North Texas seeing an increase in COVID-19 infections thanks to a new subvariant
DALLAS - Federal officials are once again urging Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as infections begin to rise.
The Dallas Fort Worth Hospital Council said there are 237 COVID patients in area hospitals. That’s double from a month ago and triple from two months ago.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the spike in infections is being driven by the Eris subvariant.
More than 10,000 people were hospitalized nationwide with the virus during the week ending on Aug. 5.
New COVID-19 variant ‘Eris’ spreads across US, other countries
EG.5, which is unofficially nicknamed Eris, has already become the most prevalent variant in the U.S.
That’s a 14% increase from the week prior, but an improvement from this time last year when more than 41,000 people were hospitalized.
Still, health experts warn those numbers could rise as children go back to school.
"Partly because of the waning vaccine immunity, and also the increase in travel and also the new variants that are circulating right now," said Dr. Sandeep Jubbal with the UMass Memorial Health COVID Treatment Center.
Both Moderna and Pfrizer expect the FDA to authorize their updated boosters by the end of the month. Then, it’s up to the CDC to approve the formula.
"We know that vaccination against COVID-19 remains the safest protection for avoiding hospitalizations, long-term health outcomes, and death," the Biden administration told FOX Business.
COVID-19 took a toll on heart health as doctors still determine how to help
Research showed that up to a year after a bout of COVID-19, some people can develop problems ranging from blood clots to irregular heartbeats to a heart attack.
The administration expects the shots to become available in September.
It is working on a program to make those shots free at pharmacies this fall.
Public health officials are urging Americans to get their annual flu and RSV shots at the same time.