Fourth of July gatherings and travel are associated with a rise in COVID-19 numbers in Hidalgo County, according to Health Authority Dr. Ivan Melendez.

Dr. Melendez believes most of the cases are caused by mutations of the omicron variant known as B.A.4 and B.A.5.

“The reason that we believe that it’s this particular variant is because of the pattern of which it follows,” Dr. Melendez said. “So, it follows the pattern of easy infectability, not as many people in the hospital as before.”

Melendez explains that mutations of the B.A.4 and B.A.5 variants cause the virus to spread rapidly.

“The variants have one, the ability to penetrate the host cell much better because they're easier to attach to it,” Dr. Melendez said. “Two, they’re able to hide from the immune system because they’ve changed so much that the immune system doesn’t recognize it.”

Health experts say while it spreads easier, it doesn't appear to cause serious illness. Dr. Melendez says most of the people who’ve been hospitalized have either never been vaccinated or are not up-to-date on their vaccinations.

“So, if you’ve not been updated in six months and you have risk factors, absolutely, that's what we're seeing in the hospitals."

Dr. Melendez says this won’t be the last time the county sees an increase.

“We expect a continued increase as we get closer to the winter months, so the only thing that you can do to keep you out of the hospital and to keep you from dying is pay attention and be vaccinated,” Dr. Melendez said.

Dr. Melendez said a lot of hospitalized COVID-19 patients aren't coming in because of the virus. Rather, they're coming in for underlying issues and are not getting better because they have COVID-19.

The county's next COVID-19 report is expected to be released on Tuesday.