WACO, Texas — The video above was published Aug. 9 2021.
The number of people with COVID-19 in McLennan County was approaching numbers not seen since the peak of the pandemic in January, according to a news release Waco city officials sent on Monday.
Officials say over the course of seven weeks, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 went from 10 to 166 as of Aug. 20.
Daily hospitalizations due to COVID-19 peaked at 178 in January 2021. As of Aug. 20, the seven-day running average of new COVID-19 cases is 182, officials said.
Waco Mayor Dillon Meek will be joined by local healthcare representatives on Wednesday for a virtual news conference to discuss the state of the pandemic in McLennan County.
“At this time, it is critical that we all take a hard look at the current data regarding local and state hospital capacity, and the impact the dangerous Delta variant is having on our community," Meek said.
The health district was reporting that hospitals are nearly full with all 54 ICU beds in use, and non-ICU beds being converted to care for critical patients. Eighty-seven percent of the patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 were unvaccinated against the disease, the district reported.
As of Aug. 23, about 43% of people over 12-years-old in McLennan County were fully vaccinated. That's compared to 66% for the entire state.
"I urge anyone who has not received a COVID-19 vaccine to talk to their doctor or healthcare provider and make a plan to get vaccinated," Meek said. "If you are concerned about the vaccine, I implore you to consult with your doctor—just like you would on other health-related matters—to thoroughly discuss those concerns."
The virtual news conference will be held at 9 a.m. 6 News will stream it live here and on the KCEN News YouTube page.
