Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, TX – Transmission rates of the COVID-19 Virus in Brownsville, Texas continue to be on the rise, especially for individuals who are unvaccinated. During the past two weeks, the City of Brownsville has seen a surge in COVID-19 positive cases, causing the city to move to Level 3 on its Threat Matrix.
As the city sees an increase in cases, the public must stay vigilant and aware of the fact that this can take a toll on every member of the community, including the most vulnerable, as well as healthcare staff. Measures taken during the height of the pandemic, such as mask wearing, sanitizing, hand washing, and social distancing proved to be effective methods in stopping the transmission of the virus.
“Taking necessary precautions to protect not only our family, but one another, is an inherent obligation that every single community member should feel at this present time. We must support one another in vaccine and COVID-19 safety initiatives to ensure that these cycles of transmission end and that we support our healthcare workers and protect the most vulnerable from the harmful and potentially life-threatening impacts of the disease,” said Dr. Art Rodriguez, City of Brownsville Public Health Director.
Making the assessment to move to Level 3 on the City of Brownsville’s Threat Matrix is being done to ensure that the City of Brownsville, along with local health partners and authorities, work together to protect the community, while also monitoring multiple factors such as new hospital admissions, transmission rates, positive cases, and current ICU and ventilator patients.
The following is the City of Brownsville’s Threat Matrix Level 3 Guidance:
- Fully vaccinated individuals should continue to protect themselves by wearing a mask when partaking in gatherings/meetings, traveling, dining, or shopping, if they are unable to socially distance.
- Partially or unvaccinated individuals should avoid large meetings, travel, dining, and shopping, unless deemed essential. Masks should be worn when performing any of these necessary activities.
- Community members should minimize contact with those outside of their immediate household, limiting gatherings to ten people, and avoiding any medium or large meetings.
- Proper hand washing and hand sanitation should be performed as needed to minimize the spread of the virus.
The COVID-19 Delta Variant is spreading at alarming rates nationwide, affecting the most vulnerable populations within various communities. To protect the community, the City of Brownsville’s Threat Matrix guidance follows recommendations made by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in conjunction with federal, state, and local health officials’ direction; however, they remain as guidelines for everyone to act on based on the potential for high level contagion that would overwhelm local healthcare systems, as well as affect various businesses and populations. Every member of the community should do their part and follow any additional requirements of businesses, venues, and schools, regardless of vaccination status.
Vaccines for the COVID-19 Virus continue to be the best line of defense for the highly contagious disease and have proven to be highly effective in those who have received completed doses of Moderna, Pfizer, or the single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. However, only 88.6% of the Cameron County community is fully vaccinated, causing some to be susceptible to the disease and its variants, such as the highly transmittable Delta Variant.
COVID-19 vaccinations are free and do not require insurance. Residents can locate providers in their area by using vaccines.gov.
