Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Interim Health Authority Dr.
Mark Escott spelled out Austin s start to the new year in no uncertain terms: It appears we are going to enter 2021 in a state of emergency, said Escott at a Dec. 28 press conference. In the next several weeks, we may run out of hospital beds, we may run out of ICU beds, and it could happen a lot sooner than that – as early as a week to two weeks from now.
The dire warning is one of many from local health officials amidst what officials have deemed an ongoing worsening condition of COVID-19 in Austin-Travis County since November.
ICU doctor explains what working in Austin hospitals is like during pandemic
Dr. Hayden explained the toll caring for Austin s sickest patients is taking on hospital staff.
AUSTIN, Texas - As COVID-19 cases climb in the Austin area and across Texas, an ICU doctor is begging people to take precautions.
Dell Medical School Dr. Shailaja Hayden said she worries the level of care for patients could suffer if the Austin community doesn t take guidelines seriously.
The conversation was held during a Facebook live broadcast with Travis County Judge Andy Brown. Hayden, a pulmonary and critical care consultant, was speaking from the room of one of the patients she recently lost to COVID-19.
We are very concerned about the bars operating as restaurants. Dr. Mark Escott stressed that if bars follow the rules – including keeping patrons seated, at safe distances, and masked – then they hope to avoid implementing a curfew. “It’s not the places; it’s the behavior,” Mayor Steve Adler added. (photo by John Anderson)
Austin Public Health announced today that the city and county have moved into
Stage 5 – the highest level of local pandemic restrictions – of Austin-Travis County’s
COVID-19 Risk-Based Guidelines.
Local officials are urging all residents regardless of their risk level to avoid non-household gatherings, dining, and shopping, as well as recommending that local businesses transition to delivery and curbside services amidst what Interim Health Authority
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise locally,
Austin Public Health leaders are urging residents to avoid gathering outside of their households this holiday season. Health officials continue to cite the outsized impact of Thanksgiving gatherings on the spread of disease in Central Texas. As of Dec. 21,
cases are up 86% since the beginning of the month, according to Interim Health Authority Dr.
Mark Escott. While Austin s positivity rate has fluctuated little over the last two weeks – hovering just under 9% – the seven-day moving average for COVID hospitalizations crept up to just above 50 in the data reported Monday, Dec. 22, which is now the threshold of