Testing demand surges as omicron cases rise in Galveston County
The Galveston County Daily News, December 27, 2021
The holidays brought a huge demand for COVID tests, health officials said. But demand hasn’t led to delays at the University of Texas Medical Branch campuses, which have built up testing capacity during the most recent wave, said Dr. Janak Patel, the director of Infection Control and Healthcare Epidemiology at the medical branch. Hospitalizations and deaths haven’t increased significantly, he said. “Do not expect the illness to be mild,” Patel said. “You still can get prolonged high fevers. You still can get headaches and joint aches and fatigue that can last for several days. The outpatient illness is still pretty significant.”