[00:00:02]
UM, WE HAVE, I THINK A CORUM OF THE COUNCIL PRESENT.
I NEED A COUPLE MORE PEOPLE JUST TO JUMP IN HERE.
WE NOW HAVE WE'RE I'M PRESENT.
SO I'LL CALL TO WHAT ARE THE SPECIAL JOINT SESSION COUNCIL MEETING, WHICH IS A JOINT SESSION WITH THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT FOR COVID BRIEFING.
SO I'M GOING TO CALL THE ORDER OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
AUDREY, DO WE HAVE ANY CALLERS FOR TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC COMMENT? WE DO NOT HAVE ANY COMMENTS.
SO AGAIN, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO PUT THE FIRST ROUND, AT LEAST STICK TO ONE QUESTION IF WE CAN FOR DR.
UH, AND SO IN THAT SAME ORDER THAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST, SO WE'D GO THROUGH COMMISSIONERS COURT MEMBERS AND THEN THE COUNTY JUDGE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND THEN THE MIRROR, AND THEN CLOSED BY THE MAYOR AND CLOSED BY THE COUNTY JUDGE.
[1. Update on Covid-19 related matters.]
DR.S SCOTT, I THINK I SAW YOU ON THERE.
UM, YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND GIVE US YOUR BRIEFING ON COVID? YES, SIR.
I'M GOING TO SHARE MY SLIDES WITH YOU.
THANK YOU, MAYOR TUNA UPDATE YOU BOTH REGARDING OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, THIS GRAPH I'M SHOWING YOU IS AN UPDATE OF OUR TRAVIS COUNTY CASES BY DATE, UH, THE YELLOW LINE AGAIN, SHOWING THEM A SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE OF THOSE NEW CASES YESTERDAY REPORTED 104 NEW CASES, UH, WITH THE MOVING AVERAGE OF 120 THAT'S A 50% DECREASE IN THE MOVING AVERAGE IN ONE WEEK.
UH, SO AGAIN, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS, UH, REGARDING OUR CASE NUMBERS HERE LOCALLY.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL.
AGAIN, THIS HAS BEEN OUR, OUR KEY INDICATOR FOR TRANSITION OF, UH, STAGES OF RISK.
WE REPORTED 31 NEW ADMISSIONS TO A HOSPITAL WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 29.
LAST MONDAY, WE ENTERED INTO STAGE THREE TERRITORY.
WE HAD FOUR DAYS OF DECLINING CASES AND UNFORTUNATELY THE LAST THREE DAYS HAVE BEEN INCREASES IN CASES.
UH, SO THE NET IS NO SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN OUR MOVING AVERAGE OF ADMISSIONS.
SINCE A WEEK AGO, THIS GRAPH IS SHOWING YOU THREE THINGS.
THE BLUE IS OUR TOTAL HOSPITAL BEDS BEING UTILIZED FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS, THE ORANGE OR THE ICU BEDS, THE GRAY, OUR VENTILATOR BEDS, OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS YESTERDAY 228 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF TWO 32, THAT'S A 15% DECREASE OVER THE PAST WEEK.
OUR ICU UTILIZATION 72 YESTERDAY MOVING AVERAGE 71 AT 24% DECREASED IN THE PAST WEEK IN OUR EVENTS LATER USAGE 55 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 50 TO A 20% DECREASE OVER THE PAST WEEK AGAIN ON ALL THREE OF THESE MEASURES, YOU CAN SAY EITHER FLATTENING OR A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA KEEP MONITORING THESE, UM, UH, THESE NUMBERS THIS WEEK.
AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT, UH, THE, UH, THE OVERALL PICTURE HERE IN A LITTLE BIT.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PROJECTIONS PROVIDED BY THE UT MODELING CONSORTIUM.
NOW WE HAVE SEEN SOME FLATTENING OF THE PROJECTIONS AS COMPARED TO A WEEK AGO.
UM, THEY, UH, THEY HAVEN'T UPDATED THE PROJECTIONS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.
UH, SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE STILL SEEING A DOWNWARD TREND.
UH, ACCORDING TO THIS MODEL, UH, SUGGEST THAT WE WILL ENTER INTO STAGE TWO TERRITORY AROUND APRIL THE FOURTH.
HOWEVER, WHEN THE INCREASE OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS, I EXPECT THAT THIS PROJECTION WHICH MAY BE UPDATED LATER TODAY OR TOMORROW WILL FLATTEN OUT AND WILL NOT SHOW US A PATH AT LEAST THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL OF STAGE TWO NOW.
SO AGAIN, WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THESE PROJECTIONS AS WELL.
NOW THIS IS THE PROJECTIONS OF TOTAL HOSPITAL BED UTILIZATION.
UH, WHEN WE GET OUT TO THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL
[00:05:01]
PROJECTION RIGHT NOW, IS THAT WE'LL DROP BELOW A HUNDRED HOSPITAL BEDS BEING UTILIZED FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS.SIMILARLY, WE SEE A DECLINE EXPECTED IN THE ICU UTILIZATION, UH, WITH US THE PROJECTION NOW SUGGESTING THAT WE'LL DROP BELOW 30 IN THE ICU USAGE BY THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL.
