Dallas County public‑health director reports low COVID activity, declining flu and added wastewater surveillance
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Summary
Dr. Phil Huang told commissioners COVID percent positivity and hospitalizations are low, that flu and RSV levels are declining, and that the county has added wastewater sampling sites and is monitoring measles activity; the county dashboard was updated to display current metrics.
Dallas County Public Health Director Phil Huang briefed the Commissioners Court on April 7 with an update showing low COVID percent positivity and hospital use, declining influenza and RSV trends and expanded wastewater surveillance ahead of large events.
Huang said county COVID percent positivity on some tests was about 1.32% and that emergency department visits and hospitalizations related to respiratory illness were low. The public‑health office has integrated wastewater monitoring from five sites and said it is coordinating with Trinity Valley Authority to add additional samples in advance of World Cup surveillance planning.
Huang also noted national concern about declining measles vaccination coverage and localized activity in areas of Texas such as El Paso; he said the United States may lose its elimination status if national case counts continue to rise. The public‑health director said the county dashboard has been updated to show mortality and trend data, variant surveillance summaries and wastewater results, and that officials will continue to monitor the local epidemiology.
Commissioners thanked the department for the surveillance updates and for continuing to adapt monitoring approaches for the post‑pandemic context.
