Burnet and Llano counties have seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases since the July 4 holiday amidst reports that the Delta variant, a new strain of the COVID-19 virus, has come to the Hill Country.
Since July 4, there have been 416 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Burnet County which resulted in five fatalities. There have been 4,760 total confirmed cases, 615 probable cases, 4,956 estimated recoveries and 73 fatalities. Currently, there are an estimated 346 active cases. Burnet County has averaged 6.46 new cases per 1,000 people in the past 14 days. Burnet County is ranked 57th overall out of Texas’ 254 counties for number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the DSHS, some 37,882 doses of COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson) have been administered in Burnet County. At least 21,772 people (47.59 percent of the county’s estimated population of 45,470) have had at least one dose of a vaccine, while 18,517 people (40.47 percent) are fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, in Llano County, since July 4, there have been 129 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Llano County which resulted in one new fatality. There have been 1,341 total confirmed cases, 536 probable cases, 1,687 estimated recoveries and 54 fatalities. Currently, there are an estimated 136 active cases. Llano County has averaged 4.7 new cases per 1,000 people in the past 14 days.
Some 18,098 doses of COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson) have been administered in Llano County. At least 10,258 people (49.7 percent of the county’s estimated population of 20,640) have had at least one dose of a vaccine, while 8,978 people (43.5 percent) are fully vaccinated.
Statewide, there have been 27.7 million doses of vaccine given with 12.8 million people fully vaccinated for a vaccination rate of 44.2 percent. Both Burnet and Llano counties fall below the state average.
“Unvaccinated people are most at risk of contracting COVID-19, including any of its variants,” the Department of State Health Services said in a statement. “The Delta variant is more aggressive than other known variants and spreads most rapidly in communities with fewer fully vaccinated people.
“The absolute best protection for yourself and those close to you is getting fully vaccinated. The vaccine is proven to safely protect you from COVID-19’s worst effects and lowers your chances of spreading the virus. Greatly increasing the number of fully vaccinated Texans is the only way to prevent a devastating rise in the spread of the pandemic virus.”
In Trauma Service Area O, which is the 11-county region which includes Burnet and Llano counties, there are an estimated 2.375 million people and 4,367 total staffed inpatient hospital beds. As of Aug. 4, there were 3,890 people hospitalized, 477 available hospital beds, 19 available ICU beds and 314 available ventilators. There were 506 COVID-19 patients hospitalized for a hospitalization rate of 11.6 percent.