honoria for speaking at the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition conference from Abbott Labs, and payment for testimony as a medical legal expert witness, outside the submitted work. Nearly three days after the storm hit, nearly 15,000 AEP Texas customers in Hidalgo County still are without electricity. First, the sample size was insufficient to generate VE estimates for each Omicron lineage period separately or to calculate some VE estimates stratified by both time since last monovalent mRNA dose and number of doses received. They run COVID samples through large machines, giving them a printout that reveals any differences in the genetic code. The initial vaccines series offers some protection against an omicron infection, but early findings from Pfizer and Moderna show the new strain significantly reduces their effectiveness. Within the next month, said Shuford, the scientific and medical communities should have a better understanding about omicrons transmissibility and potential for causing severe illness. Here's what our leaders and doctors know: Omicron has been labeled a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization. "Do you want to take that chance? Taneja asked. We take your privacy seriously. FOX 4's Hanna Battah takes a look at the latest predictions. Texas health officials are ramping up efforts to identify and track cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant, which was confirmed in Harris County on Monday. 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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its just something we dont know enough about yet, Shuford said. Finally, although VE estimates were adjusted for patient-level demographic characteristics, calendar time, and geographic region, residual confounding, including from COVID-19 antiviral treatment, cannot be excluded. All rights reserved, Texas Man Kills 5 Neighbors After They Complained of Gunfire, Colin Allred to Challenge Ted Cruz for Senate, DMN Sources Say, Aerosmith Kicking Off Farewell Tour in September, One Dead, Standoff With Barricaded Person Ends in Kaufman County, Authorities Widen Dragnet for Suspect in Texas Shooting That Left 5 Dead, Post-Military Life Can be Challenging for Texas Veterans and Their FamiliesThese Resources Can Help. Tresa McNeal reports receiving a one-time payment for participating as a virtual webinar panelist for Clinical Updates in Heart Failure, and being a Practice Management Committee member for Society of Hospital Medicine, outside the submitted work. "We are going to see outbreaks because when you have high levels of community spread in the surrounding community, you're going to have a positive case," Tilton said. The cases will start to increase, he said. Among monovalent-vaccinated patients, the median interval from receipt of last dose to illness onset was 248 days (IQR=138378 days) (Table 2). The Dallas Cowboys have wrapped up their 2023 draft after making eight selections. Jennifer G. Wilson reports grants from NHLBI, outside the submitted work. Michael D. Williams is a reporter covering breaking news for The Dallas Morning News. It's the first case of the rapidly spreading strand of the virus identified in Texas. First COVID omicron case reported in Harris County, Texas Late last month, Parkland started to scale back its hospital operation to just one COVID-19 ward. Denton County reported no new deaths and 345 cases Thursday. omicron Among 4,059 control patients, 979 (24%) were unvaccinated, and 3,080 (76%) were monovalent-vaccinated. Saving Lives, Protecting People, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/ivy.htm, https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0328-covid-19-boosters.html, https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/interim-considerations-us.html?ACSTrackingID=USCDC_2120-DM104004&ACSTrackingLabel=Updated%20Guidance%3A%20Interim%20Clinical%20Considerations%20for%20Use%20of%20COVID-19%20Vaccines&deliveryName=USCDC_2120-DM104004, https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccines, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#demographics, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2022.100297, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.04.069, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1139990/vaccine-surveillance-report-2023-week-9.pdf, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. * Hospitals by HHS region included Region 1: Baystate Medical Center (Springfield, Massachusetts), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, Massachusetts), and Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut); Region 2: Montefiore Medical Center (New York, New York); Region 3: Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, Maryland); Region 4: Emory University Medical Center (Atlanta, Georgia), University of Miami Medical Center (Miami, Florida), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee), and Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (Winston-Salem, North Carolina); Region 5: Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio), Hennepin County Medical Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Henry Ford Health (Detroit, Michigan), The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus, Ohio), and University of Michigan Hospital (Ann Arbor, Michigan); Region 6: Baylor Scott & White Medical Center (Temple, Texas) and Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas, Texas); Region 7: Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, Missouri) and University of Iowa Hospitals (Iowa City, Iowa); Region 8: Intermountain Medical Center (Murray, Utah) and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital (Aurora, Colorado); Region 9: Stanford University Medical Center (Stanford, California) and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles, California); and Region 10: Oregon Health & Science University Hospital (Portland, Oregon) and University of Washington (Seattle, Washington). mmwrq@cdc.gov. We're going to know that in a few weeks.". That total is about double most of the one-day case counts recorded last week. * These authors contributed equally to this report. Report from a meeting of the World Health Organization. The highly transmissible variant is causing near-vertical case growth in multiple U.S. cities, with