Bell County sees COVID-19 spike as 227 cases reported in two weeks

Bell County Health District Director Amy Yeager said the cases were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction tests from June 3 through Friday and emphasized the importance for residents to continue to take precautions.

“While the overall number of cases in the county remains relatively low, there has been a steady increase in the number of new cases over the past two weeks,” she said. “Bell County Public Health District urges everyone to continue to follow precautions including hand washing, wearing a mask in crowded indoor places if you are at high risk of complications, social distancing when in crowds, staying home if you are sick, and getting tested if you have symptoms.”

The cases, according to Yeager, included a backlog of cases from Fort Hood. Those primarily affected are people in their 20s.

Twenty-five new cases of COVID-19 were reported by the Bell County Public Health District for a total of 370 active cases Thursday.

The county’s incidence rate went up to 101.95 cases per 100,000 residents in the county.

Of the 48,226 cases reported since the pandemic started, 46,945 have recovered, and 911 people died.

The state dashboard showed Trauma Service Area L had 37 of the 1,100 available hospital beds in the area taken up by COVID-19 patients. The service area covers about 512,799 residents in Bell, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Milam, and Mills counties.

She said that the omicron variant continues to be the dominant strain in Bell County.

Yeager said vaccination and boosters are the best defense for children and adults.

“COVID-19 is still circulating in Bell County and across the globe,” she said. “Although we have made progress in this pandemic response, we must remain diligent to keep COVID-19 cases at bay. The COVID-19 booster is an important tool to gain the fullest protection available at this time, even if you have already received your initial vaccine series.”

Free vaccinations and testing

Several places in Temple offer vaccinations and testing, including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, the Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center and clinics.

Free at-home test kits are available at covidtests.gov. Tests are limited to four per household and are shipped through the U.S. Postal Service.