Harris County raises COVID-19 threat level to 'Red' as Omicron cases, hospitalizations surge
Harris County once again raised its COVID-19 threat level to "Level 1: Red" Monday, the highest possible status signifying a "severe and uncontrolled level of COVID-19." The change comes as cases once again soar in the region due to the highly-contagious Omicron variant.
This is the third time the county has upgraded its COVID-19 threat level to "severe." The last time was in August during the emergence of the Delta variant. County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced the new status during a news conference Monday. "Unfortunately, today we find ourselves once again crossing a threshold we don't want to cross," Hidalgo said.
"Because of the Omicron variant, over the past month we've seen the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 increase exponentially," Hidalgo continued. "In other words, we are in the midst of another COVID-19 tsunami... It's like nothing we've seen before in this pandemic."
Under "Red" status, unvaccinated residents are encouraged to minimize contact with others and avoid leaving home except for essential needs like getting groceries or medicine, according to the county's website. Vaccinated residents are asked to wear a mask while indoors, in public places, in crowded outdoor settings and for activities in close contact with individuals who are not fully vaccinated.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Harris-County-Houston-COVID-threat-level-testing-16764695.php
