The COVID-19 omicron variant is responsible for the pandemic’s largest surge yet, leaving Austin Public Health (APH) Epidemiology and IT Units with thousands of case reports to cross-check. APH staff explored ways to automate the data entry process to ensure dashboard data is as timely and accurate as possible. The new process rolled out in phases over the last several months. Thursday afternoon’s dashboard update includes an additional 5,878 cases the final batch from the backlog.
Texans are also being encouraged to stay home if they're experiencing symptoms, even if it’s just a scratchy throat or you think it’s “just allergies.”