TEXAS — New cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are beginning to come down in Texas but the state isn’t where it was prior to the spread of the omicron variant.

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Thursday reported 22,694 new conformed cases of the virus as well as 5,451 new probable cases.

The state reported an additional 323 fatalities attributed to the disease.

As of Thursday, 11,673 Texans were hospitalized with COVID-19. Of them, 2,553 were in intensive care and 1,513 were on ventilators.

There were 385 pediatric patients hospitalized with the disease.

While numbers remain relatively high there are signs omicron is beginning to wane in Texas.

As recently as two weeks ago more than 13,000 people were hospitalized with the virus throughout the state and DSHS was reporting nearly 40,000 new cases per day.

Health experts and officials say the U.S. is not yet in the final stages of the COVID-19 pandemic but that the country is now “going in the right direction,” and some are hopeful that future surges of coronavirus variants won’t be as harmful due to vaccination levels and immunity built up during the omicron wave.