Amarillo area COVID-19 hospitalization rate continues to rise, up 80% from the prior week

Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News
·3 min read

The Amarillo Public Health Department reported an increase of 333 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths in Thursday’s COVID-19 report card.

That brings the total number of cases in Potter and Randall counties to 51,378 and the total number of deaths to 943 since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

Amarillo Public Health Department COVID-19 Report Card for Dec. 2. 2021
Amarillo Public Health Department COVID-19 Report Card for Dec. 2. 2021

Of the total, 3,460 cases were reported as active in Thursday’s report card, an increase of 215 active cases from Wednesday.

The COVID-19 report card is issued weekdays by the Amarillo Public Health Department.

There have been 46,975 reported COVID-19 recoveries, an increase of 114 recoveries from Wednesday’s report.

Thursday’s report card also shows that Trauma Service Area A, which includes Potter and Randall counties, as well as the majority of the Texas Panhandle, is recording a 18.48% COVID-19 hospitalization rate as of Wednesday.

Potter County saw an increase of 132 COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total to 25,231 since the start of the pandemic. Of the total, 1,442 are active, an increase of 88 active cases. There have been 23,217 recoveries and 572 deaths related to the virus, according to Thursday’s report card.

Randall County saw an increase of 201 COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total to 26,147 since the start of the pandemic. Of the total, 2,018 are active, an increase of 127 net active cases. There have been 23,758 recoveries and 371 deaths related to the virus, according to Thursday’s report card.

As reported in Thursday’s COVID-19 update, 455,116 COVID-19 tests have been conducted since the start of the pandemic, with 11 tests pending.

Boosters, vaccinations

The Amarillo Health Department is administering boosters for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

Amarillo Director of Public Health Casie Stoughton said booster shot is currently available to individuals 18 and older who live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions and/or live in high-risk environments. Those 65 and older who have gotten both shots are also eligible to receive the booster regardless of the situation.

According to previous reports, the city offers the Moderna vaccine for individuals 18 and older, as well as doses of the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17.

As of Nov. 1, the recently approved COVID-19 shot is now available for those between the ages of 5 and 11.

Immunizations are available at Amarillo Public Health, 850 Martin Road, during the following hours:

• Monday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Thursdays: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The upcoming schedule for the city’s mobile vaccination clinics is:

• Wednesday, Dec. 8, noon-5 p.m.: St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 1601 S. Georgia St., parking lot on the south side

• Thursday, Dec. 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Amarillo Wesley Community Center, 1615 S. Roberts

• Saturday, Dec. 11, noon to 4 p.m.: McDonald’s, 2910 S. Soncy

• Wednesday, Dec. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Region 16, 1601 S. Cleveland St.

For more on the city's COVID-19 response, visit www.amarilloalerts.com

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: COVID-19 hospitalization rate rises to 18.46%, four new deaths