AGAIN, WHAT THESE MODELS SHOW US IS IF A DISEASE TRANSMISSION STAYS THE SAME AS IT IS NOW, IF THOSE PROTECTIONS STAY THE SAME AS THEY ARE NOW, WE'RE GOING TO SEE A DECREASE.
OBVIOUSLY THERE IS SOME CONCERN ABOUT HOW THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE AFTER WEDNESDAY.
AND I WAS WITH BUSINESSES OPENING UP A HUNDRED PERCENT AND WITH, WITH RELAXATION ON THE, THE MASK MANDATE.
AGAIN, IF WE, IF THE COMMUNITY RESPONDS BY TAKING A LOT MORE RISKS,
UM, SO AGAIN, IF I WANT TO SEE THIS REALITY, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE THE PROTECTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST MONTH TO FURTHER DRIVE DOWN THOSE CASE NUMBERS AND TRANSMISSIONS.
UH, THIS GRAPH IS AN UPDATE OF THE HOSPITALIZATIONS BY AGE GROUP.
UH, WE DID SEE A INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE 80 PLUS AGE GROUP HOSPITALIZED LAST WEEK, DECREASE IN THE 60 TO 69 AGE GROUP BY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT, UH, ALSO INCREASES IN THE 20 TO 29 AND 30 TO 39 AGE GROUP IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGES OF THE HOSPITAL, UH, OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED IN THE LAST WEEK.
UM, SO AGAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME MOVEMENT IN, IN WHO IS GETTING HOSPITALIZED, WHICH I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT ON THIS SLIDE.
NOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWO WEEKS AGO AND LAST WEEK, THERE'S ABOUT A 20% DROP IN, UH, OVERALL ADMISSIONS FOR THE WEEK.
UH, SO IT'S, UH, IT'S, UH, THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
UH, WE DIDN'T SEE A INCREASE FROM 25 TO 32 IN THAT 80 PLUS AGE GROUP WHO WERE HOSPITALIZED DECREASES IN THE 70, 79, 60 TO 69 AND 50 TO 59 AGE GROUPS.
SO WE SEE A LOT OF COMPRESSION IN THAT, UH, IN THOSE OLDER AGE GROUPS AGAIN, WHICH IS, IS GOOD.
WE KNOW THAT THE OLDER YOU ARE, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO HAVE A SEVERE COURSE, MORE LIKELY TO NEED ICU ADMISSIONS AND CERTAINLY MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM COVID-19 AS WELL.
WHAT IS CONCERNING? HOWEVER, IS THE THICKNESS OF THE BARS THAT YOU SEE IN THE YOUNGER AGE GROUPS THAT 20 TO 29 AND 30 TO 39 AGE GROUP IN PARTICULAR, AGAIN, WE NEED LOTS OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION IN THOSE AGE GROUPS TO NET, UH, YOU KNOW, 44 ADMISSIONS BETWEEN THOSE TWO AGE GROUPS.
SO AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH YOUNGER PEOPLE, PEOPLE IN THEIR TWENTIES AND THIRTIES MAY NOT HAVE AS SEVERE OF A COURSE ON AVERAGE, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO PROMOTE DISEASE PREVENTION IN THOSE AGE GROUPS, MASKING, DISTANCING AND PERSONAL HYGIENE, UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE SEEN IN, IN, IN PREVIOUS SURGES THAT IT STARTS WITH THOSE YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS AND THEN SPREADS TO THE OLDER AGE GROUPS, WHICH HAS MORE IMPACT ON MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY.
THIS GRAPH IS SHOWING AN UPDATE OF THE HOSPITALIZATIONS BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.
UM, THIS WEEK, OR LAST WEEK 42.4% OF HOSPITALIZATIONS, UH, WERE IN OUR, UH, WHITE NON-HISPANIC GROUP, UM, 41.8% IN OUR LATIN X POPULATION AND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN OUR, UH, PERCENTAGE, UH, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH AFRICAN-AMERICANS MOVING FROM 15.9 TO 11%.
AND I WAS SO VERY PLEASED WITH THAT CHANGE IN PARTICULAR, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE OVERALL ADMISSIONS BROKEN DOWN BY RACE AND ETHNICITY, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE IN THE GREEN, OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY, A SIGNIFICANT DECREASED 87 TO 76.
NOW YOU SEE A DECREASE IN OUR WHITE NON-HISPANIC 84 TO 79, UH, AND THAT HAVE BEEN DROPPED IN OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, MOVING FROM 35 PERMISSIONS THE PREVIOUS WEEK TO 20 ADMISSIONS LAST FOR SOME MORE POSITIVE NEWS.
UH, THIS IS OUR, UH, POP OVERALL POSITIVITY IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR COVID-19, UH, LAST WEEK, 4.6% POSITIVITY, UH, FOR OUR DATA SET THAT IS COLLECTED IN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
SO A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE AS COMPARED TO 6.9 THE PREVIOUS WEEK AT 10.3% THE WEEK BEFORE THAT, UH, AGAIN, I WANT TO REITERATE THE IMPORTANCE OF TESTING FOR
[00:10:01]
COVID-19.UH, THERE ARE LOTS OF SYMPTOMS, UH, WHICH CAN MIMIC OTHER DISEASES.
