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[COVID-19: Press Q & A]
I'M LASHONDRA SHAW PIO FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.AND I AM THE MODERATOR FOR TODAY'S MEDIA AVAILABILITY.
SPANISH INTERPRETATION IS AVAILABLE ON AN ATX N THREE TO START AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR, STEPHANIE HAYDEN HOWARD GOPHER SAY A FEW WORDS FOLLOWED BY DR.
MARK S. SCOTT, INTERIM AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY.
THEN JANET PICHETTE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, CHIEF EPIDEMIOLOGIST.
WE WILL THEN OPEN IT UP TO OUR POOL REPORTER WHO WILL ASK QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE MEDIA DIRECTOR, HAYDEN HOWARD, OVER TO YOU.
AS OF YESTERDAY, ALSO PUBLIC HEALTH HAS PROVIDED 18,427 VACCINES TO OUR AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS SO IMPORTANT IS THAT WE MUST THANK OUR PARTNERS THAT HAVE COME OUT WITH US TO, TO VOLUNTEER.
WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WORK WITHOUT OUR, WITHOUT OUR PARTNERS.
ONE THING THAT IS CERTAIN IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH VACCINE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
WE ARE ASKING FOR YOU TO BE PATIENT WITH US.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DATA, WE KNOW THAT FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER, 129,438, OR THE CITIZENS THAT ARE LIVING IN AN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY, WE'VE ONLY RECEIVED 1% OF THE VACCINE THAT CAN COVER AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
THIS VACCINE MUST BE AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE THAT LIVE OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
IT MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE LIVING IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO WE ARE ASKING YOU TO BE PATIENT WITH US.
WE KNOW THAT WE NEED MORE VACCINES.
WE ARE OVERWHELMED AND EXCITED ABOUT THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE THE VACCINE.
THAT IS DEFINITELY GOING TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY, UM, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE VACCINES TO AT LEAST 70% OF OUR POPULATION.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, BUT WE NEED YOU TO CONTINUE TO BE PATIENT.
WE NEED YOU TO ALSO CONTINUE TO WEAR YOUR MASK.
UM, MAKE SURE YOU ONLY TAKE THE ESSENTIAL TRIPS ONLY.
WE'VE GOT TO KEEP UP WITH ALL OF OUR PREVENTATIVE HEALTH MEASURES AT THIS TIME.
AND, AND AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE WHAT DIRECTOR HANGER SAID, AND THAT IS, WE'VE GOT TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE BEING VIGILANT IN PROTECTING OURSELVES, DEBTING OUR FAMILIES AND PROTECTING THIS COMMUNITY.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH VACCINE.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH VACCINE, EVEN FOR THE ONE BIG GROUP OVER 65.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE US MONTHS TO GET PEOPLE VACCINATED EFFECTIVELY.
BUT UNTIL THEN, IF WE FOCUS ON THOSE PROTECTIONS TO MASK WEARING THE DISTANCING, WASHING OUR HANDS, AVOIDING TOUCHING YOUR FACE, STAYING HOME WHEN WE'RE SICK FOR CERTAIN, BUT CUTTING DOWN ON THE TRIPS, OUTSIDE OUR HOMES, IT WILL HELP TO CONTINUE TO PUSH OUR TRANSMISSION DOWN AND CONTINUING TO RELIEVE THE STRESS ON OUR HOSPITALS.
WE'VE DONE A GREAT JOB OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS IN FLATTENING THE CURVE, THE CURVE IS CONTINUING TO FLATTEN.
WE'RE SEEING SOME DECLINE IN OUR HOSPITAL NUMBERS IN OUR ICU NUMBERS.
SO WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS WORKING, BUT WE CAN'T STOP HERE.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THOSE PROTECTIONS.
WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO, UH, TO STAY VIGILANT SO THAT WE CAN DRIVE THE NUMBERS DOWN AND WE CAN ALLOW US MORE TIME TO, FOR VACCINE TO BE AVAILABLE AND TO GET INTO THE ARMS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT WE'D MUCH RATHER STRUGGLE WITH THE ISSUE OF, OF TRYING TO VACCINATE MORE PEOPLE THAN HAVING TO TRY TO FIND MORE BEDS BECAUSE WE'VE RUN OUT OF HOSPITAL BEDS.
UH, SO AGAIN, OUR COMMITTEE'S DOING A GREAT JOB.
WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT AND WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER, BUT THAT I'LL PASS IT OVER TO JANET.
PICHET GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
I JUST LIKE TO SAY AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY HAS REACHED A POINT IN OUR COMMUNITY WHERE WE HAVE REACHED THE PERFECT STORM.
UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A SURGE IN ALL OUR OPERATIONS RELATED COVID-19 RESPONSE.
SO OUR EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESPONSE, WHICH INCLUDES CASE INVESTIGATION
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AND DATA ENTRY OF THOSE CASES IS, UH, OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY AT SURGE CAPACITY.OUR ALTERNATE CARE SITE IS ONLINE THIS WEEK, OUR REGIONAL INFUSION CENTERS OPERATING.
WE HAVE OUR MEDICAL HOTLINE WHO HAS, UH, AND, AND A HOTLINE NUMBERS THAT HAVE, UH, BEEN AT CAPACITY.
AND THIS INCLUDES THREE, ONE, ONE WHO'S RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, EXTRAORDINARY NUMBER OF CALLS, UH, TRYING TO GET AND GUIDE PEOPLE THROUGH THE VACCINE REGISTRATION PROCESS.
OUR ISOLATION FACILITIES ARE AT CAPACITY PRETTY CLOSE TO CAPACITY.
WE'VE OPENED THE SECOND ISOLATION FACILITY TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE WHO NEED TO QUARANTINE AND ISOLATE SAFELY SO THAT THEY ARE NOT SPREADING DISEASE TO THEIR COMMUNITY, THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE A VACCINE DISTRIBUTION, THERE'S A HUGE DEMAND IN OUR COMMUNITY TO SERVE OUR POPULATION AND PEOPLE WANTING TO GET VACCINATED, WHICH IS A GOOD SIGN.
HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE THINGS YOU'VE HEARD EARLIER, WE HAVE LIMITED, UH, DOSES OF VACCINE AND WE'RE TRYING TO PUSH IT OUT AS FAST AS WE CAN.
BUT THEN, AND ALSO WE'VE HAD SURGING IN OUR TESTING CAPACITY, UH, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, PUBLIC HEALTH OPERATIONS, UH, AND ALL THE FOLKS THAT ARE SUPPORTING OUR EFFORTS ARE, UM, WORKING VERY HARD FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND, UM, I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THAT PARTNERSHIP.
UH, IF YOU ARE STILL AWAITING A VACCINE OR TRYING TO GET AN APPOINTMENT WITH, THROUGH YOUR PROVIDER OR THROUGH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, UNTIL YOU RECEIVE YOUR VACCINE AND EVEN AFTER YOU RECEIVE YOUR VACCINE UNTIL THAT VACCINE IS, UH, EFFECTIVE IN, IN YOU, UH, YOU NEED TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THOSE PREVENTION MEASURES THAT WE ALWAYS SAY, AND THAT'S CONTINUING TO WEAR A MASK ENSURING THAT YOUR SOCIAL DISTANCING, UH, AND IF YOU'RE SICK, YOU NEED TO STAY HOME, UH, SO THAT YOU DON'T AFFECT ANYONE ELSE.
UH, AND, AND JUST BE SAFE OUT THERE AS, AS DOCTOR, UH, S GARDEN DIRECTOR, HAYDEN HOWARD HAVE SAID, UH, LIMITED YOUR ACTIVITIES.
IF YOU HAVE ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES THAT NEED TO HAPPEN, IF YOU NEEDED YOUR GROCERY SHOPPING, MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE DOING IT IN A SAFE, UH, MANNER.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO OUR MODERATOR.
