BEAUMONT, Texas — Texas is seeing an uptick in coronavirus cases after the winter storm.
Texas DSHS reported new COVID-19 numbers on Sunday. State health officials said they expect the numbers to continue to increase. No lights or water during the storm led to more indoor gatherings as people sheltered from the cold.
"People who lost power went to places to who had power — whether it was a family member, friend or shelter," Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel said.
2,921 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Sunday statewide, according to data from Texas DSHS. 197 new deaths were reported.
But is this trend coming to Southeast Texas?
"We're not seeing that here yet, and I hope that we don't," he said. "Over the last two weeks, our number of active cases has gone down quite a bit, and I am hoping to see that continue.
Doctors have not seen an increase in cases yet, but said that Southeast Texas typically lags behind statewide trends.
"From my standpoint, we haven't seen anything that's terrible," Dr. Monshi Levine said. "We have another week or so left — as you know anytime this virus is going to do something, it takes about three to four weeks to see the full effects."
But doctors and health experts are expecting to see another increase in cases with spring break approaching.
"We try to ask patients and citizens not to engage in behaviors that are high risk, despite saying that they may still partake in high-risk behaviors," he said. "So we're expecting to see a rise."
This time, Levine said doctors are better equipped to handle an increase in COVID-19 cases.
"It's a much more manageable infection, and a much more manageable disease," he said.
Judge McDaniel said he is encouraging people to take advantage of free drive-through COVID-19 testing every Monday in March at the Hardin County Health Department.
Anyone who wants to be tested does not have to be a resident of Hardin County to get the test. McDaniel said he is welcoming all citizens across Southeast Texas to find out their status.