BEAUMONT, Texas — Nobody wants to hear it, but COVID is on the rise in Southeast Texas.
The new variant is said to be more transmissible and the Beaumont Public Health department tells 12News, hospitalizations are jumping, too.
Beaumont Public Health Director Kenneth Coleman is warning Southeast Texans of the new variant.
"It's eg.5, and the name that's out there is eirs, e-r-i-s. It's more transmissible, but the good thing at this point, the data is showing it does not cause more severity," he said.
The trend began in May with 94 confirmed cases, but began to rise tremendously in August, when 650 cases were reported in Beaumont.
Coleman says as of Thursday, the city had 18 COVID patients in the hospital, with three on a ventilator.
"They say it's like the flu, but as you can see, the flu doesn't necessarily cause this many people to be in the hospital," Coleman said.
The Federal Drug Administration is inching closer to approving a new vaccine that would help combat the latest variant, but because the government is longer categorizing COVID as an ongoing pandemic, the shots won't be free.
"Now that the pandemic has been declared over federally, basically what that means is all the free stuff is over," Coleman said. "Before, all pharmacists, all medical centers, all doctors got the vaccines for free, now that it's commercialized, they will have to pay for it."
12News got in contact with several area pharmacies. Some have applied for the new vaccines, but don't know how much it will cost a consumer yet.
Others sat they don't plan on paying for and distributing the new shots, at all.
"Will insurance cover the COVID vaccine? because you know some insurance policies don't cover all vaccines," Coleman said.
Coleman hopes to get new guidance from the state health department soon. Beaumont's will get the new vaccine, but they will likely only be available to those without insurance.
COVID stats are shared daily on the Beaumont Public Health's Facebook page.