THANK YOU, JANET NOW TO OUR POOL REPORTER HEATHER ONE FROM THE SO IN AMERICAN STATESMAN, HEATHER.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS TODAY.
MY FIRST QUESTION IS FROM THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN, HOW DOES AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT THE NEXT PERSON TO RECEIVE A VACCINE APPOINTMENT AMONG THE MORE THAN 60,000 QUALIFYING RESIDENTS WHO ARE ALREADY PRE-REGISTERED? IS IT DONE BY WHO PREREGISTERED FIRST RANDOM SELECTION, THOSE WHO WERE UNINSURED, ET CETERA.
OUR, OUR TARGET PRIORITY POPULATION ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER.
OUR GOAL IS, IS TO PROVIDE THEM THE VACCINE AS THEY REGISTER THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US KNOWING THAT WE HAVE OVER 129,000 OF THEM, UM, THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WORKED THROUGH OUR SYSTEM AND ARE ABLE TO, UM, PROVIDE THAT VACCINE TO THEM.
AND SO KNOWING THAT THAT'S OUR TARGET POPULATION, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK FOR EVERYONE ELSE TO BE PATIENT BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS, IS TO PROVIDE THAT VACCINE TO THEM.
NEXT QUESTION IS FROM AUSTRALIA, HOW MANY VACCINE DOSES IS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH ABLE TO ADMINISTER PER DAY? WHAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO INCREASE THAT AMOUNT? UM, DURING THIS TIME, UM, AT THE HEIGHT WE HAVE PROVIDED OVER 3000 VACCINES A DAY.
UM, WE, WE TYPICALLY, UM, TRY TO STAY WITHIN THE 2000 RANGE OF PROVIDING VACCINES AS WE ADD ADDITIONAL, UM, SITES.
THEN WE ARE ABLE TO, AND BASED UPON THE SIZE OF THAT LOCATION, WE'RE ABLE TO, IF IT'S, IF IT'S A SMALLER LOCATION, WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THREE TO 500 MORE, UM, DOSES PER DAY, IF IT IS A LARGER SITE, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO GO UP TO AN ADDITIONAL 3000 A DAY.
SO AS WE ADD MORE CAPACITY AND HAVE MORE VACCINES, UM, YOU KNOW, WE IDEALLY WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET UP TO
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10,000 VACCINES A DAY.IF ALL OF THOSE SITES ARE OPERATING, YOU CAN ALSO WANT TO MENTION THAT THAT IT'S NOT, THIS IS NOT JUST AN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH EFFORT.
UH, WE HAVE 350, MORE THAN GREATER FOR THE VACCINE PROVIDERS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
MANY OF WHICH HAVE ALSO INDICATED THAT THEY COULD DO AT LEAST ONE TO 2000 VACCINES A DAY, INCLUDING PARTNERS LIKE AUSTIN, REGIONAL CLINIC, LIKE HEB AND OTHERS.
UM, W W WE FEEL THAT AS WE SCALE THINGS UP, AS WE GET MORE VACCINE, UH, THERE'LL BE MORE HUBS IDENTIFIED THAT CAN DO LARGE VOLUME VACCINATIONS IN ADDITION TO AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ALSO ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THERE ARE, UH, REGIONAL PARTNERS AND, UH, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PARTNERS THAT ARE, UM, TRYING TO, UH, SUBMIT AND DEVELOP PANT PLANS TO BE A HUB PROVIDER AND SUBMIT THOSE TO THE STATE.
AND THEY ARE BEGINNING TO COME ONLINE ONCE THE STATE APPROVES THOSE, UH, PLANS.
AND, AND SO, UM, I I'M OPTIMISTIC AT SOME POINT, WE'LL HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF PROVIDERS WHO ARE ABLE TO, AGAIN, PUSH VACCINE OUT INTO OUR COMMUNITY.
I THINK SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES WAITING FOR THE VACCINE ITSELF, THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, HOW ARE THE ANTIBODY INFUSIONS BEING RECEIVED IN TERMS OF RATE OF USE AND AUSTIN, DO PATIENTS WANT TO USE THEM AND ARE PHYSICIANS WILLING TO PRESCRIBE THEM? IS THERE A SLOW UPTAKE RESISTANCE? I'M HAPPY TO TAKE THAT QUESTION.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE'RE GRATEFUL TO OUR PARTNERS AT THE TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WHO HAVE PROVIDED THE RESOURCES, THE PERSONNEL AND THE EQUIPMENT TO DO THOSE INFUSIONS OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, UH, WHEN WE'RE LIMITED TO ABOUT 25, 26 INDIVIDUALS A DAY MAXIMUM, UH, THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF SCALING THAT UP TO 75 A DAY.
UH, WE KNOW THAT THAT RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE ABOUT 500 DOSES ON HAND.
SO THERE IS AVAILABILITY OF, OF, UH, OF MEDICATION TO BE GIVEN AS OF MONDAY, UH, THEY HAD DONE MORE THAN 200 DOSES, UH, IN THE PREVIOUS COUPLE OF WEEKS AND ARE IN THE PROCESS AGAIN, OF SCALING THAT UP.
UH, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'VE CREATED A CALL CENTER, SO THAT PHYSICIANS HAVE A CENTRAL PLACE TO CALL FOR REFERRALS.
UH, SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THIS WEEK AND NEXT WEEK, WE'LL START TO START TO SEE THAT RAMP UP IN ACTIVITY OF THAT FACILITY.
BUT WE DO WANT TO ENCOURAGE OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY IF THEIR PHYSICIAN RECOMMENDS THAT THERAPY BECAUSE THEY QUALIFY, UH, THAT THEY GET IT DONE.
IT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO DECREASE THE RISK OF HOSPITALIZATION, DECREASE THE RISK OF SEVERE ILLNESS FROM IT, AND THOSE WHO ARE AT HIGHER RISK.
UH, SO WE'RE PLEASED TO HAVE THAT RESOURCE AND CERTAINLY THANKFUL TO OUR, OUR PARTNERS IN THE STATE FOR PROVIDING THEM.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM K X A N.
WHY IS IT THAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS ONLY VACCINATED 3,500 PEOPLE OUT OF THE 12,000 DOSES IT RECEIVED THIS WEEK.
IT SEEMS TO BE AT A MUCH SLOWER PACE THAN WHAT WE SAW LAST WEEK.
UM, I AM NOT SURE WHERE THAT INFORMATION, UM, WHERE THEY RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION FROM, BUT AS OF YESTERDAY, WE HAVE PROVIDED 18,427 VACCINES.
SO OUT OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST INITIAL 12,000 WITHIN THAT FIRST WEEK, UM, WE HAD COMPLETED THAT FIRST 12,000, UM, BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
AND SO WE STARTED IN OUR SECOND 12,000, UM, UM, SATURDAY DURING OUR APPOINTMENTS.
AND SO WE ARE MOVING THROUGH, UM, THE VACCINE AS, AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.
UM, BUT OUR, OUR YEAR TO DATE RIGHT NOW, TOTAL IS 18,427.
UM, WE WILL COMPLETE THIS WEEK WITH CLINICS TODAY AND TOMORROW, UM, TO FINISH THE REST OF THE, UM, SECOND APPLICATION OF THE 12,000.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM COMMUNITY IMPACTS, ARE PLANS IN THE WORKS TO USE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH PORTAL, TO CENTRALIZED REGISTRATION ACROSS VARIOUS PROVIDERS.
DOES AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAVE AN IDEA OF
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WHEN THOSE PUBLIC SLASH PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS ARE LIKELY TO BE? YEAH, SO I'LL, I'LL START, UH, ON THIS ONE.UM, THEY, THE PORTAL WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS, IS, UH, YOU KNOW, IN PROCESS OF BEING REVISED AND IMPROVED, UH, AS WE, YOU KNOW, AS WE TWEAK THAT WE EXPECT FOR THE USER INTERFACE TO BE SMOOTHER AND, AND, UH, HAVE LESS BUTTONS.
