Mayor Turner to reveal adjustments to back-to-school event amid COVID-19
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Two weeks after a statewide mask ordinance was issued, Houston-area hospital admissions appeared to have somewhat plateaued, though experts said community spread of COVID-19 is still rampant.
Mayor Sylvester Turner and City of Houston medical experts continue to urge Houstonians to mask up, social distance and stay home if at all possible. Last week, city and county public health officials signed an order mandating all public and non-religious private schools remain virtual-only at least through Labor Day weekend.
SEE RELATED STORY: Harris County and Houston order schools to delay in-person learning until Sept. 8
Mayor Turner is also changing his annual back-to-school event to a drive-through event, instead of the usual festivities involving large group gatherings. He's expected to officially announce the changes during his city COVID-19 briefing at 3 p.m., which you can watch live in this post.
"It's different but no less important," he said. Although students will be learning virtually, "they still need the tools to be successful."
There will be 25,000 backpacks distributed filled with school supplies, and the Houston Food Bank will provide food for these students and their families.
To register for the event click here.
The back-to-school event will be held Friday, Aug. 7 and Saturday, Aug. 8 at NRG Stadium in the yellow lot.
He also announced there are more than 147,000 cases in Texas. Turner reported 325 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. He also said there were nine new deaths, bringing the total number to 400.
If families with children and elders do not have room for social distancing inside the home, he urged family members to wear masks.
"It is about changing behavior," he said. "I know it's the summertime and people are getting antsy, but it's still very serious."
According to the latest information by Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC), there is currently 1,435 COVID-19 patients in general hospital beds, and 661 COVID-19 patients in ICU in Harris County. Right now, 41.7% of ICU beds in Harris County are being used for COVID-19 patients.
Those numbers are slightly better than the height of the COVID-19 hospitalizations, which appeared to be around July 18, when 841 COVID-19 patients were in area ICUs, accounting for 53% of the ICU beds.
However, even with the slightly flattening numbers, experts said it's clear that our region is still in dire situations when it comes to COVID-19 transmissions.
The Texas Medical Center reported that its current ICU beds are above base capacity, and it is on phase one of the surge.
