Tarrant County’s COVID spread risk is higher this week. Public urged to get boosters.
The risk of COVID spread in Tarrant County has risen this week, and the public health director is urging people to stay updated on vaccines ahead of the winter months.
Vinny Taneja told county leaders Tuesday that risk of community spread was at a medium level, up from low last week.
Taneja said the increased risk was due to an uptick in COVID-related hospitalizations, but cases are anticipated to taper off.
Across the nation, increases in average daily cases have been reported in areas with cooler weather, such as New York and Maine. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to report a consistent downward trend as of Tuesday.
COVID boosters are available at Tarrant County Public Health clinics and pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens. This booster is designed to protect against the BA.5 variant, which has made up the most cases since the summer.
According to the FDA, the updated boosters include an mRNA component of the original strain to provide an immune response that is protective against COVID-19 and an mRNA component in common between the omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5 lineages. The omicron variant components were used to provide better protection against the omicron variant strains.