UH, BUT THERE THERE'S A CHALLENGE ASSOCIATED WITH HAVING A CENTRAL PORTAL FOR, FOR REGISTRATION.
UH, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADD ADDITIONAL SITES ONTO THAT.
UH, SO IF WE OPEN OTHER SITES AROUND THE COMMUNITY, THROUGH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, IT'S CERTAINLY EASY TO ADD THAT ON IT'S MUCH MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE, UH, TO ADD PRIVATE PARTNERS ON, BECAUSE A LOT OF THEM ALREADY HAVE, UH, SYSTEMS FOR, FOR SIGN-UPS LIKE HEB, CVS, WALGREENS, AND OTHERS.
UH, SO WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON IS A CENTRAL PAGE WHERE FOLKS CAN GO TO, UH, HAVE LINKS TO ALL THOSE DIFFERENT SIGN-UP SHEETS OR FOR VACCINES.
AND IN HOPES THAT, THAT THERE'LL BE ABLE TO FIND ONE, OBVIOUSLY RIGHT NOW, VACCINE SUPPLIES IS VERY, VERY SHORT.
UH, BUT CERTAINLY WE WILL OPEN THAT, THAT OPTION UP THROUGH OUR PLATFORM TO OTHER JURISDICTIONS, UH, AS WE'VE DONE WITH, WITH WILLIAMSON COUNTY IN BASTROP COUNTY FOR TESTING, IF THEY WANT TO BE A PARTNER, IF THEY WANT TO UTILIZE THAT, UH, THAT IS A SOURCE OF THEIR SIGNUP, UH, THAT OPTION MIGHT BE AVAILABLE.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM K O O P RADIO.
COVID-19 HIT THE CITY OF, AND I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PRONOUNCE IT.
SO I'LL SPELL IT M A N A U S BRAZIL SO HARD THAT THE CITY LIKELY REACHED HERD IMMUNITY THROUGH INFECTION YET THE CITY IS SEEING A SURGE OF SECOND CONTAGIONS SAID TO BE CAUSED BY A GENETIC VARIANCE OF CORONAVIRUS.
CAN ANY OF THESE VARIANTS CREATE SIMILAR SURGES AND AUSTIN PRIOR TO EXTENSIVE VACCINATIONS, EVEN AFTER EXTENSIVE VACCINATIONS? SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT IS, IS THE MUTATION OF THE VIRUS, UH, SIMILAR TO THE MUTATION OF, OF THE FLU.
UH, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE VACCINATED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, UH, SO THAT WE CAN, WE CAN TRY TO SNUFF IT OUT AS IT LINGERS, AS IT CONTINUES, SPREAD AROUND THE US AND AROUND THE WORLD, IT INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD THAT IT'S GOING TO CHANGE ITSELF ENOUGH.
CAN WE EVADE THE DEFENSE OF, OF THE VACCINE NOW THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE VACCINE IS, IS COMPLETELY INEFFECTIVE AGAINST THE NEW VARIANTS, BUT AS IT CHANGES, IT BECOMES LESS EFFECTIVE.
UM, AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO, TO, TO GET THESE VACCINES OUT, GET THEM PRODUCED AND GET THEM IN THE ARMS OF PEOPLE NOW, BUT IT CERTAINLY DOES BRING UP THE POSSIBILITY THAT LIKE WE SEE WITH FLU THAT THAT COVID WILL BE AN ONGOING THREAT AND THAT WE WILL HAVE TO REFORMULATE AND AN ANNUAL VACCINE, AN ANNUAL BOOSTER, UH, TO HELP, UH, ELIMINATE THE SPREAD THAT YEAR BY YEAR, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE DOMINANT STRAINS IN A SIMILAR FASHION.
AND I'LL JUST ADD, THAT'S WHY IT'S EVER SO IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO WEAR MASKS SOCIALLY, JUST DANCE SOCIALLY DISTANT, UH, FROM FOLKS AND STAY HOME IF YOU'RE ILL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FINDING THAT THESE MEASURES ARE ACTUALLY TAMPING DOWN OUR FLU SEASON AND WE'VE HAD A VERY LIGHTLY SEASONED.
SO, UM, AGAIN, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO, TO DO AND, UH, WORK ON ALL THOSE, WHAT WE CALL NON-PHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS TO CONTROL THE SPREAD OF DISEASE.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE, UT STUDENTS HAVE STARTED TO RETURN TO AUSTIN FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER.
IS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON DISEASE TRANSMISSION FROM UT STUDENTS WHO ARE ARRIVING FROM AREAS WHERE A MORE TRANSMITTABLE CORONAVIRUS VARIANCE B ONE, ONE SEVEN HAS BEEN DETECTED SUCH AS CALIFORNIA? UH, I GUESS I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE THAT ON.
UM, YOU KNOW, W WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, YOUNG PEOPLE ARRIVING BACK IN TOWN.
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WE'VE BEEN SAYING LOTS OF SPREAD IN THE 20 TO 29 AND 30 TO 39 TO AGE GROUPS.UH, SO ADDITIONAL PEOPLE IN THOSE AGE GROUPS AND AT LEAST THE POTENTIAL FOR INCREASED, UH, INCREASED SPREAD NOW REGARDING THE VARIANTS OF COVID.
AGAIN, WE'VE GOT TO ASSUME THAT IT'S ALREADY HERE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE DETECTIONS OF CASES IN TEXAS, UH, THE CASES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE US, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S SAFE FOR US TO ASSUME THAT IT'S ALREADY HERE.
UH, SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THAT? THE ANSWER IS THE SAME THINGS.
THE MASKING, THE DISTANCING WASHING OUR HANDS, STAYING HOME WHEN WE'RE SICK, UH, ENSURING THAT, THAT WE ARE ONLY GOING OUT.
IF WE HAVE TO, THOSE SAME PROTECTIONS WILL WORK FOR, UH, FOR THE, AS WELL AS IT WILL FOR, FOR THE INITIAL COVID VIRUS.
UH, SO WE HAVE TO RALLY AROUND THAT CALL.
WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO STAY VIGILANT IF WE DO, UH, WE CAN PUT IT INTO THIS, UM, BUT WE HAVE TO DO IT.
WE HAVE TO PROTECT THIS COMMUNITY AND BUY US MORE TIME TO GET MORE VACCINES OUT TO PEOPLE.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM SPECTRUM NEWS, WELL, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH BE MAKING A PUBLIC DASHBOARD AVAILABLE THAT TRACKS THE RACIAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN VACCINATED.
UM, AGAIN, PART OF THE CHALLENGE WE'VE HAD THROUGHOUT THIS PANDEMIC IS THAT THE, THE DATA SYSTEMS, THE PUBLIC HEALTH DATA SYSTEMS DIDN'T EXIST.
NOW, WE DIDN'T HAVE EASY AND ACCURATE FLOW OF TIMELY FLOW OF INFORMATION, UH, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT, TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
AND SO ALL THESE THINGS ARE BEING BUILT IN REAL TIME.
AND AGAIN, WHEN WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING THAT DASHBOARD TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT NUMBERS OF DOSES, GIVEN DEMOGRAPHICS OF THOSE ASSOCIATED ZIP CODES ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE WHO'VE, UH, WHO'VE BEEN VACCINATED, UH, TO HELP US IDENTIFY NOT ONLY WHO'S RECEIVED IT, BUT WHO ARE WE HAVING TROUBLE GETTING IT TO SO THAT WE CAN REFINE OUR PROCESSES AND FOCUS MORE EFFORTS ON THOSE PARTICULAR ZIP CODES OR THOSE DEMOGRAPHICS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THE STATE IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE US SOME LARGER SCALE DATA FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
SO THE INITIAL DASHBOARD THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE FROM AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS ONLY GOING TO HAVE VACCINE INFORMATION FOR VACCINES PROVIDED BY AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, AND MAYBE A HANDFUL OF OTHER PARTNERS.
