Flu More Likely Than COVID in Tarrant County; TCPH Lowers Spread to ‘Moderate'

The Tarrant County Public Health Department lowered the COVID-19 community spread level from "Substantial" to "Moderate" this week as health officials say the number of new cases of the virus has fallen to two-year lows. But don't let your guard entirely down, health officials warn flu cases in the area are spiking.

Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said Tuesday morning during a meeting of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court that "things are looking great" and that "COVID is currently at the lowest we've seen."

Taneja was not without warning though, saying that while the 7-day average positivity rate for COVID-19 is at about 3.5% the positivity rate for flu is at about 15% and spiking.

Taneja recommended if you're not feeling well to still take a COVID test but also ask to be tested for flu as it's more likely right now to be infected with influenza than coronavirus.

Should you contract flu, Taneja recommended the therapeutic Tamilflu which can help shorten the duration of a flu infection if taken early enough.

The county health department reported 190 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday but noted that 97 of those cases were collected more than 30 days ago and that the number of new current cases was fewer than 100.

On Wednesday, the county reported 319 new cases, 87 of which were from more than 30 days ago.

Commissioners urged residents to continue to take simple precautions because, while the spread of COVID is the lowest it's been in two years, it's too soon to declare the pandemic over and another variant may yet show up, especially with spring break around the corner.

The numbers reported Tuesday indicated a substantial drop in transmission compared to two months ago when the positivity index reached 41.90% and the transmission level was "High." The county health department dropped the community spread level from "High" to "Substantial" on Feb. 28 as the wave of cases from the omicron variant diminished.