Former County Health Authority Warns COVID-19 Is Spreading in Younger Age Groups

About three weeks ago I said local cases are trending back up, well it is definitely going up.

In Comal County the PCR positivity rate is 6% and the antigen test (rapid test) is 10.48%. Less than 5% is considered low transmission.

What we are seeing is cases in younger age groups but also some cases in older patients.

The vaccines are good but not perfect. We are seeing positive tests/cases in patients who have had vaccine and also patients who have previously had COVID. The vaccinated cases in general are not developing serious complications and not ending up in the hospital.

Hospitalizations are also slowly going up.

Cases are going up everywhere. There are only a few U.S. states where cases are not going up. Countries around the world are having huge increases of cases due to the Delta variant like UK, Spain, Greece, and Netherlands. I will post an article from the local, your localm epidemiologist about this.

(An earlier Facebook) post is about Texas CARES project. It is a research project by UT Health. It has been going on since last year. You can sign up and get free blood tests to check for antibodies to both having had COVID and for antibodies to the vaccine. It’s on Facebook.

Yes, you should still get a vaccine.

Yes, you should get your kids a vaccine.

Not over yet!

(Editor’s Note: This opinion piece first appeared in a Facebook post on New Braunfels COVID19 Community Info and was lightly edited for clarity.)

About Dr. Overman

Dr. Dorothy Overman served as Comal County’s health authority for over 25 years and became the area’s most trusted source for information about COVID-19. She stepped down last November due to workload in her family practice, Hill Country Medical Associates, now Christus Trinity Clinic.

As a consultant to the county, she worked with the Office of Public Health and Texas Department of State Health Services on diseases affecting the community, disease prevention, public education, sheltering of evacuees and disaster preparedness.

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Overman’s posts on the New Braunfels COVID19 Community Info Facebook page, a private group with almost 7,000 followers, were eagerly anticipated for her candid analysis about the outbreak’s impact on Comal County and Comal ISD.