figures doubling about every two to three Adit A. Ginde reports receiving grants from NIH, DoD, AbbVie, and Faron Pharmaceuticals, outside the submitted work. The findings in this report are subject to at least four limitations. We need to be aware of it. Feikin DR, Abu-Raddad LJ, Andrews N, et al. The Omicron coronavirus variant has now been identified in dozens of countries globally and this story will no longer be updated. According to the state, 1,712,207 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 1,468,071 59.7% of the countys population 5 and older are fully vaccinated. What to know about XBB.1.16, the 'Arcturus' variant Updated: Dec 6, 2021 / 10:32 PM CST. If you want to plan the perfect spring picnic, food and drink are important, but its certainly not the only factor to consider. Throughout the pandemic, Houstons wastewater treatment plants have been a reliable indicator of future local spread, usually preceding new infections by about two weeks. It's really flying under our radar, so that means there's a low amount of cases, but it's probably here and starting to spread," said UT School of Public Health epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jetelina. Omicron variant now dominant, spreading fast in North Texas These results suggest some waning of protection against IMV and death after 6 months from receipt of the last dose but demonstrate clinically meaningful levels of protection for 1 year (median=455 days). In terms of transmissibility, it's hard to imagine how something could overtake it.. New COVID boosters for omicron, BA.5 are out. Texas COVID-19 testing sites overwhelmed as omicron spreads Waning of monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19associated hospitalization among adults is recognized; however, little is known about the durability of protection provided by these vaccines against COVID-19associated invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and in-hospital death during the Omicron variant period. cases And if omicron does turn out to be a virus that causes less severe disease, that will be really good news. According to the latest CDC guidance, some groups should get a booster, and some groups may get a booster based on their individual risks. In Texas, the positive case rate surpassed 10% by mid-December, which put the state in a "red zone," a rating for which federal officials encourage more restrictions to limit the virus' spread. By comparison, a month ago that number was just under 8% and in early November it was under 5%. Additional reporting by Houston Public Medias Matt Harab. (Photo by Xie Chuanhui/VCG via Getty Images). You've got to protect yourself and protect other people at the same time. Cameron County releases emergency health advisory due Schedule boosters., - Houston's COVID wastewater levels drop to lowest mark in 6 months, putting BA.5 wave in rear view, - COVID Q&A: Peter Hotez discusses new winter variants, his book and a halal vaccine. Harris County woman contracts first known omicron case in Texas "We can protect ourselves and those at highest risk by getting vaccinated, including with boosters, staying away from others when we are ill, getting tested when appropriate, and wearing face coverings indoors or at crowded events with close contact.". In Houston, there are signs that omicron could usurp delta, still the countrys most dominant strain, in a matter of weeks. Let some air circulation going.". No appointment is needed. Omicron already accounts for 94% of new cases in Texas, experts say. Harris County Public Health on Tuesday reported 483 new cases, the highest single-day total in more than two months. cases Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2022. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday warned that the nation could see a major surge in both delta and omicron as early as next month. "So we're dealing with small sample sizes," Bowling explains. There's concern it may be more transmissible based on results out of South Africa. Rodriguez, Beltron and Thomas each said finding a place to get tested was simple and easy. Sect. Second, although case-patients had evidence of acute respiratory illness and received a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result, inclusion of case-patients who died or required IMV for reasons other than COVID-19 could have reduced VE because of misclassification. Sect. Interim recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the use of bivalent booster doses of COVID-19 vaccinesUnited States, October 2022. According to the state, 745,733 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 656,714 68.2% of the countys population 5 and older are fully vaccinated. Demographic and clinical data, including receipt of IMV and in-hospital death within 28 days of admission, were collected through electronic medical record (EMR) review and patient or proxy interview. Patients were most commonly excluded because of receipt of a bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose (446 [23% of excluded patients]), receipt of a non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (392 [20%]), or receipt of only 1 monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose (260 [13%]). Officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services have anticipated omicrons arrival in the state since it was first identified last month in South Africa and spread rapidly to other continents. Collin County Health Care Serviceslater confirmed this information to NBC 5. She grew up in El Paso and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with degrees in political science and film and a minor in journalism. Natasha Halasa reports receiving grants from Sanofi and Quidel, outside the submitted work. Case Some experts offer cautious optimism despite the bleak outlook. Joseph Leahy anchors morning newscasts for NPR's statewide public radio collaborative, Texas Newsroom. Effectiveness of Monovalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination That beat the old record of 300,000 in one day. Here's what we know about the latest cases found in Fort Bend County. sees record number of patients Democrat and Chronicle Texas surfer pushed offshore by strong winds rescued by Coast Guard Tornado flips cars, downs trees after touching down in South Florida Shaquil Barrett's 