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Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo took to social media on the same day as the county's first death from the COVID-19 omicron variant to urge others to protect themselves against a similar fate.
Hidalgo posted to her Twitter page on Monday, Dec. 20, shortly after Harris County's first omicron death occurred.
"Sad to report the first local fatality from the omicron variant of COVID-19," Hidalgo said in her Twitter post. "A man in his 50s from the eastern portion of Harris County who was not vaccinated. Please – get vaccinated and boosted."
In another Twitter post earlier the same day, Hidalgo announced she had raised the county's COVID-19 threat level to level 2 orange from level 1 yellow.
"Due to explosive growth of omicron, everyone eligible should get their booster, mask and get tested before gatherings," Hidalgo said in the earlier Twitter post. "Unvaccinated ppl should minimize all contacts."
The following day, Hidalgo tweeted a more musical appeal to the unvaccinated.
"All I want for Christmas is you... to get vaxxed and boosted," Hidalgo said in that Twitter post, which included musical note and other emoticons. "Get it done before spending time with your loved ones."
Various local news outlets covered Hidalgo's news conference, hours before her Twitter posts, about the county's COVID-19 Level. During that same news conference, Hidalgo said Harris County's first omicron death was a man who suffered underlying health conditions and was receiving Regeneron treatment.
Hidalgo also urged during the news conference that the unvaccinated to become fully vaccinated, including the booster, as soon as possible as COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Harris County.
"I know for folks in Harris County, this feels like whiplash," Hidalgo said and then referred to "the downward trend in hospitalizations" and other positive news about the pandemic.
"It is so frustrating, I feel it, too," Hidalgo said. "And I understand the impulse to just tune out the latest news and just be sick and tired of all of this. But, as we've been expecting, the omicron variant of COVID-19 has arrived in full force. The good news is that with omicron it appears that so long as you are vaccinated and boosted, the rate of hospitalizations is decoupling from infections."
Hidalgo has been Harris County judge since after she was elected to the seat during the 2018 General Election, defeating incumbent Ed Emmett to become the first woman and Latina elected to the office.
Hidalgo referred to the still on-going pandemic when she announced in a Dec. 3 Twitter post that she's seeking another term as Harris County judge.
"Over the last three years, we've put people over politics in the pandemic and in how we fight flooding," Hidalgo said in that Twitter post. "We've made pioneering investments in early ed and public safety. We can't go back to the old way. I filed for re-election today. Help protect the progress."