"Houston would become the worst affected city in the U.S."

“My observations if this trajectory persists: 1) Houston would become the worst affected city in the US, maybe rival what we’re seeing now in Brazil 2) The masks = good 1st step but simply won’t be enough 3) We would need to proceed to red alert,” Hotez tweeted.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner echoed the concern in a Monday press conference.

“Today we have another grim reminder that the virus is very much alive in our community,” Turner said. “We’re moving very fast in the wrong direction.”

Houston reported 1,789 new cases of COVID-19 and five new related deaths Monday, which includes numbers from Sunday, Turner said. There are 14,322 total cases in the city.

There is about a 5.2% increase in the number of occupied hospital beds, and 13% of all beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients, including 24% of beds in intensive care units, said Dr. David Persse, public health authority for the Houston Health Department.