According to Waco-McLennan County COVID-19 Statistics, 213 new cases have been reported in McLennan County as of Tuesday, August 17.
Currently, 1,208 cases are estimated as active which brings the total number of cases to 31,619 cases. Active cases are the number of individuals with confirmed cases minus the recovered and deceased individuals.
As of Tuesday, four new deaths have been reported, including two fetal deaths, with a total of 498 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in McLennan County. This is up by 24 deaths from the report at the beginning of August.
“Pregnant women with COVID-19 are at increased risk of preterm birth and miscarriages,” said Local Health Authority Dr. Farley Verner. “Pregnant women or women of childbearing age and those breastfeeding are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their babies from COVID-19.”
According to The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, the fetal deaths occurred in the month of July. The mother was positive for COVID-19 during her pregnancy and has recovered since.
A new CDC study, according to the health district, assesses the safety of vaccines in early pregnancy and did not find an increased risk of miscarriage among nearly 2,500 pregnant women who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine before 20 weeks. Miscarriages occur in 11 to 16 percent of pregnancies, and the study found that miscarriages rates were 13 percent among women who received the vaccine.
"As of July 31, 2021, the hospitalization rate was 11.64 percent for Trauma Service Area M, as calculated by the Texas Department of State Health Services," said the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.
The hospitalization rate for Trauma Service Area M as of Sunday, Aug. 15 was 27.3 percent.
151 people are reported hospitalized, with 26 individuals hospitalized on ventilators for COVID-19.
For more information and updates visit the McLennan County Dashboard.