2 "Not as drastic, not as drastic as with the original outbreak or with the delta (variant).". But this more infectious variant is having a major impact on hospital staffing, said Dr. James McDeavitt, the executive vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine. In Eddy County 65.7 percent of residents received at least one COVID-19 vaccination as of April 11. Michael Williams, Breaking News reporter. Patients were included in the analysis if they 1) received zero COVID-19 vaccines doses (unvaccinated) or 2) received 2, 3, or 4 monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses (monovalent-vaccinated), with the last dose received 14 days before illness onset for a primary series dose or 7 days before illness onset for a booster dose. COVID-19like illness was defined as including any one of the following signs and symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, new or worsening findings on chest imaging consistent with pneumonia, or hypoxemia defined as SpO2 <92% on room air or supplemental oxygen to maintain SpO2 92%. The original omicron variant, called BA.1, now represents only about 3% of cases in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control data. The states case total is now 4,457,359, including 3,695,086 confirmed and 762,273 probable. Dr. Robert Rogers, past president of the Tarrant County Medical Society, says even though omicron spreads fast, it seems to pack less of a punch than feared. During February 1, 2022January 31, 2023, adults aged 18 years admitted to 24 hospitals in 19 U.S. states who met a COVID-19like illness case definition and received SARS-CoV-2 testing were enrolled. The increasing number of cases in the community have also impacted the state's elder care and Texas' criminal justice facilities, where infected staff and visitors can transmit the virus into areas where people often live more closely. Ninety-one percent of patients had one or more chronic condition, and 20% had a previous self-reported or documented SARS-CoV-2 infection. Hall noted that the largest number of cases over the weekend came from prisons in Anderson and Fort Bend counties, which both have seen an increase in cases over the past two weeks. David N. Hager reports receiving grants from NIH, outside the submitted work. Since then, it has already become the dominant strain in South Africa. Others drove up to the site only to be turned away because the site closed at 1 p.m. One woman who was turned away said she was desperate to get tested because she felt sick. Health officials worry holiday gatherings and travel could lead to the spread of the omicron variant. Ruben Martinez receives a Covid booster dose from RN Ida Griffin at the Houston Health Departments La Nueva Casa de Amigos Health Center on North Main Street, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, in Houston. What happened to the Taste NY bathrooms on the Taconic? They reported mild symptoms. All adults should remain up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccination to prevent critical COVID-19associated outcomes. Jay S. Steingrub reports a grant from NHLBI, outside the submitted work. Although a bivalent mRNA dose was recommended on September 1, 2022, for all persons who had completed a primary COVID-19 vaccination series, bivalent vaccination coverage among adults aged 18 years is 20%, and most adults have only received monovalent mRNA vaccines (1,5). DALLAS - Testing sites in North Texas are becoming overwhelmed ahead of a predicted surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the omicron variant. The best stories from KERA sent to your inbox. Breakthrough cases are expected, but booster shots from either vaccine appear to offer substantially better protection. "Things are changing rapidly again, Rogers said. Monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccination provided substantial, durable protection against IMV and in-hospital death among adults during the Omicron variant period. "But I think this is kind of being brought up again, so instead of turning off the TV or stopping reading something, we shouldn't avoid it. Omicron Will it overtake delta here in Texas? Ayass Bioscience Vice President and Principal Scientist Dr. Lina Abi Mosleh said they process about 1,500 COVID-19 PCR tests for more than 30 area doctors, urgent care clinics and hospitals every day. The adult female resident was recently COVID-19 vaccination history was ascertained from state or jurisdictional registries, EMRs, vaccination cards, and self-report. Before joining The News in 2021, he reported in Orlando, Albany, N.Y., and San Francisco. Dec. 4, 2021. It was named that because it has an unusually high number of mutations, Bowling says. When I think about things that keep me up at night, it's the next wave of the delta variant. The numbers bring the countys case total to 380,558, including 312,656 confirmed and 67,902 probable. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. In 2016, he took on a similar role as the local Morning Edition newscaster at KUT in Austin, before moving over to the Texas Newsroom. cases The adult female resident was recently diagnosed with COVID-19. To find a list of pop-up clinics, visit sanantonio.gov or call 3-1-1 and select option 8. Early data suggests that omicron is less severe than the delta variant, but is much more transmissible. The omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in North Texas, Collin County Health Care Services and Tarrant County Public Health confirms. About 60 percent of the country is fully vaccinated, of which 27 percent have received a booster dose, according to the CDC. Find a complete list of them here. You can ask the status, and if the person is forthcoming, great. However, there are early signs that Omicron may cause only mild illness, according to the New York Times. Omicron has already been detected in Houston and as it spreads, public health leaders will look at how contagious it is, whether treatments work and whether boosters can prevent another surge. AUSTIN, Texas -- The omicron variant has led to a surge in positive cases across Texas, and some hospital regions are seeing numbers of COVID-19 patients that rival last winter. A Houston-area woman was confirmed this week as having the state's first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19.