Category: Covid Update

In light of recent declines in Region P Covid inpatient and ICU hospitalizations, this will be the last weekly Frio Covid update for the time being, barring a significant reversal of these numbers. We will continue to update the Frio Covid dashboard on a regular basis, without the writeup.

THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 11-17

Texas Department of State Health Services reported:

67 New Covid Cases in Frio County
(83 New Covid Cases were reported the week prior)

Active cases increased by: 15
Recovered cases increased by: 49
Fatalities increased by: 3

Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported:

15 New GEO Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases
21 New CoreCivic Dilley Detainee Covid Cases
15 New La Quinta Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases

Frio County Vaccination Rate:

Frio County’s Fully Vaccinated Rate (age 12+) increased 1.85% for the week. The prior week’s increase was 1.52%. Vaccinated with at least one dose (12+), a better indicator of recent vaccine activity, increased 1.58%. The prior week’s increase was 1.34%.

The Early Success of the Frio County $100 Vaccine Incentive Program:

The details of Frio County’s $100 Vaccine Incentive Program were first publicly posted on the evening of September 14th, which means we wouldn’t start seeing the effects until September 15th.

From 9/9-9/15, only 59 Frio residents were reported to the State as receiving their first dose, an average of 8 residents per day.

From 9/16-9/17, however, 245 residents were reported to the State as receiving their first dose, an average of 122 residents per day.

Frio County would have seen a steep decline in vaccination rate without the $100 incentive. Though the rollout of the program was bumpy, these numbers should be seen as evidence that the incentive does have a significant effect on the vaccination rate. If it is the desire of the County Judge to continue to see more Frio residents vaccinated, the Judge’s Office should do more to simplify the incentive registration process, extend the deadline, as well as create partnerships for vaccine drives.

COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity:

Frio is one of 22 counties in Trauma Service Area Region P, which serves a population of 2.9 million people.

“COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity” decreased by 1.43%. On September 17, Region P dipped below 15% threshold for the first time in 45 days. The 15% threshold line shows the point that formerly triggered the limiting the capacity of certain businesses and bars after seven days.

ICU Bed Usage in Region P vs Entire State of Texas:

–written by Jose Asuncion, Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

Upcoming Vaccine Drives:

Beginning September 14 thru October 30, Frio County Residents not vaccinated for COVID-19 will be eligible for up to a one-time $100 incentive for getting a required dose of COVID-19 Vaccine.

To be eligible:
・Participants must be at least 12 years of age
・Participants under the age of 18 will require written permission from a parent and/or guardian before incentive will be disbursed
・Must be a Frio County resident
・Must become “fully vaccinated” by a provider of your choice between September 14 and October 30 Clarification from the County Judge sent 9/15/21 3:44pm. The County Judge’s Office has interpreted the Official Guidelines as “only if vaccine series is started and completed during the applicable timeline.” County Judge Press Release and Official Guidelines

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get paid?

・Before your final vaccine appointment (September 14-October 30), pick up a registration form from the County Judge’s Office. (A download will be linked here as soon as the PDF becomes available). The registration form requires a signature from the provider.
・Before November 12 30th and after you are fully vaccinated, return with (1) the registration form, (2) proof of vaccination, and (3) photo ID or proof of Frio residency.
・The County Judge’s office will then schedule your payment.

I am a Frio County resident who will receive my first dose of Moderna or Pfizer on September 25. When can I get paid?

Based on your first dose appointment, you will receive your second dose on or around October 25. After your second dose, bring the registration form signed by the provider, proof of full vaccination, and a Picture ID (or proof of Frio residency) to the Frio County Judge’s Office.
The Judge’s Office will walk you through the rest of the process.

I am a Frio County resident who will receive a Johnson & Johnson vaccine on September 25. How do I get paid?

Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients will not have a second dose appointment. However, we ask any Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients to wait until October 1^st to apply for the incentive at the Judge’s Office. October 1^st is when the incentive funds become available in the county budget.

Please consult with your provider or medical professional about which vaccine is best for you.

I am a Frio County resident who will receive my first dose of Moderna or Pfizer on October 2. How do I get paid?

Based on your first dose date, you will receive your second dose on or around November 2. Currently, that is outside the timeframe in the approved incentive guidelines.

It is possible that the approved window of time for full vaccination will be extended, but in the meantime, schedule those Moderna and Pfizer appointments for the last two weeks of September.

