Wow.
More than half of Texans had been infected by COVID-19 as of late January, according to a nationwide blood sample survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The survey was based on samples from 52 commercial laboratories across the country and included specimens that were collected as part of routine care and sick visits unrelated to the virus. The specimens were tested for a specific type of antibody developed in response to an infection but not vaccination.
The CDC has been regularly gathering the data since August 2020 to track the percentage of people with resolving or past infections, and how that varies across geographic areas and age groups.
The survey estimates that 14.7 million Texans — or 52.8 percent — had been infected. That’s well over the 6.5 million cases that have been publicly reported. That figure is also likely an undercount, reflecting only a portion of the new infections from the record-breaking omicron wave, during which Texas reported more than 50,000 new cases in one day.
The high number of infections underscores new CDC guidance that no longer recommends mask-wearing indoors for most of the country, including Harris County, except during times of high transmission. Addressing the rationale for the change, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that with “widespread population immunity, the overall risk of severe disease is now generally lower.”
About 64 percent of Texans are fully vaccinated, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. While health experts agree that the omicron surge likely bolstered vaccine-related protection, the degree to which people are immune because of a previous infection remains unclear.
“What we don’t know for sure with COVID is how long that natural immunity lasts,” said Dr. Catherine Troisi, epidemiologist with UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston. “And there is the added question of how protective are the antibodies that you’ve made against the (variant) you’ve been infected with.”
Yeah, that’s pretty much the sum of it. We’re likely as well protected right now as we can be given our unacceptably low vaccination rate, but we’re sitting ducks if and when there’s a nastier version of COVID out there. Get your booster if you haven’t – it really matters. We can certainly act in ways that are better suited to risk level and the given situation, but let’s not forget that there’s still a risk out there, and it can and will change over time.