IF ANYBODY HAS ANY OF THE SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19, IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET TESTED, THE BETTER WE CAN DO AT DETECTING COVID-19 AND ISOLATING FOLKS WHO HAVE COVID-19 THE BETTER CHANCE WE HAVE OF FURTHER DRIVING DOWN THE POSITIVITY AND, UH, IN THE HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19.
THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE POSITIVITY BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.
UM, OUR NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER MOVE GROUP MOVED FROM 23.1%.
THE PREVIOUS WEEK TO 20% LAST WEEK, OUR LATIN NEXT COMMUNITY, 13.4% THE PREVIOUS WEEK TO 8.4% LAST WEEK, OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY 6.9% THE PREVIOUS WEEK TO 4.9% LAST WEEK, OUR AMERICAN INDIAN, ALASKA NATIVE AT A INCREASE, UH, 5.7% TO 6.9%, OUR ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY 4.4% TO 2.6% LAST WEEK.
UH, SO THAT'S THE ONE GROUP, UH, IN PARTICULAR, WHO'S DOING THE BEST RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF POSITIVITY UNDER THAT 3% THRESHOLD.
UH, THAT IS OUR MAJOR GOAL, UH, OUR WHITE NON HISPANIC COMMUNITY 5.6% TO 4.1% LAST WEEK.
UH, SO BY AND LARGE, THE IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS THE BOARD IN TERMS OF RACE, RACE, AND ETHNICITY, AND OUR POSITIVITY FOR COVID-19 TESTING.
SIMILARLY, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR DISTRIBUTION OF POSITIVITY BY AGE GROUP, UH, WE ACROSS THE BOARD DECREASES IN POSITIVITY, UH, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF OUR 80 PLUS AGE GROUP.
AGAIN, SMALLER NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS BEING TESTED.
UH, THEY ARE, UH, THE HIGHEST, UH, THIS WEEK SO FAR, AND, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT SITUATION.
UH, BUT WE'RE SEEING DROPS ACROSS THE BOARD, GENERALLY SPEAKING WITH SOME AGE GROUPS APPROACHING THAT, UH, THAT 3% MARK, AND WE'VE GOT MANY WHO ARE CLOSE OR BELOW THAT 5% THRESHOLD.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE POSITIVITY IN OUR SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN.
NOW, THE STORY'S A BIT VARIED OUR HIGH SCHOOL POSITIVITY FOR THE PAST WEEK.
THAT'S TWO 28 TO THREE SIX, 5.3% MIDDLE SCHOOL, 8.7% ELEMENTARY, 4.3%.
AGAIN, WE'RE PLEASED TO SEE THE TA AND OUR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, CONTINUING THE MASK MANDATE, CONTINUING THE PROTECTIONS, UH, INCLUDING THE, THE DISTANCING AND THE HAND HYGIENE.
AND, UH, AGAIN, IF WE CONTINUE TO DO THOSE THINGS, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DECREASE THE POSITIVITY IN OUR SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN.
UM, AGAIN, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION.
WE CONTINUE TO MEET WEEKLY WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENTS.
WE HAVE A, UH, SCHOOLS RELATED TASK FORCE NOW THAT WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO MONITOR DISEASE TRANSMISSION, AND ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES THEY NEED, UH, TO ADDRESS ANY TRANSMISSION THAT MAY BE HAPPENING ON CAMPUS, UH, FOR SOME GREAT NEWS.
UH, THIS IS OUR DASHBOARD ASSOCIATED WITH OUR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES.
UH, YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE PAST 14 DAYS, THERE'S BEEN A TOTAL OF 10 CASES, AND THAT INCLUDES STAFF AND RESIDENTS, UH, 36 IN THE PAST 28 DAYS.
SO REMARKABLY LOW CASES ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, WITH LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES.
UH, I'M NOT CERTAIN, BUT I FEEL FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT THESE ARE A RECORD LOW NUMBERS FOR, UH, FOR TRANSMISSION IN THOSE FACILITIES.
AND AGAIN, I THINK THIS HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THEIR FOCUS FROM THE FEDERAL STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ON GETTING THESE FOLKS VACCINATED EARLY.
I THINK WE ARE SEEING AN IMPACT OF THAT, THAT FOCUSED VACCINE EFFORT.
AND IT, UH, AGAIN, IS, UH, IS SAVING LIVES IN THESE FACILITIES AND CERTAINLY HELPING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE BETTER SITUATION IN OUR HOSPITALS.
A QUICK UPDATE ON OUR REGIONAL INFUSION CENTER.
AGAIN, UH, THIS WAS OPENED IN, UH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TEXT DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, UH, TO PROVIDE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, TO RESIDENTS WHO ARE AT RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE AND DEATH FROM COVID-19 A TOTAL OF 730 INDIVIDUALS SO FAR HAVE BEEN TREATED THROUGH THIS FACILITY.
