HOUSTON — For the second straight day, hospitals in the Greater Houston Area set a record for COVID hospitalizations with 3,088. It’s the highest number since the pandemic began in 2020.
At the same time, the state health department reports there are only 44 regular ICU beds available for the Houston Trauma Service Area with nearly 7 million people. Along with Harris County the TSA includes Austin, Colorado, Fort Bend, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller and Wharton counties.
A separate TSA that includes Galveston, Brazoria, Chambers and Liberty counties has only 6 regular ICU beds available, according to the state.
There’s a record low of 314 staffed ICU beds in the entire state, DSHS reports.
The DSHS tracks ICU beds and other important COVID data statewide and by Trauma Service Areas or TSAs across the state.
Hospitals in the Texas Medical Center reported Monday that 100% of their regular ICU beds were full. They have a phase 2 plan that turns medical and surgical beds into ICU beds. But with the nursing shortage, there’s no guarantee they can staff them. Those were 83% full on Monday.
Also Tuesday, the Houston Health Department reported more than 3,010 residents have died from COVID.
There is some hopeful news from the state. They say vaccinations are up and 67% of Texans -- over 15.8 million people -- age 12 and up have had a least one vaccination. Nearly 55% or 13.1 million are fully vaccinated.
Here are vaccination numbers for local counties:
Harris: 57% fully vaccinated
Fort Bend: 69% fully vaccinated
Montgomery: 50% fully vaccinated
Brazoria: 54% fully vaccinated
Galveston: 56% full vaccinated
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