I am not a Frio County resident. Can I get the incentive if I receive the vaccine in Frio County?

The guidelines state that the incentive is for Frio County residents and require proof of residency.

Who is paying for all of this?

The funds for the incentive program are coming from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds of the American Rescue Plan Act via the US Department of Treasury. They are federal dollars designated for coronavirus response. The funds are not coming from local property or sales taxpayer dollars.

I live in Dilley. Do I really have to drive to Pearsall to pick up a registration form for the provider’s signature when I’m getting vaccinated in Dilley?

Currently, that is the only option listed in the guidelines, but the Frio County Judge’s Office might be able to make arrangements for you. Hopefully, the Judge’s Office makes the registration form available for download.

I have a question that wasn’t listed here. Who can I talk to?

Direct questions to the Frio County Judge’s Office:
(830) 334-2154
http://www.co.frio.tx.us/page/frio.County.Judge

Upcoming Vaccine Drives

THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 4-10

Texas Department of State Health Services reported:

83 New Covid Cases in Frio County
(72 New Covid Cases were reported the week prior)

Active cases increased by: 5
Recovered cases increased by: 75
Fatalities increased by: 3

Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported:

16 New GEO Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases
34 New CoreCivic Dilley Detainee Covid Cases
17 New La Quinta Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases

Frio County Vaccination Rate:

Frio County’s Fully Vaccinated Rate (age 12+) increased 1.52% for the week. The prior week’s increase was 1.6%. Vaccinated with at least one dose (12+), a better indicator of recent vaccine activity, increased 1.34%. The prior week’s increase was 1.55%.

COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity:

Frio is one of 22 counties in Trauma Service Area Region P, which serves a population of 2.9 million people.

“COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity” decreased by 1.43%. Region P has spent thirty-six days over the 15% threshold. The 15% threshold line shows the point that formerly triggered the limiting the capacity of certain businesses and bars after seven days. During this wave of the pandemic, however, that order has been rescinded.

ICU Bed Usage in Region P vs Entire State of Texas:

–written by Jose Asuncion, Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

THE WEEK OF AUGUST 28 – SEPTEMBER 3

Texas Department of State Health Services reported:

72 New Covid Cases in Frio County
(35 New Covid Cases were reported the week prior)

Active cases increased by: 37
Recovered cases increased by: 34
Fatalities increased by: 1

Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported:

19 New GEO Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases
23 New CoreCivic Dilley Detainee Covid Cases
11 New La Quinta Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases

The Trickiness of Department of State Health Services Covid Case Counts

This week showed a 100% jump in new cases over the prior week, but as we’ve said many times before, the case count numbers are unreliable on their own for several reasons.

-DSHS is often backlogged in their reporting. The numbers sometimes represent a daily or weekly undercount as new cases go unreported, but they may also represent an overcount when those new cases are finally filed all at once.

-ISD Covid protocols have introduced an increased rigor in recent tracking and reporting- an indication of a better count, not necessarily increased spread.

-Many of the popular home Covid tests do not require reporting to DSHS and therefore will not be reflected in the State case counts.

Case counts are best looked at for trends rather than accurate snapshots and in tandem with the other numbers we receive.

Frio County Vaccination Rate:

Frio County’s Fully Vaccinated Rate (age 12+) increased 1.6% for the week. The prior week’s increase was 3.1%. Vaccinated with at least one dose (12+), a better indicator of recent vaccine activity, increased 1.55%. The prior week’s increase was 3.37%. In both cases, the number of people vaccinated slowed to about half of the previous week.

COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity:

Frio is one of 22 counties in Trauma Service Area Region P, which serves a population of 2.9 million people.

“COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity” decreased by 1.42%. Region P has spent twenty-nine days over the 15% threshold. The 15% threshold line shows the point that formerly triggered the limiting the capacity of certain businesses and bars after seven days. During this wave of the pandemic, however, that order has been rescinded.

ICU Bed Usage in Region P:

The Positive Take

The ICU Bed Usage in Region P has been bending down for the past few weeks, a positive development if it continues.

Not only has Region P added ICU beds during that time, but the number of Covid ICU patients has fallen to 374 on September 3rd from the current wave’s high of 426 on August 24th.

Pearsall ISD and Dilley ISD have both issued mask mandates that will help Frio County stay the course.

