CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With the delta variant quickly spreading across the nation, health experts are stressing the importance of getting vaccinated.
This graphic shows the positive COVID-19 tests in Nueces County from July 1 to Aug. 16.
During that time, 496 of those who got vaccinated tested positive for the virus.
That compares to more than 8,500 who did not get vaccinated and tested positive.
The high numbers are putting area hospitals and their staff in critical condition.
"Our COVID hospitalizations are the worst they have ever been," Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said. "Let me repeat that. they are the worst they have ever been."
The new numbers far exceed our peak COVID-19 numbers from last summer.
According to Canales, on Tuesday, 32 percent of hospitalizations were COVID-19 related.
On Wednesday, 398 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 with 95 of those patients in the ICU.
"Ninety percent of the people who are struggling with severe hospitalizations, ICU and death are unvaccinated," Canal;es said. "We have the tool to fix this. We have the vaccines that we know work. They prevent people from getting infected. And those who are vaccinated and those who do get infected with the delta variant have less severe symptoms and shorter illness."