UH, BUT AGAIN, THERE ARE THREE MORE THAN 350 PEOPLE PROVIDING VACCINES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RELY ON THE STATE'S DATA THAT ONCE IT'S AVAILABLE TO, TO POPULATE A, A MORE, UH, GENERAL DASHBOARD WITH, UH, WITH MORE DETAILS ON THOSE INFORMATION ON THAT INFORMATION, BUT NOT ONE THING I'LL SAY THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND IS, UH, YOU KNOW, AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD SAID EARLIER, OUR INITIAL FOCUS HAS BEEN ON INDIVIDUALS 65 OR OLDER, UH, BECAUSE WE DON'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH TO VACCINATE THAT GROUP, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF INDIVIDUALS, 65 AND OLDER LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT AND FOR THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
UH, AND WE'LL SHARE THAT INFORMATION ALONG WITH THE VACCINE INFORMATION ONCE THAT, UH, THAT DASHBOARD IS AVAILABLE.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM KVU IS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH STILL WORKING CLOSELY WITH HAYES COUNTY TO GET PEOPLE IN THAT COMMUNITY VACCINATED SINCE THEY STILL DON'T HAVE A PUBLIC PORTAL? HOW IS THAT ADDING CONGESTION TO THE PROCESS FOR AUSTIN RESIDENTS? UM, HAYS COUNTY, UM, HAS ESTABLISHED, UM, HAS BEEN, UM, TO SET UP AS A HUB.
SO RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE VACCINES MORE IN THEIR COMMUNITY THAN THEY DID, UM, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH TYPICALLY DOES PARTNER WITH HAYES COUNTY, UM, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY HELPFUL FOR US TO LOOK AT THINGS THROUGH A REGIONAL LANDS.
AND SO, UM, WHETHER WE LOOKED AT, UM, WORKING TOGETHER FOR OUR, OUR PHONE BANKS, UM, OR, UM, INVITED THEM TO HAVE PARTNERS, UM, TO WORK CLOSELY WITH US SO WE CAN SEE CLIENTS.
THE THING WE ARE AWARE OF IS THAT EVEN THOUGH FOLKS MAY LIVE IN HAYES COUNTY AND WILLIAMSON AND BEST ROCK, UH, AND SIGNIFICANT A NUMBER OF THEM COMMUTING INTO AUSTIN TO WORK IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND SO IF WE CAN MAKE IT CONVENIENT
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FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT MEET THAT ONE B CRITERIA, IT IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE HELPFUL, NOT JUST FOR AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, BUT FOR ALSO FOR THOSE COUNTIES.THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM CBS NATIONAL LAST WEEK, DR.
S GOD SAID IT WOULD BE A STRUGGLE FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO CONTROL OUTBREAKS.
AUSTIN ISD IS NOW REPORTING A LARGE DECREASE IN CASES.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DROP AND WHETHER YOU RECOMMEND PARENTS SEND THEIR KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL FOR IN-PERSON LEARNING? UH, YES.
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE THAT QUESTION.
UH, AGAIN, UH, WHEN, WHEN I SPOKE ALL THIS OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS, THAT WAS REALLY LOOKING AT AT THREE FACTORS.
ONE FACTOR IS THE OVERALL POSITIVITY, THE COMMUNITY, UH, BEING HIGH, UH, IN PARTICULAR, THE POSITIVITY AMONGST MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOLERS, MAYBE EVEN HIGHER THAN THE COMMUNITY AVERAGE.
THE SECOND ISSUE IS, IS NEW VARIANTS.
AND THEY THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE INCREASING, UH, ABILITY TO, UH, TO TRANSMIT THE DISEASE.
AND BASED ON THOSE, ON THOSE VARIOUS, AND THE THIRD THING WAS, UH, LEAST INFORMATION WEIGHED, BUT HEARING FROM OUR SUPERINTENDENTS ABOUT INCREASING NUMBERS OF PARENTS, SELECTING IN-PERSON EDUCATION FOR THEIR STUDENTS, THOSE THREE THINGS BUILD CONCERN ABOUT, YOU KNOW, INCREASING TRANSMISSION, THAT INCREASING CONCERN THAT THEY PROTECTIONS THAT WE HAD IN PLACE BEFORE MAY NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE NOW IN THE SPRING SEMESTER AS THEY IN THE FALL SEMESTER WHEN WE DIDN'T HAVE THOSE SAME CONCERNS.
AND SO, AGAIN, I THINK THAT THE PARENTS NEED TO USE CAUTION IN MAKING A DECISION ABOUT RETURNING TO IN-PERSON.
UH, PRIMARILY AGAIN, THE CASES THAT WE'RE SEEING RELATED TO SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN EXTRACURRICULAR AND HAVE BEEN IN SOCIAL GATHERINGS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL.
UH, WE HAVEN'T SEEN EFFICIENT TRANSMISSION YET, UH, IN THE CLASSROOM TYPE OF SETTING, BUT AGAIN, THOSE THREE FACTORS MAKE US INCREASINGLY CONCERNED THAT WE MAY START TO SEE OUTBREAKS IN THAT SETTING.
UM, I THINK WE SHOULD CONTINUE THAT CALL FOR PARENTS TO CHOOSE VIRTUAL IF THEY CAN RECOGNIZING THAT NOT EVERY PARENT CAN CHOOSE VIRTUAL MAY NOT BE RIGHT FOR THEIR STUDENT OR THEIR SITUATION, BUT IF THEY CAN, PARTICULARLY AS WE CONTINUE, AT LEAST IN THIS PLATEAU PHASE, IT WILL HELP US DRIVE THE NUMBERS DOWN AND GET TO A BETTER PLACE IN TERMS OF OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS.
UH, AND, UH, IN CASES, THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM CVS AUSTIN, THE ALTERNATE CARE SITE HAS HIT 25 PATIENTS.
WILL THE FACILITY BE BUMPED UP IN CAPACITY TO 50 OR 100, OR DO YOU SEE PATIENT LOAD LEVELING OFF? UH, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING ON A COUPLE OF THINGS RIGHT NOW AT THE ALTERNATE CARE SITE IN ORDER TO INCREASE CAPACITY.
ONE OF THOSE IS TO, UM, TO MODIFY THE OXYGEN DELIVERY SYSTEM, TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE ADDITIONAL FOLKS, UH, WHO MAY REQUIRE HIGHER LEVEL LEVELS OF OXYGEN.
AND SO THAT'S IN PROCESS RIGHT NOW.
MY EXPECTATION IS THAT THEY WILL INCREASE THAT TO 50 AND AGAIN, INCREASE IT FURTHER FROM THERE IF NEEDED.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT, UH, EVEN AS AUSTIN, AS PLATEAUING AND, YOU KNOW, WE MAY START TO BE SEEING SOME DECLINE IN LOCAL CASES AND LOCAL HOSPITALIZATIONS, ALMOST EVERY OTHER JURISDICTION AROUND THE STATE OF TEXAS IS IN SURGE AS WELL.
UM, SO THAT FACILITY DOES HAVE THE ABILITY IF NEEDED TO BRING IN PATIENTS, PARTICULARLY FROM AREAS THAT ARE HARD HIT WITHOUT SUCH, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE THE WACO AREA IN COLLEGE STATION AREA.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM FOX SEVEN, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE CURRENT VACCINE ON THE MARKET DOES ALSO PROTECT AGAINST THE NEW UK VARIANT.