[00:15:01]
WE HAVE MUCH MORE CAPACITY TO PROVIDE THE TREATMENT THAN PEOPLE WHO ARE, ARE GETTING IT.UH, SO AS A REMINDER, WHERE WE'RE SENDING COMMUNICATIONS OUT TO OUR HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE REFERRING INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY QUALIFY FOR THIS, UH, AGAIN, COVID-19 IS STILL AROUND.
IT'S STILL DANGEROUS, PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE RISK FACTORS FOR SEVERE DISEASE.
SO WE NEED TO CONTINUE THIS EFFORT TO PUSH FOLKS THERE, TO RECEIVE THIS ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY, WHICH MAY DECREASE THEIR RISK OF NEEDING HOSPITALIZATION.
AND SHE, ON OUR ALTERNATE CARE SITE, UH, AS OF YESTERDAY, WE HAD 28 INDIVIDUALS STILL, UH, HOSPITALIZED AND THE ALTERNATE CARE SIDE AT THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, A TOTAL OF 187 INDIVIDUALS.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT HAD BEEN TREATED AND DISCHARGED FROM THE SITE, UH, AS OF YESTERDAY AT 5:00 PM, THE ALTERNATE CARE SITE IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS.
UH, AND WE WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS OF DEMOBILIZATION OF THE FACILITY WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT ALL THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CURRENTLY BEING TREATED, THAT THERE WILL BE DISPOSITIONED BY THE 20TH OF THIS MONTH.
UH, AGAIN, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE THE RESOURCE AVAILABLE.
SHOULD WE NEED TO STAND IT OUT? THE EXPECTATION FROM THE TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS THAT IF WE NEED TO, UH, TO STAND UP THIS SITE AGAIN, OR A DIFFERENT SITE OR AN ALTERNATE CARE FACILITY THAT IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT ONE WEEK, UH, FROM, FROM THE ORDER TO, UH, BEING ABLE TO SERVE PATIENTS.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP WITH TETUM, UH, TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE AND, UH, IN THE FUTURE AS WELL, IF IT'S NEEDED.
SO QUICK UPDATE IT'S ON INFLUENZA, AGAIN, A VERY LOW NUMBERS OF, OF INFLUENZA, THANKS TO THE VACCINATION EFFORT, TO THE MASKING AND DISTANCING AND HAND HYGIENE EFFORTS.
OUR POSITIVITY LAST WEEK 0.4, 4%, NOT ONE SINGLE INFLUENCER CASE IDENTIFIED IN TRAVIS COUNTY OR WEEK EIGHT, UH, TO DATE 1.17% LESS THAN A HUNDRED POSITIVE CASES OF INFLUENCES SO FAR IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, WHEN WE COMPARE THAT TO THE PREVIOUS THREE SEASONS, WE SAY THAT WE ARE STILL IN RECORD, LOW TERRITORY.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE ARE PUSHING PAST, UH, THE, THE, THE MAJOR PEAKS.
UH, THERE'S STILL SOME POSSIBILITY OF SAYING FLU INTO, UH, MARCH AND EARLY APRIL.
UH, BUT THAT RISK IS, IS CERTAINLY DISSIPATED QUICKLY.
UH, FINALLY, UH, MAYOR AND JUDGE, UH, YOU KNOW, I, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY OF TRANSITIONING TO STAGE THREE.
NOW WE'VE BEEN IN STAGE THREE TERRITORY FOR THE PAST WEEK, UH, AND TO THE COMMISSIONERS AND COUNCIL, I WILL SAY THAT I SENT A TEXT OUT TO THE MAYOR JUDGE THIS WEEKEND, UH, EXPECTING THAT WE WERE GOING TO TRANSITION TO STAGE THREE TODAY.
HOWEVER, GIVEN THE, THE FACT THAT ADMISSIONS ARE ON THE RISE FOR THE PAST THREE DAYS, THAT WE'VE SEEN PLATEAUING AND SOME INCREASES IN OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS, UH, AS WELL AS THE CONCERN ABOUT IT OUT, OVER RELAXING, UH HUH.
OUR MITIGATION EFFORTS WITH THE REMOVAL OF THE MASK MANDATE, UH, AND, UH, AND YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY AS WE HEAD INTO SPRING BREAK NEXT WEEK, UH, I'VE GOT SOME CONCERNS ABOUT DOING THAT AT THIS STAGE.
UM, WELL WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE DATA, UH, IF THEY'RE A SOLID INDICATION THAT WE ARE, UH, DECREASING IN OUR EMISSIONS LATER IN THE WEEK, WE MAY MAKE THE DETERMINATION, UH, AT THE END OF THIS WEEK TO, TO TRANSITION.
HOWEVER, FOR NOW WE'RE GOING TO STAY IN STAGE FOUR OR NOT TO ENSURE THAT WHEN YOU CONTINUE THE ADVOCACY AND THE EFFORT THAT, UH, THAT GOT US TO THIS STAGE AND, UH, AND NEED TO CONTINUE AT LEAST FOR THE SHORT TERM.
SO AS A REMINDER, UH, WE'RE RECOMMENDING FOLKS STAY HOME, UH, TO AVOID NONESSENTIAL TRIPS, UH, TO CONTINUE THE, THE MASKING IN THE DISTANCING.
