Health officials say North Texans are letting their guards down with COVID-19 precautions

Health officials say North Texans are letting their guards down with COVID-19 precautions

The spread could exceed the record numbers the Metroplex experienced this summer.

DALLAS - Top health officials in North Texas are saying it’s clear that people are letting their guards down when it comes to COVID-19.

The spread could exceed the record numbers the Metroplex experienced this summer.

Director of Dallas Health and Human Services, Dr. Philip Huang, said people are letting their guards down with this virus, and the spread could exceed the record numbers from the summer.

DFW could once again reach peak COVID-19 cases in just two weeks, according to Dr. Huang.

“One of the hospital systems said, ‘If our current rates continue at what we are seeing now, in two weeks, we would probably be at the levels of capacity at the highest peaks of what we saw this summer,’” Dr. Huang said.

That means hospitals would be surging, likely with near-record or record ER visits and hospitalizations.

“They are numbers that they haven’t seen since July and August,” Dr. Huang added.

It’s also happening across the country.

The United States has shattered records for new COVID cases this week, with more than 100,000 cases reported Wednesday.

More than 19,000 people have died from the disease in Texas, and right now, more than 1,500 patients are hospitalized for COVID in DFW.

When the last peak happened in North Texas this summer, cases were being reported at a rate of more than 1,000 a day.

That’s when the governor instated the mask mandate and closed bars, which did slow the spread, at least until now.

“It’s hard. It’s tiring. People are tired of doing it, but we’ve got to keep doing it,” Dr. Huang said.

Dr. Huang said he is less concerned with any potential outbreaks related to people trick-or-treating and celebrating Halloween than he is with rampant spread because people simply have COVID fatigue and are tired of social distancing.

“It’s been months that everyone I know has been having to do all these practices and infection control,” Dr. Huang added.

The county is working on coming out with guidance for Thanksgiving.

They are already advising having a smaller family gathering with just immediate family, and possibly quarantining or getting tested before.