SO THE DATA THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS, DOES SUPPORT THAT, THAT IT, IT DOES PROVIDE PROTECTION, UH, AGAINST THE, THE VARIANTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY KNOWN.
UM, AGAIN, UH, WHEN, WHEN SOMEBODY RECEIVES A VACCINE, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY PFIZER AND MODERNA WERE SPECIFIC FOR THE SPIKE PROTEIN.
THE THING WHICH WE'RE SEEING CHANGE ON IS THE SPIKE PROTEIN, BUT IT DOESN'T APPEAR THAT IT'S CHANGED ENOUGH FOR IT TO MAKE THE VACCINE INEFFECTIVE, WHICH IS
[00:30:01]
GOOD NEWS.THE BAD NEWS IS THE LONGER IT PERSISTS CIRCULATING AROUND THE WORLD.
THE MORE IT'S GOING TO CHANGE.
AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE INCREASED LIKELIHOOD THAT AS IT CHANGES, IT MAY BE ABLE TO EVADE SOME OF THE PROTECTION.
SO AGAIN, UH, AS IT CHANGES, WE MAY SEE THAT THE VACCINE BECOMES LESS EFFECTIVE, STILL PROVIDING SOME PROTECTION.
SO WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? WELL, IF IT PREVENTS SEVERE DISEASE AND DEATH, THAT'S EXCELLENT.
UH, THAT HELPS TO ENSURE THAT OUR HOSPITALS, UH, STAY SOLVENT AND, AND CAN PROVIDE CARE FOR PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S GOING TO BE ONGOING CONCERN AS THAT VIRUS CHANGES AND MUTATES THAT, THAT WE MAY SEE SOME SHIFTING OF, OF THE ABILITY OF THE VACCINES TO PROTECT.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM UNIVERSITY ON HOW LONG DOES A PERSON HAVE TO TAKE THE SECOND DOSE OF THE VACCINE FROM WHEN THEY TOOK THEIR FIRST DOSE UNTIL IT IS NOT EFFECTIVE? AND WHAT HAPPENS IF A PERSON MISSES THEIR SECOND DOSE APPOINTMENT COMPLETELY.
SO WE'VE, WE'VE SEEN A SHIFT FROM, UH, FROM CDC ON THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S RIGHT NOW, THEY PFIZER DOSES 21 DAYS AFTER THE FIRST DOSE, THE MODERNA IS 28 DAYS.
UH, THE WINDOW HAS BEEN OPENED UP, UH, AND I WANT TO, I BELIEVE IT WAS 60 DAYS.
THE ANSWER IS YOU NEED TO GET A SECOND SHOT.
UM, THERE IS NO SCHEDULE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU MISS YOUR SECOND SHOT BY 61 DAYS, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO PROCESS FOR RESTARTING THE DOSAGES NOW.
SO AGAIN, I, YOU KNOW, I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO GET THEIR SECOND SHOT AS CLOSE IN PROXIMITY TO WHEN IT WAS DUE AS THEY CAN, UH, BUT UNDERSTAND THAT IT MAY NOT BE PRACTICAL FOR EVERYBODY TO GET THEIR SECOND SHOT EXACTLY ON THE DAY THAT IT IS SCHEDULED.
UH, AGAIN, OUR HOPE IS THAT THE, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, UH, THE PARTNERSHIPS WITH PRIVATE INDUSTRY WILL HELP US TO RAMP UP VACCINE PRODUCTION IN DISTRIBUTION SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THOSE SECOND SHOTS AT A TIMELY FASHION.
UM, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY ON THAT AS, AS WE DON'T HAVE ASSURANCES LONG-TERM OR EVEN, YOU KNOW, FOR TWO WEEKS FROM NOW REGARDING OUR VACCINE SUPPLY.
OKAY, WE'RE STARTING OUR SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS.
NOW, THIS ONE IS FROM THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN.
IF A QUALIFYING AUSTIN AREA RESIDENT HAS INSURANCE, SHOULD THEY STILL SIGN UP TO RECEIVE A VACCINE THROUGH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, OR TRY TO FUND FIND ONE, SOMEWHERE ELSE? MANY RESIDENTS WERE CONFUSED FROM MIXED MESSAGING ABOUT UNINSURED RESIDENTS BEING PRIORITIZED THROUGH THE INITIAL VACCINE ROLLOUT.
AND THEN, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN TO HOWARD MAY, MAY WANT TO ADD ON, UH, I'LL GIVE THE ADVICE THAT I'VE GIVEN MY OWN PARENTS AND MY IN-LAWS, AND THAT IS SIGN UP FOR WHATEVER LIST YOU CAN SEND OUT FOR, UM, BECAUSE IT'S NOT CLEAR NEXT WEEK, WHO'S GETTING VACCINE AND WHO'S NOT.
UH, SO THE MORE OR LESS THAT YOU'RE ON THE BETTER CHANCE THAT ONE OF THEM IS GOING TO CONTACT YOU.
AND SO WE HAVE A SPOT FOR YOU, UH, FOR THOSE OVER THE AGE OF 65, THAT THEY SHOULD SIGN UP ON AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH SITE.
ALSO, UH, THE REMINDER FROM, FROM APH WAS THAT OUR MISSION, UM, IS TO PROVIDE CARE FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T GET CARE, OTHER PLACES.
UH, AS WE DID WITH TESTING, WE WANTED TO REMIND FOLKS THAT IF THEY HAVE MEANS OF GETTING VACCINE OR TESTING SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN COST OF PUBLIC HEALTH, THEN IT HELPS TO RESERVE, UH, TESTING RESOURCES TO VACCINE RESOURCES FOR THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE OTHER OPTIONS NOW, BUT CERTAINLY, UH, WE, PEOPLE CAN SET UP WHO HAVE INSURANCE AND WE WILL PROVIDE VACCINE, UH, AS BEST WE CAN TO, TO WHOEVER SIGNS UP QUESTION IS FROM THE TEXAS TRIBUNE.
AND ACTUALLY I SEE THAT THEY'RE REVISING THEIR QUESTIONS.
SO WE'LL GO ONTO THE NEXT ONE.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM A K X, A N PEOPLE HAVE EXPRESSED FRUSTRATIONS IN THE VACCINE ROLLOUT, LONG LINES, CONTINUE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, UNFAIR DISTRIBUTION, AND TO, SORRY, EXCUSE ME, DISTRIBUTION TO SOME ON QUALIFIED PEOPLE AHEAD OF B ONE RECIPIENTS.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO BUILD BACK THE LOSS TRUST THE COMMUNITY HAS WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH?
[00:35:01]
OKAY, WELL, I'LL, I'LL START.AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I THINK PART OF THE CHALLENGE IS, IS THAT THE NARRATIVE, YOU KNOW, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAD NOT BEEN CLEAR, UH, THERE'VE BEEN PROMISES, MADE TIMELINE, PROMISES MADE, UM, AND YOU KNOW, A CHALLENGE TO DELIVER ON THOSE.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE CHALLENGE IS THAT OF THE, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN ONE B RIGHT NOW, THE, THE, THE TOTAL DISTRIBUTION MAY BE ABLE TO OFFER, YOU KNOW, 15 TO 20% OF THOSE PEOPLE OVER THE PAST SIX WEEKS VACCINE.
SO THAT MEANS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, 80, 85% OF PEOPLE WERE FRUSTRATED BECAUSE THERE'S NOT VACCINE FOR THEM.
AND SO I, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I APPRECIATE THE, THE LETTER FROM THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR YESTERDAY, UH, WHO EXPRESSED THE FRUSTRATIONS, THAT WE'RE FEELING THAT OUR COMMUNITY'S FEELING ABOUT THE LACK OF CERTAINTY.
UM, WAIT, WE HAVEN'T SCHEDULED PEOPLE NEXT WEEK BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GETTING YET BY MONDAY.