UM, WE'RE RECOMMENDING OUR BUSINESSES OPERATE AT A MAXIMUM OF 50% CAPACITY TO THIS STAGE, UH, TO HELP ENSURE THAT SPACING TO ENSURE THAT, UH, IF PEOPLE ARE GOING OUT TO NOT REALLY RESTAURANTS OR RETAIL THAT THEY CAN DO SO IN A SAFE WAY, AGAIN, OUR, OUR EFFORT IS TO, UH, TO PRESERVE PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ECONOMIC HEALTH.
AND BY FINDING THAT APPROPRIATE MIDDLE GROUND, WE CAN DO BOTH THINGS WELL WITHOUT TAKING TOO MUCH RISKS ON EITHER SIDE DARLENE.
UH, I'M GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL A JOINT STATEMENT, UH, FROM LOTS OF THE AREA, UH, ENTITIES, HEALTHCARE ENTITIES,
[00:20:01]
PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, AND, UH, THAT REALLY, UH, CODIFIES THE IMPORTANCE OF, OF MASKING.UM, WE, WE BELIEVE IN MASKING, WE KNOW IT WORKS.
WE SAW THE DRAMATIC IMPACT, UH, THAT THE MASKING MANDATE HAD, UH, WHEN IT WAS ISSUED BY THE GOVERNOR ON JULY 2ND WITH ALMOST TWO WEEKS.
SO THE DATE A SUBSTANTIAL AND SUSTAINED DECREASE IN TRANSMISSION, UH, WE NEED THAT TO CONTINUE WHEN NEEDED THE EFFORTS TO CONTINUE.
WE NEED PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO MASK AND DISTANCE AND DO THOSE THINGS THAT HAVE GOTTEN US OUT OF SEARCH HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, SO OUR HOPE IS THAT THAT PEOPLE, OUR COMMUNITY, OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS WILL CONTINUE TO ECHO THE MESSAGING THAT THESE PROTECTIVE MEASURES, THESE NON-PHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS WORK.
AND THEY'RE IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONTINUE WAS THAT I'LL TRANSITION OVER TO DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD.
SO WE WANTED TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME TALKING ABOUT THE SCHEDULING SYSTEM UPDATE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE MADE A CHANGE IS, IS THAT WE HAVE MOVED TO A MONDAY RELEASE OF APPOINTMENTS.
UM, ONE OF THE, UM, CONCERNS THAT WE WERE RECEIVING IS THAT, UM, THE TUESDAY, THURSDAY DIDN'T ALLOW AS MUCH FLEXIBILITY AND, UM, FOLKS WANTED MORE THAN A 24 HOUR TURNAROUND TO COME TO APPOINTMENTS.
UM, YESTERDAY FOLKS, UM, OUR TEAM WORKED TOGETHER, UM, TO RELEASE, UH, APPOINTMENTS YESTERDAY.
WE RELEASED, UM, 10,700 APPOINTMENTS.
AND, UM, AND SO THOSE WERE SCHEDULED.
ALL OF OUR SITES WERE SCHEDULED THROUGH THE WEEK THROUGH, UM, SATURDAY.
AND SO THE GOAL IS, IS THAT AS WE ARE, UM, WATCHING, IF THERE ARE ANY LEVEL OF NO SHOWS, OUR GOAL WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS TO GO BACK IN THE SYSTEM ON THURSDAY AND RELEASE ADDITIONAL APPOINTMENTS, UM, FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND, THAT IS GOING TO BE, UM, THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO AND SEE HOW THAT WORKS.
UM, AND SO, UM, WE DID RECEIVE SOME POSITIVE FEEDBACK.
I ACTUALLY SAT WITH THE TEAM, UM, LAST NIGHT AS WE RELEASED THE APPOINTMENTS AND, UM, WAS ABLE TO WATCH THE TEAM INTERACT WITH, UM, FOLKS.
UM, THEY ARE TYPICALLY LOOKING AT COMMENTS ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND REDDIT.
AND SO THEY ARE ACTUALLY ANSWERING QUESTIONS AS THEY COME UP AS FOLKS WHO ARE ON MINE AT THAT TIME.
AND SO, UM, SO IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY A PROCESS WE'RE CONTINUING TO, UM, DO SOME ADDITIONAL UPGRADES AND LOOKING AT OTHER WAYS OF HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THE SYSTEM.
NEXT SLIDE, WAIT, UM, PROVIDED.
UM, AND JUST AS A REMINDER, UM, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, MORE OF AN OWN TIME SNAPSHOT.
THE VACCINE, UM, DASHBOARD, UM, WAS UPDATED A WEEK AGO.
SO, SO THAT DATA IS A WEEK, UM, OUT.
AND SO THIS IS AS OF MARCH 6TH, WE ARE PROVIDED 112, UM, NINE 48 VACCINES.
