Health leaders in Brownsville raised the city’s Covid threat level from one to two after a spike in cases and Covid-related hospitalizations.

Cameron County health officials say they expect to see more cases reported due to large crowds and big gatherings.

“There are going to be deaths,” Cameron County Health Authority Dr. James Castillo said. “There are going to be people in the ICU, there are people in the hospital, but it's very disproportionate to the amount of Covid that's circulating in the community."

The new Covid subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are becoming the most common types of Covid around the country. Officials said with more people gathering during the summer, higher infection rates are possible.

“The virus is going to evolve,” Castillo said. “It's going to find ways to multiply to replicate, and the rest of us are going to go on with the rest of our activities. The virus is going to take advantage of that and it's going to cause these big spikes."

Covid vaccines only help people to minimize their hospitalization risks. New vaccines are being tested to offer protection against becoming infected with the new variants.

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