IndoorMaskMandate-AUG30th

The Cautious Take

Though the Region P Covid ICU and hospitalization numbers have begun to bend down, the same can’t be said for the State of Texas, which is holding steady at a higher rates. It is unclear if Region P is setting a trend or if we will eventually correct to follow the state.

On September 3rd, the state of Texas had 3837 Covid ICU patient’s, only 2 lower than this current wave’s high on August 30th.

The Covid-19 pandemic has proven to be unpredictable. The UK, where the Delta Variant took hold before the US, appeared to reach a peak in case counts in July, only to see the numbers spike again.

–written by Jose Asuncion, Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

**Regarding the above case count numbers, it should be noted that many home COVID tests, especially the brand available in our area, do not require reporting to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Last year at this time, home COVID tests were not available. Furthermore, rapid COVID tests have also become more available but according to the Houston Chronicle, “Texas, unlike 27 other states, excludes the results of increasingly popular, rapid COVID-19 tests from the numbers it reports publicly — obscuring the scope of the pandemic, records and interviews show. The antigen tests are used in doctor’s offices, hospitals and stand-alone clinics and deliver results in less than 30 minutes.”

THE WEEK OF AUGUST 21-27

Texas Department of State Health Services reported:

35 New Covid Cases in Frio County
(91 New Covid Cases were reported the week prior)

Active cases decreased by: 93
Recovered cases increased by: 128
Fatalities increased by: 0

Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported:

12 New GEO Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases
17 New CoreCivic Dilley Detainee Covid Cases
5 New La Quinta Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases

Frio County Vaccination Rate:

Frio County’s Fully Vaccinated Rate (age 12+) increased 3.1% for the week.
The prior week’s increase was 2.26%.
Vaccinated with at least one dose (12+), a better indicator of recent vaccine activity, increased 3.37%.
The prior week’s increase was 2.44%.
These two numbers graphed together show a recent acceleration of vaccination rates.

COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity:

Frio is one of 22 counties in Trauma Service Area Region P, which serves a population of 2.9 million people.

“COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity” decreased by 1.34%. Region P has spent twenty-two days over the 15% threshold. The 15% threshold line shows the point that formerly triggered the limiting the capacity of certain businesses and bars after seven days. During this wave of the pandemic, however, that order has been rescinded.

ICU Bed Usage in Region P:

–written by Jose Asuncion, Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

THE WEEK OF AUGUST 7-13

Texas Department of State Health Services reported:

148 New Covid Cases in Frio County
(64 New Covid Cases were reported the week prior)

Active cases increased by: 69
Recovered cases increased by: 76
Fatalities increased by: 3

Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported:

53 New GEO Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases
42 New CoreCivic Dilley Detainee Covid Cases
35 New La Quinta Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases

Frio County Vaccination Rate:

Frio County’s Fully Vaccinated Rate (age 12+) increased 0.98% for the week.
The prior week’s increase was 1.78%, which represents a decrease in the rate of full vaccinations for the second week in a row.
Vaccinated with at least one dose (12+), a better indicator of recent vaccine activity, increased 1.63%.
The prior week’s increase was 2.56%, which represents a rate decrease for the second week in a row.
These two numbers graphed together show that the uptick in vaccinations as a result of delta variant reports have slowed.

COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity:

Frio is one of 22 counties in Trauma Service Area Region P, which serves a population of 2.9 million people.

“COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity” increased by 2.86%, but there are a few things to note about this graph:

1. The percentage of COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity decreased over the last few days of the week due to addition of staffed hospital beds. The number of COVID hospitalizations is still suddenly and rapidly increasing.
2. Even with the addition of staffed hospital beds, Region P has spent eight days over the 15% threshold. The 15% threshold line shows the point that formerly triggered the limiting the capacity of certain businesses and bars after seven days. During this wave of the pandemic, however, that order has been rescinded.

ICU Bed Usage in Region P:

Compare August 13 2021 ICU Bed Usage to August 13 2020:

As of August 13, Region P has 46 available ICU beds for 2.9 million people, and the number of COVID-19 ICU patients has been on a steady increase since mid-July.

46 available ICU beds compared to 169 available ICU beds on the same day last year. Last year, the number of COVID-19 ICU patients was on the decline.