THIS INCLUDES OUR FIRST AND SECOND DOSES.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, UM, CONTINUE TO DO IS, IS TO PROVIDE THE MADONNA VACCINE INTO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO, UM, AT OUR CURRENT FOOTPRINT OF, OF, OF OPERATING, UM, FIVE LOCATIONS, WE HAVE A CAPACITY TO OPERATE, UM, AND TO PROVIDE 37,000, UM, VACCINES, UM, A WEEK, UM, INCLUDING THAT EXISTING FOOTPRINT.
UM, IF WE INCREASE THE HOURS OF OPERATIONS IN THOSE EXISTING SITES AND POTENTIALLY, UM, ADD ONE MORE, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, BERGER CENTER FOR A LOCATION IN MARCH.
AND SO ADDING THAT SITE, UM, COULD POTENTIALLY BRING US UP TO 46,000 VACCINES.
AND SO, UM, WE'RE DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LOOKING AT THE VARIOUS SCENARIOS.
AND SO I WANT TO, UM, SHARE SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS WE PROCEED THROUGH THE PRESENTATION NEXT LIE.
[00:25:01]
WE HAVE INTRODUCED THE CONCEPT OF SCHOOL SATURDAYS.UM, AS OF LAST WEEK, WE, UM, WERE INFORMED AND BY THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES THAT, UM, UM, ALL ELIGIBLE SCHOOL STAFF, AS WELL AS CHILDCARE FOLKS ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A VACCINE, AS YOU ALL MAY RECALL.
UM, WE ACTUALLY DID A SCHOOL SATURDAY IN JANUARY ON THE 30TH.
UM, AND SO PRIOR TO, UM, THIS, UH, PROCESS OF ADDING WHAT WE HAD DONE IS, IS THAT WE WERE WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, PUBLIC PRIVATE CHARTER, UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO VAC PROVIDE VACCINES FOR 4,300 FOLKS.
SO AFTER WE'VE INTRODUCED THIS CONCEPT, WE HAVE PROVIDED, UM, 5,500 SCHOOLS STAFF, AND WE HAVE PROVIDED 2,168 CHILDCARE, UM, EMPLOYEES.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO, UM, TO WORK WITH THEM, UM, ALWAYS ENCOURAGING, UM, OTHER PARTNERS TO, UM, LOOK AT DOING SCHOOL SATURDAYS.
UM, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT IS A PRETTY LARGE POPULATION AS OF THE EIGHTH.
UM, AS I SHARED WITH YOU AT THE LAST PRESENTATION LAST WEEK, WANTING TO JUST SHARE SOME, UM, SOME DATA WITH YOU, UM, 69,770 PEOPLE, UM, 65 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, UM, HAVE RECEIVED THEIR VACCINES THROUGH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, AS WE, UM, HAVE, YOU KNOW, MADE SOME MODIFICATIONS, UM, MAKING OUTBOUND CALLS, UM, AND PROACTIVELY WORKING WITH SENIORS, UM, WHETHER IT IS THROUGH OUR, UM, NONPROFIT PARTNERS, UM, THAT WE RECEIVE REFERRALS FROM, UM, CONTINUING TO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THEM.
IN ADDITION, UM, WE HAVE, UM, OUR, OUR MOBILE TEAM AND THE MOBILE TEAMS ARE BASICALLY, WE HAVE VANS THAT OUR FOLKS, UM, TRAVEL TO LOCATIONS AND WE ARE USING, UM, FIXED FACILITIES WHERE WE ARE GOING.
AND SO BASICALLY WITH THE, WITH THE MOBILE TEAMS, UM, THIS WEEK WE ARE FINISHING, UM, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY WHERE WE WILL HAVE COMPETE COMPLETED, UM, FOUR PROPERTIES OF, OF FOLKS THAT ARE SENIORS AND, OR THAT ARE DISABLED, UM, WORKING WITH, UM, ADAPT.
WE ALSO, UM, HAVE STARTED WORKING WITH FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES AS WELL.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, FROM AN EQUITY PERSPECTIVE, UM, WE HAVE, UM, STARTED OUR MEETINGS WITH OUR FAITH BASED INITIATIVE.
OUR STAFF ARE STARTING TO, UM, HAVE A THREE, UM, PROCESS THREE-PRONG PROCESS, UM, WHERE IT DEFINITELY TALKS ABOUT THE EDUCATION, BUT IT MOVES TO THE ABILITY TO, TO SIGN UP AND TO PROVIDE, UH, VACCINES WORKING WITH, UM, FAITH-BASED LOCATIONS.
WE ARE PARTNERING WITH, UH, UT DALE AND, UM, COMMUNITY CARE AS WE HAVE DONE WITH SURVEILLANCE, UM, TESTING, THEY ARE ASSISTING US WITH, UM, WITH PROVIDING VACCINES AT PROTECTIVE LODGES AND, UM, THE ARCH.
AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THOSE THINGS, UM, AS WELL AS OTHER PARTNERS THAT PROVIDE SERVICES TO FOLKS THAT ARE HOMELESS.
THIS NEXT SLIDE, UM, JUST KIND OF MOVES US INTO STRATEGY OPTIONS TO HERD IMMUNITY.
AND SO BASICALLY WHAT WE WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU IS A COUPLE OF SCENARIOS.
