HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo lowered the county’s COVID-19 Threat Level Indicator from Level 1: Red, the system’s highest threat level, to Level 2: Orange, the system’s second-highest threat level, due to a decrease in COVID-19 cases.
Hidalgo cited a decrease in cases, hospitalizations and COVID-19 positivity rates as the reasons for the lowered threat level.
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“Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen an encouraging drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases and our hospital population,” said Hidalgo. “This didn’t happen by coincidence - it happened because of our community’s hard work to step up and increase our vaccination rates. That said, we’re not out of the woods. The decreases in our trends are slowing down while other communities are starting to see spikes, and as we learn to coexist with this virus over the long term, we can’t grow complacent. As the holidays begin to approach, we must stay vigilant to avoid another spike. The only way to do that is to get vaccinated.”
Threat level 2 indicates a significant and “uncontrolled level” of COVID-19 in Harris County, meaning that there is ongoing transmission of the virus, according to the county’s COVID-19 data hub.
At this level, county officials urge unvaccinated residents to minimize contact with others, avoid any medium or large gatherings, and visit only permissible businesses that follow public health guidance.
For more information on Harris County’s COVID-19 threat level indicators, guidance, and related information visit ReadyHarris.org.