The majority of the record number of COVID-19 cases reported Tuesday by the Beaumont Public Health Department can be attributed to holiday gatherings.
Just one of the 175 that were reported for northern Jefferson County can be attributed to a lag between when a sample was collected and when the result can come back, said Beaumont Public Health Director Sherry Ulmer. Another 10 were confirmed in an outbreak at an area nursing home.
“That still leaves 164,” she said. “We had a lot of household spread - three or four people in a family testing positive. We attribute it to the holidays,” she said, later adding that recent cold weather pushed more people indoors as well. “People went visiting. People went to Christmas parties. We’re at a very dark spot right now. We’re in a dark, dark place.”
She said the health department expects the trend to continue at least through Jan. 14, or two weeks after New Year’s Eve parties, but that it likely will continue even longer.
Combined with another 70 cases reported by the Port Arthur Public Health Department on Tuesday evening, the region confirmed a total of 245 new infections — breaking the single-day record of 219 new cases set on Dec. 1.
On Wednesday, the Beaumont Public Health Department confirmed 74 new cases in northern Jefferson County. The Port Arthur Public Health Department had not released update numbers before press time.
But even with the surging caseload, Ulmer said her department isn’t set to receive any more doses of vaccine this week.
The Port Arthur Public Health Department on Tuesday received 100 doses. Public Health Director Judith Smith also said the small number of doses will be administered to health staff and first responders.
Beaumont received 100 doses last week, but those already have been administered to first responders in the city’s staff. A number of other first responders are in line to be vaccinated when more doses arrive.
Ulmer stressed that the department does not yet have vaccine to give to the general public. However, the department is planning and training to keep individuals safe when the time for widespread vaccinations to begin.
Additionally, she said, CVS Pharmacies locally have started vaccinating local nursing home residents and staff.
For the time being, Ulmer repeated the same refrain public health officials have issued since the early days of the pandemic.
“It’s real. It can still be fatal,” she said. “It’s not too late to be more careful. Wear a mask, do not visit with people who you don’t live with, wash your hands.”
kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com
twitter.com/KaitlinBain
January 07, 2021 at 06:59AM
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Record COVID cases linked to holiday gatherings, travel - Beaumont Enterprise
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