WE CERTAINLY DON'T KNOW WHEN WE'RE GETTING THE FOLLOWING MONDAY.
SO I THINK HAVING BETTER DATA, BETTER PROJECTIONS OVER WHAT'S COMING, AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS WILL HELP TO SET RESET EXPECTATIONS.
I THINK THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE IS THE EXPECTATIONS ARE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE REALITY.
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO GET BETTER ALIGNMENT OF THOSE TWO THINGS TO HELP DECREASE SOME OF THE FRUSTRATION WE'RE ALL FEELING RIGHT NOW.
ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO ADD IS, IS THAT, UM, EVERY DAY AFTER OUR CLINICS, OUR STAFF DEBRIEF THE DAY, UM, AND WORK ON HOW CAN WE MAKE IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS, IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS THE EMPHASIS OF APPOINTMENTS ONLY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS THAT COME IN AND HELP US, UM, ON A DAILY BASIS.
UH, SOME OF WHICH, YOU KNOW, DON'T WORK FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND WE ALSO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, VOLUNTEERS THAT WORKED FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THEY ROTATE THROUGH.
SO WHAT A TYPICAL SITE, YOU CAN GET AT LEAST 130 INDIVIDUALS WORKING AT A LARGE-SCALE SITE.
AND SO FOR US, IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US THAT WHEN WE HAVE THESE VOLUNTEERS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR US, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IF THEY MEET THE ONE BIG CRITERIA, UM, THAT WE WILL PROVIDE THEM THE VACCINE, BECAUSE ONCE THEY START WORKING IN THERE IN THAT SETTING, UM, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE TO PROVIDE AS MUCH PROTECTION FOR THEM AS POSSIBLE.
SO WITH ALL OF THOSE THINGS IN PLACE IN CONSTANTLY MAKING IMPROVEMENTS, DAY AFTER DAY, UM, WE FEEL CERTAIN THAT THE APPOINTMENT SYSTEM IS THE BEST WAY TO GO, AND WE WILL STRICTLY ADHERE TO APPOINTMENTS ONLY.
AND I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD, YOU KNOW, AS EACH DAY PASSES, UH, AS DOC, UH, DR S SCOTT AND DIRECTOR FADING, HELLER HAD MENTIONED, WE REASSESS WHAT THOSE CLINICAL OPERATIONS ARE, SO THAT WE CAN TROUBLESHOOT ANY ISSUES THAT WE, UH, COME ACROSS IN ANY EACH DAY'S, UH, ACTIVITIES, AND TRY TO PLAN AHEAD AND PREPARE FOR THE NEXT DAY SO THAT WE ARE MORE EFFICIENTLY GETTING VACCINE AND ARMS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, I CAN TELL YOU, UH, THE OPTICS FROM THE OUTSIDE MIGHT NOT LOOK GOOD, BUT THINGS, THINGS ON THE INSIDE OF THAT CLINICAL OPERATION IS RUNNING EXTREMELY SMOOTHLY.
AND, UM, AND WHILE I KNOW IT IS FRUSTRATING TO GET INTO OUR, OUR, UH, PORTAL SYSTEM, THINGS ARE WORKING AND WE'RE OFFICIALLY ABLE TO VACCINATE INDIVIDUALS AND, UH, WHICH HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED JUST AGAIN, LIKE, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD HAD MENTIONED EARLIER IN ONE DAY WE DID 3000 VACCINATIONS AT ONE LOCATION.
UM, AND THAT TO ME WAS, UH, A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT AND DEMONSTRATION ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH WORK FORCE.
AND THOSE OTHER PARTNERS THAT ARE HELPING US, UH, DELIVER TO OUR COMMUNITY.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM THE TEXAS TRIBUNE IN YOUR ESTIMATION, BEFORE WE REACH ESTIMATED HERD IMMUNITY AT 70 TO 80%, WHAT'S THE THRESHOLD THRESHOLD PERCENTAGE OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS THAT NEED TO BE VACCINATED IN ORDER TO START SEEING A COMMUNITY FIRST BENEFIT, OH, SORRY, START SEEING A COMMUNITY BENEFIT.
AND WHAT MIGHT THOSE BENEFITS BE? WHAT, FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD IT LOOK LIKE WHEN 20 OR 40%
[00:40:01]
OF RESIDENTS WERE VACCINATED? WOULD WE SEE MORE PEOPLE GOING TO WORK LOWER HOSPITALIZATION RATES? AT WHAT POINT DOES THE VACCINATION RATES START TO HAVE A BENEFIT, EVEN IF IT'S NOT HURTING? UM, I'LL TAKE THAT ONE.UH, AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE ONE BIG GROUP, PARTICULARLY IN ONE BAY OVER 65 IS THOSE, THAT'S THE GROUP THAT'S MOST LIKELY TO BE HOSPITALIZED AND THE GROUP THAT'S MOST LIKELY TO DIE.
SO AS WE GAIN HERD IMMUNITY, EVEN WITHIN THOSE AGE GROUPS, WE START TO SEE THE THREAT OF OVERWHELMING THE HOSPITALS DISSIPATE VERY QUICKLY.
UH, SO I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S REASONABLE THAT BY THE MARCH TIMEFRAME, PERHAPS APRIL, AS WE GET THROUGH THAT GROUP, WHO'S AT HIGHEST RISK FOR HOSPITALIZATION AT THAT THREAT OF OVERWHELMING THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, MAYBE LARGELY RESOLVED.
DOES THAT MEAN WE CAN RELAX COMPLETELY AS A COMMUNITY? NO, BECAUSE WE HAVE LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE YOUNGER THAN THAT, AND WE COULD STILL HAVE SOME STRESS IN THE HOSPITALS, BUT THAT CAN BE MANAGED THROUGH THE MASKING AND DISTANCING THROUGH JUNE IN ORDER TO BUY AS ADDITIONAL TIME TO GET OTHER FOLKS BACKSIDE.
SO AGAIN, I EXPECT THAT, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE MARCH APRIL TIMEFRAME, THAT WE WILL START TO SEE A MUCH DIFFERENT PICTURE IN TERMS OF THE THREAT TO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, THE THREAT TO THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM COMMUNITY IMPACT, AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH AS TI HAS DISCUSSED PLANS TO SITUATE VACCINE DISTRIBUTION SITES IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT AND OTHER STRATEGICALLY SELECTED AREAS TO ENSURE MORE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.
WHEN ARE THOSE SITES LIKELY TO OPEN? ONCE THE COMMUNITY IS PAST PHASE ONE, OUR EXISTING, UM, POINTS OF DISTRIBUTION ARE IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT.
UM, WE INITIALLY STARTED IN THOSE AREAS.
AND SO BASED UPON OUR PLANS, ONCE WE HAVE MORE VACCINE, WE CAN ESTABLISH THE DIFF ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT.
AND WE TYPICALLY, UM, LOOK TO PROVIDE OUR SERVICES IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT BECAUSE WE ARE A SAFETY NET PROVIDER.
I WANT TO ADD ON AS WELL THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE ADDITIONAL EFFORTS THIS WEEK, UH, HAS BEEN WITH OUR PARTNERS, UH, AND, UH, AND THE PUBLIC SAFETY WELLNESS CENTER, WHICH HAS FOCUSED ON VACCINATING ONE B TEACHERS.
UH, SO MONDAY VACCINATE AROUND 500 TEACHERS AROUND TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, AS WELL AS OTHER EDUCATIONAL STAFF OR ONE B, UH, WE'VE BEEN 400 ADDITIONAL ONES, SOME MORE THAN 900 THIS WEEK THAT EXPECT TO BE VACCINATED SO THAT WE CAN START TO SECURE OUR EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
BUT I FOCUSING ON THAT, THAT ONE B GROUP, UH, SO AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING HARD TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING THOSE COMMUNITY CONCERNS.