Statewide, the percentage of available ICU beds is even lower, which limits the ability of regional hospitals to transfer patients elsewhere once capacity is reached. For full responsive graphs detailing Texas hospital resource data, visit: https://covid-texas.csullender.com/?tsa=P

–written by Jose Asuncion, Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

THE WEEK OF JULY 31-AUGUST 6

Texas Department of State Health Services reported:

64 New Covid Cases in Frio County
(81 New Covid Cases were reported the week prior)

Active cases decreased by: 4
Recovered cases increased by: 67
The disparity between new, active and recovered cases indicates a lag in reporting by DSHS. Cases were not added to the State of Texas Covid Dashboard until they were already recovered.
Fatalities Increase: 1

Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported:

22 New GEO Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases
87 New CoreCivic Dilley Detainee Covid Cases
24 New La Quinta Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases

Frio County Vaccination Rate:

Frio County’s Fully Vaccinated Rate (age 12+) increased 1.78% for the week.
The prior week’s increase was 2.15%, which represents a decrease in the rate of full vaccinations.
Vaccinated with at least one dose (12+), a better indicator of recent vaccine activity, increased 2.56%.
The prior week’s increase was 2.95%, which represents a decrease in this second metric: vaccinated with at lease one dose.
These two numbers graphed together show that delta variant reports have had little impact on recent vaccine numbers in Frio County.

COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity:

Meanwhile, as vaccination rates decrease in Frio, there has been an increase in the rate of COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity. Frio is one of 22 counties in Region P.

“COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity” increased by 4.8% to 15.08%.
The prior week’s increase was 3.78%

The 15% threshold line shows the point that formerly triggered the limiting the capacity of certain businesses and bars after seven days. During this wave of the pandemic, however, that order has been rescinded. Given that many of these businesses need to stay open to survive, and we now have the availability of vaccines, the 15% threshold has been lifted by Governor Abbott.

Adding pressure in the near future, school starts on Monday in Pearsall, and the following week in Dilley. Some of the updated guidance from the Texas Education Agency:

COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity is a crucial metric because each data point paints only one part of the picture. On any given day, the case counts at the top of this post may be misleading without taking into account positivity rate, trends over time, reporting delays, and numerous other factors. Hospitalizations, on the other hand, are reported in a timely and uniform fashion, and represent a clear result.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Reported:

TDCJ’s Briscoe Unit in Dilley, recently emptied for conversion to an immigrant jail, has not shown an increase in “Offender Active” Covid cases yet. However, it is unclear if TDCJ will report the same Covid data since the Briscoe unit will transition from a state prison to immigrant jail: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/21/texas-prison-immigrant-jail-briscoe/

–written by Jose Asuncion, Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

THE WEEK OF JULY 24-30

Texas Department of State Health Services reported:

81 New Covid Cases
(29 New Covid Cases were reported the week prior)

Active cases increased by: 28
Recovered cases increased by: 53
The disparity between active and recovered cases indicates a lag in reporting by DSHS. Cases were not added to the State of Texas Covid Dashboard until they were already recovered.
Fatalities Increase: 0

Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported:

24 New GEO Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases
118 New CoreCivic Dilley Detainee Covid Cases
19 New La Quinta Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Reported:

TDCJ’s Briscoe Unit in Dilley, recently emptied for conversion to an immigrant jail, has not shown an increase in “Offender Active” Covid cases yet. However, it is unclear if TDCJ will report the same Covid data since the Briscoe unit will transition from a state prison to immigrant jail: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/21/texas-prison-immigrant-jail-briscoe/

Frio County Vaccination Rate:

Frio County’s Fully Vaccinated Rate (age 12+) increased 2.15% for the week. The increase seems absurdly low when displayed on a graph that tops out at 100%, but there was a barely perceptible rise over the past week.

COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity:

As we explained during the first waves of Covid-19, each data point is only one part of the picture. On any given day, the number of cases may be misleading without taking into account positivity rate, trends over time, reporting delays, and numerous other factors. Ultimately, our goal is to prevent deaths and lingering long term illness.

“Covid hospitalization as a percent of hospital capacity” is another important warning indicator. In our 22 county Trauma Service Area (P), the numbers are concerning:

The 15% threshold line shows the point that formerly triggered the limiting the capacity of certain businesses and bars after seven days. During this wave of the pandemic, however, that order has been rescinded. Given that many of these businesses need to stay open to survive, and we now have the availability of vaccines, the 15% threshold has been lifted by Governor Abbott.

