"The numbers are really increasing dramatically," said Dr. Philip Keiser with the Galveston County Health District. "At the beginning of June, we had less than 20 people in the hospital. Now, we have over 100."
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Keiser said he expects the number of positive cases this week to double from just last week.
"The ER's are full. The hospitals are full," he said. "People are lining up to get infusions to get the antibodies to keep them from getting too sick so that they end up in the hospital. It's not looking very promising right now. In fact, it's looking worrisome."
SEE ALSO: Fully vaccinated woman dies in Galveston County
COVID-19 cases are on the rise, but so are vaccinations
This week, Galveston County health officials reported a fourth death of a fully vaccinated person - a woman in her 60s with pre-existing medical conditions.
It's rare, but happens, Keiser said. According to our partners at The Texas Tribune, more than 8,700 Texans have died from COVID-19 since February. Of those deaths, 43 people were fully vaccinated
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"These breakthrough cases are very, very rare," said Memorial Hermann infectious disease specialist with Dr. Linda Yancey. "Most people who get a breakthrough case are going to be just fine, but it is those people who have underlying health conditions, diabetes, heart disease, people on chemotherapy, people on dialysis, those are the ones who are at risk for dying from a breakthrough case."
Yancey says it's vital for everyone to get vaccinated to help protect our neighbors who have health issues and cannot build a strong immune defense.
"The example I like to use is umbrellas. If you have a crowd of people and 90% of them have umbrellas, nobody's going to get wet. Your umbrella protects the person beside you," she explained.
As this COVID-19 surge continues with the Delta variant charging through our unvaccinated population, these experts urge you to take your pick from the three vaccines and get a free shot.
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CDC COVID-19 Transmission Levels by U.S. County
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