AND ONE OF THOSE CONCERNS IS THE CONTINUITY OF EDUCATION.
SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT AS WE CONTINUE THAT PROCESS OF VACCINATING ONE B TEACHERS, THAT, THAT OUR SCHOOLS CAN START TO LOOK A BIT MORE NORMAL AS WE HEAD INTO THE SPRING.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM K O O P RADIO.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE NEW TOP DOWN NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION PLAN OR SHOULD STATE GOVERNORS MAINTAIN AUTONOMOUS CONTROL OVER FUTURE VACCINE DISTRIBUTIONS? LOOK, I THINK, AS WE'VE SAID FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, THE ONLY WAY THIS IS GOING TO WORK IS IF IT'S AN ALL GOVERNMENT, ALL COMMUNITY EFFORT.
SO I THINK EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT HAS TO BE WORKING TOGETHER.
THERE HAS TO BE DISCUSSION AND DIALOGUE IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT, THAT WE ARE MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT, THAT THE GOVERNOR, I THINK THE STATE HAS DONE A GREAT JOB OF MANAGING WHAT'S BEEN HANDED TO THEM.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE ALLOCATIONS TO VARIOUS COUNTIES, IT IS BEEN FAIRLY PRECISE TO THE PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION REPRESENTED IN THAT COUNTY.
UM, I AGREE WITH THE SHIFT FROM THE GOVERNOR AND FROM COMMISSIONER HELLER, STEP TO FOCUS ON HUBS TO ENSURE THAT, THAT WE HAD A WAY TO DO LARGE VOLUME DISTRIBUTIONS, TO FOCUS ON OUR COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED, PARTICULARLY OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
UH, SO I, I THINK THE STATE'S DONE A GREAT JOB.
IS IT FRUSTRATING? YES, IT'S FRUSTRATING MOSTLY BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH.
UH, BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE STATE I SUPPORT WHAT THE STATE HAS DONE
[00:45:01]
AND, UH, AND CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, TRUST THAT THE STATE IS A, IS AN IMPORTANT, UH, CONTRIBUTOR TO, TO THAT DIALOGUE.THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM SPECTRUM NEWS IS APH COORDINATING ANY EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS FOR THE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR THAT ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC.
SO THEY ARE MADE AWARE OF HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE VACCINE.
IF SO, HOW HAS THAT OUTREACH BEEN DONE? AND IS IT BY LINGUAL? UM, YES, WE HAVE, UM, PARTNER WITH, WITH SEVERAL, UM, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, WE RECENTLY HAD A, UH, A SOLICITATION WHICH RESULTED IN, UM, EIGHT MINI GRANTS.
AND THOSE GRANTS ARE WITH NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL BE ASSISTING US WITH, UM, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WE HAVE SOME AMBASSADORS, UM, FROM, UM, AT LEAST SEVEN ORGANIZATIONS AND, AND WITHIN THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, THEY ARE ASSISTING THEIR CLIENTS TO SIGN UP ON THE PORTAL, UM, AND, UM,
SO IT IS DEFINITELY A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.
UM, AND SO WE TYPICALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR MATERIALS OR, UH, CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE, UH, THE LANGUAGE IS LINGUISTICALLY CORRECT.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM KVU DOES THE NEW STRATEGY BY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IMPACT ANY OF THE PLANS AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH ALREADY HAD IN PLACE FOR COVID-19 AND VACCINES? UM, THE NEW PLAN THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, UM, DOES NOT, UM, IT SUPPORTS THE PUBLIC HEALTH MISSION, UM, LOOKING THAT THERE IS A PLACE FOR, UM, WORKING THROUGH A LENS OF EQUITY, UM, REACHING, UM, INDIVIDUALS, UM, THAT DON'T HAVE, UM, ANY OTHER, UM, VACCINE, ANY OTHER, UM, INSURANCE, ET CETERA.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WE KNOW THAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH CANNOT BE THE ONLY PROVIDER IN OUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT THE OTHER 350 PROVIDERS RECEIVE THE VACCINE AND ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO ONE OF THE OTHER KEYS THAT WE NOTICED IN THE AREAS WAS THE USE OF PHARMACIES, AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS.
AND SO, UM, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS HERE IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, AS WELL AS HAYES COUNTY.
AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE VACCINES TO THEIR CLIENTS.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM CBS NATIONAL, ARE YOU CONCERNED THE VARIANCE WILL CAUSE AN UPTICK IN CASES AND AUSTIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS? YES.
UH, I'M HAPPY THAT YES, WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
UH, WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT ANY INSTITUTIONAL SETTING IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF MODIFYING THEIR OPERATIONS OF ENSURING THE MASKING IS FOLLOWED OF DISTANCING AS WELL AS THEY CAN OF MODIFYING THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC IN THEIR SCHOOLS TO DECREASE THAT PERSON, TO PERSON INTERACTION.
UH, THE SAME IS TRUE FOR OUR JAILS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS, BUT WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT WHAT WORKS FOR THE INITIAL STRAIN OF COVID-19 MAY NOT WORK AS WELL FOR NEW STRAINS.
SO WE'VE GOT TO EVEN BE MORE PROTECTIVE.
WE'VE GOT TO DOUBLE DOWN ON OUR EFFORTS TO DECREASE TRANSMISSION.
WE HAVE TO ENSURE IF, IF THERE WAS, UM, UH, LAXITY THAT WAS CREATED AS THE SITUATION IMPROVED LATER IN THE FALL THAT WE REINVIGORATE THOSE EFFORTS, UH, OF, OF REMINDING FOLKS TO WEAR THEIR MASKS TO DISTANCE, ET CETERA, SO THAT WE CAN, UM, WE CAN AVOID A SURGE, BUT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
AND, UH, AND AGAIN, STRESS THOSE MESSAGES TO OUR STUDENTS, TO PARENTS, TO TEACHERS THAT IS IMPORTANT THAT THEY APPLY THOSE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS, NOT ONLY AT SCHOOL, BUT ALSO OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL
[00:50:01]
AS THEY'RE GATHERING, UH, AS THEY'RE INVOLVED IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, ET CETERA.AND I'LL JUST ADD, I KNOW THERE IS SOME UNPREDICTABILITY AS DR.
S SCOTSMAN MENTIONED THAT AS HE MENTIONED ALSO, WE KNOW WHAT DOES WORK AND WHAT DOES WORK IS WEARING A MASK SOCIALLY DISTANCING AND STAYING HOME IF YOU'RE ILL.
UH, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S COMMUNITY-WIDE TRANSMISSION, LIKE WHAT IS CURRENTLY OCCURRING, LIMITING THOSE ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES, UH, IN YOURSELF TO ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS IF YOU NEED TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE, SEND ONE PERSON, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL, UH, WHEN YOU'RE OUT AND ABOUT.
SO, UH, AGAIN, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT DO WORK IN PREVENTING DISEASE TRANSMISSION.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM CVS, AUSTIN, DO YOU THINK SECOND DOSES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE 18,427 PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THEIR FIRST DOSES THROUGH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, HABITAT, THE INDICATIONS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, OR YES, THAT WE SHOULD EXPECT THOSE DOSES, UH, TO RECEIVE SECOND DOSES, UH, IN A TIMELY FASHION.
UH, AGAIN, UH, PART OF THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE FROM PUBLIC HEALTH IS WE DON'T HAVE A SHIPPING ORDER SAYING IT'S GOING TO ARRIVE ON THIS DATE.
WE HAVE TRUST THAT THE STATE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO SUPPLY, UH, WHAT, WHAT THEY SAID THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SUPPLY.
