NET Health’s Hopkins comments on “exponentially” rising COVID numbers

TYLER — The COVID numbers continue to go up in East Texas — and they’re rising “exponentially,” according to NET Health’s Russell Hopkins. Hopkins says people are picking these cases up in such places as retail outlets, churches, and businesses. And he tells us it won’t get better any time soon. According to Hopkins, “We’re behind the gun now…on mitigation measures,” so the numbers will keep going up “for the foreseeable future.” And he says the worst effects will be seen in hospitals and in those who are vulnerable to the virus.

Hopkins says all that’s due in large part to the highly contagious omicron variants. He recommends avoiding “gatherings…and situations where there’s a higher risk of spread,” pinpointing “those places where you might be confined together more than 15 or 20 minutes.” One example: places where people are eating and drinking, which Hopkins says “gets a lot of particulate…into the air.” And Hopkins continues to urge vaccinations, masking up, and staying home when you’re sick. For more information on COVID-19 in East Texas, click here.