THIS FIRST SCENARIO, WE'LL SHOW YOU THAT, UM, IF AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH SET UP, UM, LOCATIONS THAT WERE ABLE TO DO TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND VACCINES A DAY, UM, AND THE ILLUSTRATION IS, IS USING MADONNA.
UM, IT WOULD BE A 16 HOUR CLINIC.
IT WOULDN'T REQUIRE 2,400 STAFF A DAY.
UM, WE ARE ESTIMATING, UM, THE SALARIES, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BASED UPON, UM, YOU KNOW, STARTING WITH A LIVABLE WAGE.
SO IT WILL BE BETWEEN ONE EIGHT AND 2.5 MILLION, UM, A WEEK FOR SALARIES.
AND, UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE HAVE A CONTRACT.
AND SO IT DEPENDS ON IF IT'S A WALKUP OR IF IT'S A DRIVE-THRU, UM, THE COST FOR THAT IS, UM, BETWEEN 400,000 TO 800,000 A MONTH.
[00:30:01]
SO, UM, SO BASICALLY, UM, 85% OF TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, RESIDENTS WOULD BE PROVIDED THE VACCINE IN EIGHT WEEKS.THE OTHER THING THAT THIS MODEL HAS TO KEEP IN MIND IS, IS THAT IT HAS TO KEEP IN MIND, UM, THE, THE SECOND DOSES, UM, THAT IS, YOU KNOW, YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO PLAN FOR THAT.
SO THERE COULD BE THE POTENTIAL OF PROVIDING 50,000 VACCINES A DAY, UM, BASED UPON PROVIDING THE, THE SECOND DOSE, NEXT SLIDE, THIS OTHER SLIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, PUTS US IN, IN MORE OF A PARTNERSHIP PERSPECTIVE.
UM, WE ARE REALLY, UM, GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF OUR PARTNERS IN, UM, IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND SO THIS IS A PUBLIC PRIVATE STRATEGY.
SO AS WE LOOK AT THIS PUBLIC PRIVATE STRATEGY, IF AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH MAINTAINED AT 24,000 A WEEK, UM, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERING IF WE WERE USING MADONNA, THEN BASICALLY WITH THE APPROVED SITES, UM, ALL OF OUR PARTNERS WOULD ONLY NEED TO DO 267 VACCINES A WEEK.
AND SO BASICALLY NO ADDITIONAL HOURS OR NO ADDITIONAL STAFF WOULD BE NEEDED, UM, BECAUSE BASICALLY THE PARTNERS WOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
AND SO THE TIMELINE FOR THAT WOULD BE, UM, WE'D BE ABLE TO GET THAT DONE IN 12 WEEKS.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS I, YOU KNOW, WANT TO JUST GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, UM, IS, IS THAT HEB, WALGREENS SOUNDS AND WALMART AND CVS HAVE A DIRECT CONTRACT WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AND SO, UM, IN CONVERSATIONS WITH HEB HEB, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS THE ABILITY TO DO 4,000, UM, VACCINES PER DAY AT 40 SITES.
AND IN OUR CONVERSATION WITH AUSTIN REGIONAL CLINIC, THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO 30,000 VACCINES AT 30 LOCATIONS IN A MONTH.
AND SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, AS YOU ADD MORE PROVIDERS, UM, THAT WILL BE ABLE TO RECEIVE VACCINES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, THIS EQUATION WILL BE CUT IN HALF, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION HAS TALKED ABOUT, UM, PROVIDING, UM, VACCINES AND HAVE THEM READY TO DISTRIBUTE, UM, IN MAY.
AND SO IN THE CURRENT SCENARIO, UM, AS, AS VACCINES ARE STARTING TO COME INTO OUR COMMUNITY, UM, THIS EQUATION TOTALLY BECAUSE WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST IS, IS THAT THE AWESOME PUBLIC HEALTH BEGINS TO SHIFT ITS FOCUS AND, UM, AND STARTS TO PROVIDE TO VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.
AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR, UM, TENDS TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THE PUBLIC DOES ONLY BECAUSE OF THEIR EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE NUMBER OF SITES AND CAPACITY THAT THEY HAD OVER THE YEARS.
SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT EQUITY, UM, AND BEST PRACTICES, THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW HAVE REALLY, REALLY WORKED IS, IS BECAUSE WE'RE, WE WILL GET TO A POINT TO WHERE WE HAVE MORE VACCINES AND, UM, AND PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT, UM, WANTING TO HAVE A VACCINE.
AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH HESITANCY.
UM, AS YOU ALL ARE ALERTED, WE HAVE OUR EIGHT ORGANIZATIONS THEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, AS WELL AS OUR, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT, TO PROVIDE THE EDUCATION, UM, AND START THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE WANTING TO PIVOT TO IS, IS BEING IN NON-TRADITIONAL SETTINGS.
AS I STATED EARLIER, UM, THE MOBILE TEAM IS, IS CURRENTLY IN NONTRADITIONAL SETTINGS.
UM, WE ARE PARTNERING, UM, WITH OUR HACA SITES, AS WELL AS FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES.
