‘We’re very close.’: Why Harris County Judge says she’s not yet ready to lower COVID-19 threat level but could do so soon – KPRC Click2Houston

HOUSTON – As key metrics like the infection rate and ICU hospitalizations pattern downward for the most fundamental time in months, Harris County Mediate Lina Hidalgo says it’s no longer yet time to decrease the county’s COVID-19 menace stage.

At contemporary, Harris County is on the top probably menace stage: Red stage 1.

Hidalgo informed KPRC 2 Monday that scaling lend a hand to orange on the COVID-19 Chance Level system is on the horizon.

“We can dash to orange in a matter of days, you know, every week or two. We would possibly per chance per chance additionally if we protect at it. If these tendencies continue going down, but it absolutely’s up to all of us. We’re no longer pretty there, we’re very shut,” she acknowledged.

Hidalgo pointed to particular signs like the hospitalizations being down alongside with the volume of COVID-19 patients being treated in ICUs.

“The assorted indicator that we now have for going to orange is having the percentage of the ICU that’s COVID particular being under 15% and we crossed that lovely on the unique time,” she acknowledged.

Nonetheless assorted numbers are no longer where they wish to be, Hidalgo acknowledged.

“The positivity rate in Harris County is round 8% we desired to be at five. The assorted one is the case counts. We’re seeing an moderate of about 450 conditions a day or so we want that to be at 400,” she acknowledged.

Doctors agree that the total fable of Harris County’s contemporary coronavirus records is particular but warn residents to no longer let up on health and security practices.

“The only real reason we’re doing better is because we are masking, distancing, managing behavior, avoiding aggregation of oldsters in puny areas, avoiding public gatherings, all that lovely and onerous work it’s in actuality paid off and that’s why we now have protect a watch on of the virus lawful now and that wants to continue,” acknowledged Dr. James McDeavitt of the Baylor Faculty of Medication.

Experts warn the numbers would possibly per chance per chance additionally spike up again in the next weeks with that it’s probably you’ll per chance be in a neighborhood to take into accout new conditions from Labor Day and students returning to in-person studying.

Monday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner additionally acknowledged the space is headed on the lawful note. Turner acknowledged the metropolis’s positivity rate is at 6.1% and going down. Though the positivity rate is reducing, it has no longer reached the 5% and under aim.