COVID-19 precautions slowly lifting across Deep East Texas

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - COVID-19 protocols in Deep East Texas are slowly being lifted.

“Through hook and crook we got to this point, and we’re going to take every victory lap we can as a community, because we did it as a community,” Dr. George Fidone said.

The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has maintained data regarding disease prevalence of COVID-19. Dr. Fidone at the Lufkin Children’s Clinic said the center determined a community needs a total of 10 cases or fewer to lift COVID-19 related requirements. However, members of the public who are immunocompromised should still take precautions regardless, he said.

“Imagine an infection that only takes 10 cases for 100,000 people to require all hundred thousand to wear masks and stuff. That is a really impressive infection. That’s ten people in the city of Tyler and everybody in Tyler has got to take precautions. Well that’s how infectious Omicron is,” Fidone said.

Fidone said the low risk for COVID-19 in Angelina County is due to the highly contagious omicron variant infecting so many people.

“So we’re at a state where we’ve met sort of a middle ground. It’s not hurting us too bad. And it’s infected so many people that we’re all protected through vaccines or illness. So we’re really lucky, really lucky,” Fidone said.

Fidone said he believes the medical community may always be reactive to the COVID-19 virus, and any future variants it produces.

“NYC, Los Angeles, Detroit, DC, Philadelphia, there were wagons with hundreds of bodies in them. And now we’re not hearing that because we have something that is much more likely to stick around awhile, because it’s not making us, most of the time, terribly sick. It’s not making us debilitated, not killing us,” Fidone said.

Fidone said he believes COVID-19 is far from over. He thinks the virus will mutate again, but he encouraged the community to enjoy this period of normalcy.