Covid Case Counts in Fayette County Have Been Rising in Recent Weeks

COVID case numbers in Fayette County ticked up slightly in recent weeks.

Between early March and the middle of May, daily new cases ranged from zero to three, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Then on May 17, DSHS reported 26 new cases. That spike was followed by several weeks during which barely any cases were reported. Then last week, daily new cases started ticking back up.

“I have been tracking the summer closely, and thankfully the increase in case numbers has not translated into a large increase in patients with severe symptoms or requiring advanced medical care,” said Fayette County Emergency Management Chief Craig Moreau. “After almost no cases for an extended period of time, (we) were notified of several outbreaks in long term care facilities and in the community at large.”

Moreau said those facilities reported their cases involved either mild or no symptoms.

“We now have three years of data for the early summer months and in May-June we have seen a rise in cases each year,” Moreau said. “In 2020 and 2021 the increase of cases led to a shortage of staff, shortage of ventilators and overfilled hospital rooms. So far 2022 has been manageable for our local hospital, and for the hospitals in the region.

“My hope is that the antibodies that most citizens have by now are keeping the most serious symptoms at bay, the evidence seems to be pointing in this direction but more info is needed,” he added.