AUSTIN, Texas — While the latest COVID surge seems to subside, Texas isn’t fully out of the woods just yet. The worst of the omicron spike was in January, with both cases and hospitalizations trending down in the last few weeks. While that’s good news, those numbers still aren’t down to pre-omicron levels. And the state’s positivity rate remains well above what’s considered severe.

Meanwhile, a growing number of states are joining Texas in rolling back mask mandates. That includes Democratic states like New York, Illinois and California. However, The Biden Administration is still not ready to change federal guidance.  

“It’s to be expected. Not everything is the same. One of the problems we’ve had across this pandemic is that we’ve approached things with a one-size fits all mandate,” said Dr. Ogechika Alozie, a doctor in El Paso and member of the Texas Medical Association’s COVID-19 Taskforce. “Not all communities are the same. Some communities have immunization rates and some don’t.”

Alozie said that while masks are effective in protecting against the virus, getting vaccinated is much more important.

“The number one piece of protection is clearly vaccination,” said Alozie. “In communities like El Paso for example, where we have a high rate of vaccination, we’ve been a lot more protected than other parts of the state.”

Watch the full conversation with Dr. Alozie at the link above.