Social Media Posts from Around Texas

–written by Jose Asuncion, Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

THE WEEK OF JULY 17-23

Texas Department of State Health Services reported:

29 New Covid Cases

Active cases decreased by: 1
Recovered cases increased by: 29
The disparity between active and recovered cases indicates a lag in reporting by DSHS. Cases were not added to the State of Texas Covid Dashboard until they were already recovered.

Fatalities Increase: 1
The death of a Frio County resident was reported on the State of Texas Covid Dashboard on July 22, 2021. It was the first Covid death reported in Frio County by DSHS since April 27, 2021

Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported:

42 New GEO Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases
127 New CoreCivic Dilley Detainee Covid Cases
10 New La Quinta Pearsall Detainee Covid Cases

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Reported:

TDCJ’s Briscoe Unit in Dilley, recently emptied for conversion to an immigrant jail, has not shown an increase in Covid cases yet. However, the population is still low as TDCJ begins the transition of Briscoe from state prison to immigrant jail: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/21/texas-prison-immigrant-jail-briscoe/

Frio County Vaccination Rate:

Frio County’s Fully Vaccinated Rate (age 12+) increased 0.46% for the week.
The onslaught of Delta variant news did not appear to have an effect on vaccination rates, as the number of vaccinations slowed the last two days of the week. This could be due to a lag in reporting, however.

COVID Hospitalizations out of Total Region P Hospital Capacity:

This week’s Covid numbers led the Frio County Judge to request this notice on the Frio-Nueces Current Facebook page:

–written by Jose Asuncion, Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

For more data, including ICE, TDCJ numbers, and surrounding counties, visit this site’s Frio COVID Dashboard page.

This post is a replication of the Frio COVID Lifeline updates, a component of the program that was funded by Frio County and the City of Dilley through January 2021 and by the City of Pearsall through February 2021.

There’s a lot to catch up on… For a full explanation of the difference between data available today versus February 2021, jump to the “Reporting Update” section of this post. If you were a frequent follower of the Frio COVID Lifeline updates, it is critical to understand the differences.

JULY 16, 2021

6 New Frio County Cases since July 14, 2021
Active Increase: 4
Recovered Increase: 2
Fatalities Increase: 0

Due to reporting cutbacks from The Texas Department of State Health Services, it is uncertain whether the 6 new cases since July 14 are community cases, ICE or TDCJ cases, or a mix. Based on other available data, I would infer that the 22 new cases are community based until informed differently by DSHS:

● ICE and TDCJ publish inmate numbers independently to their websites before they show up in the DSHS numbers we use for the above post. Since July 14, there have been no changes to the published ICE and TDCJ numbers.
● Active ICE detainee cases have totaled 89 since July 14. Since 89 is greater than 36 (the number of total active cases in the county including ICE, according to DSHS), we know that the ICE numbers have yet to be factored.
● Surrounding counties that do not have ICE detention centers saw jumps in their active cases since July 14: 5 new active cases in Medina, 21 in Atascosa, and 7 in Zavala.

REPORTING UPDATE (written July 14, 2021)

In the former website, the “Frio County Case Count” box counted residents only, and did not include ICE or TDCJ inmates. However, the Texas Department of State Health Services no longer separates those values, so the Active (Estimated), Recovered (Estimated), and Fatalities boxes will include ICE and TDCJ cases until further notice.

But you might notice that today (July 14, 2021), the number of active ICE cases (89), exceeds the reported total number of Active cases in the county (32). This means that the Texas Department of State Health Services has delayed incorporating the ICE (and likely TDCJ) active numbers into their dashboard.

Since these numbers were last tracked five months ago, CoreCivic’s South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley leapfrogged GEO’s South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall in total Covid cases. On February 17, 2021, Dilley CoreCivic total cases were 44, while Pearsall GEO total cases were 312. Today, those numbers stand at 937 in Dilley and 805 in Pearsall.

Given that ICE cases have yet to show up in our active totals as reported by the DSHS, it becomes apparent that our total cases are severely underreported as well. Expect a reporting spike when DSHS catches up with the data.

TDCJ no longer reports Offender Recovered or Employee Recovered numbers. Frio COVID Lifeline used to track increases in the sum of active and recovered numbers to arrive at a number of new cases. Without the recovered number, we can no longer track new cases.

Unfortunately, these are the best numbers we have. I am sharing them because, in this case, I believe some information is better than none.

–written by Jose Asuncion, County Commissioner, Pct. 4