As of last Friday, Aug. 26, Texas Health was caring for 125 COVID-positive patients in our wholly owned hospitals, accounting for 4% of beds occupied. While the number of patients increased over the summer, we have seen a slight decrease in the latter half of August. Still, we continue to take extra precautions in our facilities.

Omicron subvariants BA.4/BA.5 are now dominant. There is no evidence to indicate that these subvariants, while highly transmissible, cause more serious illness than previous strains. However, they have demonstrated an increased ability to evade immunity gained from previous COVID infections and vaccinations. As a result, Moderna and Pfizer have formulated new booster shots to better combat the new subvariants that should roll out soon. More information on booster eligibility is available here.

A new vaccine from Novavax is now approved for adults age 18 and older who have not been vaccinated. The Novavax COVID vaccine is a more traditional kind of shot – a protein vaccine as opposed to the mRNA that Pfizer and Moderna developed using newer technologies. Protein vaccines have safely been used for years to prevent hepatitis B, shingles and other diseases.

So, what comes next?

The CDC is tracking a new COVID “variant of concern,” BA.4.6, that is becoming prevalent in the neighboring Midwest. The CDC designates strains as variants of concern if they display greater transmissibility, reduced effectiveness of treatment, increased severity or decreased neutralization by antibodies.

We continue to take what we’ve learned throughout the pandemic, study data and use predictive models to help us plan and prepare. While no one can perfectly forecast variables that can quickly change outlooks, we are cautiously optimistic that hospitalizations will remain lower throughout the fall.

Yet, much depends on the speed with which new vaccine boosters become available and the number of people who choose to take them.

The most effective way to avoid severe illness, hospitalization and even death remains to get vaccinated and boosted.

Texas Health educational and awareness resources in multiple languages are available here for organizations to share within communities. We’re happy to partner with you to encourage more North Texans to consider vaccines and boosters.