CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Local medical officials said they are noticing a drop in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations after months of high case counts, however, we should not let our guard down.
The Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District Clinical Director Dr. Kim Onufrak said younger people are now being hospitalized, while those 65 years old and older are not becoming very sick, in stark contrast to 2020.
"(Older people) lived in a generation where vaccines were starting to be made, and they know better than the younger generation," she said. "And they were the ones -- once it was available -- first in line to get it."
The health department has seen an increase in vaccinations. Almost 57 percent of people 12 years old are fully vaccinated, while that number increases to 75 percent in people 65 and older.
"We're seeing some first and second doses, we are seeing more, some of that is from our third dose, but not a whole lot," she said.
Hospitalizations also have gone down. On Sept. 1, there were 395 people in the hospital with COVID-19; now, that number is at 257 as of Thursday.
Health officials continue to urge resident to become fully vaccinated to further lower our numbers in the area.