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HarrisCounty, Texas - February 24, 2022, Judge Lina Hidalgo today announced that she islowering the county’s COVID-19 Threat Level Indicator from Level 1: Red toLevel 2: Orange. The move comes as positive cases and COVID-19 ICU populationsare decreasing. 

“The omicron wavehit Harris County very, very hard,” said Judge Hidalgo. “In fact, only now haveour hospitalization rates dropped to levels that don’t immediately threaten thecapacity of our healthcare system. While we’re moving in the right direction,there are no guarantees we won’t see another wave in the future. My hope isthat the on-demand availability of vaccines and treatments will help us toavoid another dangerous spike. I continue to urge folks to get vaccinated. Doing so will allow us to deal with COVID-19 as a manageable risk rather thanan emergency that unnecessarily threatens lives and the capacity of our entirehealthcare system.”

Level 2:signifies a significant and uncontrolled level of COVID-19 in Harris County,meaning that there is ongoing transmission of the virus. At this level, unvaccinated residentsshould continue to mask, physically distance, and avoid all medium and largegatherings. Vaccinated individuals should follow the latest local public healthguidance on whether to also wear a mask while indoors in public places, incrowded outdoor settings, and for activities with close contact with others whoare not fully vaccinated.

After two years,the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will kick off at the end of the month. TheHarris County Public Health team urges residents to wear face coverings, giventhe continued presence of the Omicron wave in our community and asks thatunvaccinated individuals, per the threat level system, avoid medium or largegatherings.

The COVID-19vaccine and vaccine booster are available at no charge for all Harris Countyresidents 5 and above. To find out more information, locations and hours, clickhere .

For a completelist of indicators, guidance, and related information visit ReadyHarris.org.