UH, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I THINK AS A COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO BE A BIT FLEXIBLE IF I CAN'T GET IT ON THE 28TH DAY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S THE 30 30TH DAY OR THE 34TH DAY, IT'S GOING TO BE RELATIVELY CLOSE IN PROXIMITY TO WHEN IT IS TO DO.
UM, BUT I, I DO TRUST THAT THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND STATE GOVERNMENT WILL, WILL DELIVER ON THAT PROMISE.
THE LAST QUESTION IS FROM UNIVERSE YAWN, WILL AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAVE A CENTRALIZED HUB FOR RESIDENTS TO GET A VACCINE, OR WILL IT BE THROUGH DIFFERENT SITES? AGAIN, THIS IS A DECENTRALIZED APPROACH TO, TO VACCINATION.
UH, THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SAW WITH H ONE N ONE IN 2009, UH, WE'RE PUBLIC HEALTH PROVIDED ABOUT 10% OF THE OVERALL VACCINE AND PRIVATE SECTOR PROVIDED 90%.
UH, WELL, THE, THE VAST MAJORITY OF VACCINE RIGHT NOW FOR THE, IS GOING STRAIGHT TO AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH MAY EXPECT THAT AS THE VACCINE PRODUCTION IN PROBES, AS NEW VACCINES ARE AVAILABLE, BUT THAT WILL ONCE AGAIN, SHIFT BACK TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR, SO THAT FOLKS WHO WILL HAVE DIFFERENT OPTIONS OF WHERE TO GO FOR THEIR BACKSEAT.
SO WHAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS WORKING ON IS HAVING A, A PAGE WHICH HAS LINKS TO MULTIPLE DIFFERENT PROVIDERS, SO THAT FOLKS CAN GO TO ONE SPOT AND THEN CHOOSE WHERE THEY WANT TO GET THEIR VACCINE.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE, IN THE COMING WEEKS.
AND, UH, AND THAT IT WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR FOLKS TO IDENTIFY THAT WHERE THEY CAN GO.
ONE OTHER THING THAT I WANT TO MENTION IS THAT THE STATE IS CONTINUING TO, TO WORK, TO REVISE A SYSTEM, TO PROVIDE SOME REAL TIME OR MORE REAL TIME INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE A VACCINE IS GOING IS AVAILABLE.
UH, SO WE MAY REACH A STAGE ONCE VACCINE IS MORE PLENTIFUL THAT IT WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, THESE PROVIDERS ARE LIKELY TO HAVE VACCINE AVAILABLE TODAY OR THIS WEEK AND THESE OTHER ONES DON'T, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS FOR THE STATEMENT, BUT OUR HOPE IS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION TO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHERE VACCINE IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
UH, NOW FOR CLOSING REMARKS, DIRECTOR, HAYDEN HOWARD.
UM, WE JUST WANT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THIS IS OUR SECOND WEEK, UH, PROVIDING, UM, VACCINES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND OUR, OUR GOAL IS, IS TO CONTINUE TO, UM, PROVIDE OUR VACCINES IN SEVERAL, UM, AREAS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE A PRESENCE IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT, AND THE GOAL WILL BE IS, IS TO ADD MORE LOCATIONS WHERE FOLKS WILL BE ABLE TO COME REALLY NEARBY, WORTHY LEAH.
AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALLY HAVE PATIENTS WITH US.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN, UM, TO GET THE VACCINES
[00:55:02]
TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WOULD LIKE THEM.WE KNOW THERE'S GONNA COME A POINT WHERE WE WILL HAVE PROVIDED, YOU KNOW, A LARGE GROUP OF FOLKS, THE VACCINE, AND, BUT WE WANT TO ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE DIFFICULT TO REACH POPULATIONS ARE INCLUDED IN THOSE NUMBERS.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO PRIORITIZE, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN DISPROPORTIONATELY SEEN IN THE HOSPITALIZATION AND THE POSITIVITY RATE AND IN DEPTHS THAT THOSE POPULATIONS DO RECEIVE THESE VACCINES.
I CAN THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
THIS IS A MARATHON, AND WE HAVE CONTINUED TO RUN THIS RACE TOGETHER.
AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I, I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH.
THEY, THEY IMPORTANCE OF, OF WHAT DIRECTOR ED HOWARD HAS SAID, AND THAT IS PATIENTS.
UH, WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THIS BY ASSURING YOU, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE STATE GOVERNMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH JURISDICTIONS AROUND THIS COUNTRY ARE WORKING AS HARD AS THEY CAN TO ENSURE THAT THIS VACCINE GETS OUT AND GETS OUT TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
UM, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE PERFECT, BUT WE ARE GOING TO WORK HARD TO TRY TO BE, UH, UNTIL THEN, UNTIL WE CAN GET EVERYBODY VACCINATED.
THOSE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR THE PAST YEAR WORK, UH, THEY'LL CONTINUE TO WORK THE MASKING, THE DISTANCING, STAYING HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK, THE HAND HYGIENE, THOSE THINGS WORK, AND WE NEED YOU TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
WE NEED YOU TO CONTINUE TO CHOOSE, TO STAY HOME.
WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO CONTINUE TO CHOOSE VIRTUAL EDUCATION.
IF YOU CAN DO THAT IN YOUR HOME, WE NEED TO PUSH THIS DISEASE TREND DOWN FURTHER WHEN YOU NEED TO MOVE THE FLATTENING INTO A DECLINE SO THAT WE CAN MOVE RESOURCES, TRANSITION RESOURCES AWAY FROM THE EFFORT OF CARING FOR PEOPLE TO HOSPITAL AND BUILDING ADDITIONAL ICU SPACE IN HOSPITAL SPACE, INTO, UH, THE VACCINE EFFORT.
SO AGAIN, WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT THIS COMMITTEE HAS DONE TO FLATTEN THIS CURVE.
ONCE AGAIN, WE'VE GOT TO KEEP IT UP AND, UH, AND WE'LL, WE'LL CONQUER COVID-19 TOGETHER.
AND I'LL JUST ADD BY SAYING IT A REPEAT OF WHAT I SAID EARLIER, AND THAT'S, WE'VE REACHED A PERFECT STORM IN OUR COMMUNITY AND AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, ALONG WITH ITS OTHER CITY AND COUNTY PARTNERS AND OTHER PRIVATE PARTNERS ARE WORKING IN VERY HARD TO, UH, ADDRESS THE SURGE THAT WE ARE SEEING IN ALL PUBLIC HEALTH OPERATIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY OCCURRING.
THAT'S OUR EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESPONSE, OUR ALTERNATE CARE SITE, AGAIN, REGIONAL INFUSION CENTER, UH, OUR MEDICAL HOTLINES, OUR ISOLATION FACILITIES, THAT SCENE DISTRIBUTION AND MANAGEMENT, AND ALSO OUR TESTING.
WE'RE SEEING WE ARE MAXED OUT IN ALL OF THOSE AREAS AND, UH, WE'RE WORKING AS FAST AS WE CAN, UH, AS, AS DR.
UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD MENTIONED, UM, WE ARE ASKING FOR PATIENTS, UH, SO THAT WE CAN, UH, GET THIS GOING AND, AND, UH, WE CAN PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THOSE PREVENTION MEASURES THAT WE'VE ALL BEEN SAYING ARE WHAT WORK WEARING YOUR MASKS SOCIALLY DISTANCE, STAY HOME.
IF YOU'RE ILL WASH YOUR HANDS, EVERY TOUCHING YOUR FACE.
UH, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE GONNA PROTECT US OVERALL.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR MEDIA AVAILABILITY FOR TODAY.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO APH DIRECTOR.
MARK S. SCOTT AND CHIEF EPIDEMIOLOGIST, JANET PICHETTE.
AND SO OUR POOL REPORTER, HEATHER OSBORN FROM THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN.
HAVE A SAFE ONE, BELIEVE THE BEST.
WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT? HOW DOES.