UM, WE'VE MET WITH FAMILY ELDER CARE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO GO TO LION'S GARDEN, ET CETERA.
AND SO BEING ABLE TO BE IN NON-TRADITIONAL LOCATIONS, WE'VE ALSO, UM, IN OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY, UM, WE HAVE, UM, IDENTIFIED THREE PASTORS THAT ARE WILLING TO, UM, BE A HOST, UH, TO PROVIDE VACCINES AND, UM, ANOTHER CONVERSATION THAT, THAT WE'VE HAD, UM, THERE'S OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT ARE DEFINITELY INTERESTED IN ALSO, UM, PROVIDING, UM, SERVICES IN THESE LOCATIONS.
[00:35:01]
LOOKING AT OUR STRATEGIES AND OUR GOAL IS, IS TO GET US TO HERD IMMUNITY, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, UM, PROVIDING THE BEST SERVICE THAT WE CAN WITH THAT, UM, THAT COMPLETES MY PRESENTATION.UM, AND I'M AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE A QUICK SUMMARY OF THE CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS STUFF.
CAUSE I KNOW SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS HAD ASKED KIND OF ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE.
UH, SO THIS PAST WEEKEND WE GAVE 10,000 VACCINES AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS.
AND AGAIN, IT WAS THROUGH COMMUNITY CARE, MAINLY COMMUNITY CARE PATIENTS.
ALTHOUGH WE, UH, WERE ABLE TO INCLUDE ABOUT 420 DEL VALLEY ISD TEACHERS AND STAFF, AS WELL AS ABOUT A THOUSAND AISD TEACHERS AND STAFF OVER THE WEEKEND.
AND THEN I THINK AT THIS POINT WE HAVE GOTTEN ALL OF THE, FROM PREVIOUS CLINICS.
AND I THINK WITH A FEW THIS PAST WEEKEND GOTTEN ALL OF THE 65 AND OVER STAFF OF PFLUGERVILLE, MAINER AND DEL VALLEY AND AISD, I BELIEVE AT THIS POINT.
SO I THINK WORKING OBVIOUSLY WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, I THINK IN PRETTY SHORT ORDER WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO, I THINK WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO VACCINATE ALL TEACHERS AND STAFF WHO WANT TO BE VACCINATED.
UM, SEE, SO THIS WEEKEND WE GAVE THE PFIZER VACCINE AND JUST A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS THERE.
IT BASICALLY DOUBLED THE PHARMACY STAFF THAT WE HAD TO HAVE A PFIZER.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT COMES IN A VIAL THAT ORIGINALLY WAS A FIVE DOSE VILE.
UH, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, UH, SORT OF UPPED THAT TO SIX.
AND I THINK YOU CAN OFTEN GET SIX, BUT NOT ALWAYS GET SIX OUT OF THAT.
AND IN ADDITION, YOU HAVE TO MIX IT WITH SALINE, UH, TO, TO PREP IT, YOU HAVE TO WHICH RESULTS OFTEN IN THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PREPPING IT, HAVING TO SIT THERE AND FLIP, UH, THE, UH, WHAT IS THAT THING, BUT THE NEEDLE, THE SYRINGE, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HIRED, UM, TO GET THE BUBBLES OUT.
SO IT'S JUST, IT'S A MUCH LONGER PROCESS, UH, COMMUNITY CARE, UH, TOOK CARE OF THAT.
WE ACTUALLY HAD HELPERS FROM A LOCAL GROCERY STORE CHAIN.
WE ALSO HAD, UH, PEOPLE FROM ESD 11 HELPING WITH THE PHARMACY PART, BUT THAT THAT'S A MUCH BIGGER LIFT WITH PFIZER THAN IT IS WITH MADONNA OR, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY I DON'T ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW HOW JOHNSON JOHNSON HAS SET UP, BUT I THINK WE'RE ALL HOPING THAT WE CAN GET THOSE IN THE FUTURE.
UM, SO THAT IT, SO I THINK TOTAL IN THE, IN THE CLINICS THAT WE'VE DONE WITH COMMUNITY CARE, WE'VE DONE ABOUT 14,000 DOSES.
UH, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE HAVE BEEN COMMUNITY CARE PATIENTS LOOKING, TALKING AND TALKS, OBVIOUSLY WITH, WITH THE MERIT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF WE CAN GET BACK TO JUST SORT OF ONE LARGE EFFORT THAT'S COORDINATED ALTOGETHER.
AND I THINK WE'RE HEADING THAT DIRECTION.
WE'VE HAD OVER A THOUSAND VOLUNTEERS AT THE CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS CLINICS SO FAR.
HOW MUCH OF IT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO JUST WITH VOLUNTEERS? UH, OBVIOUSLY SOME PAID STAFF, BOTH FROM, FROM THE COUNTY, UH, FROM COMMUNITY CARE AND FROM ASCENSION SETON, SOME SOMEWHAT, BUT MOST OVERWHELMINGLY VOLUNTEER-DRIVEN.
UM, I THINK THE, THE, THE POTENTIAL FOR CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICA IS IF WE CAN GET UP TO FULL CAPACITY AND GET ALL THE VACCINES THAT WE WANT AGAIN, HOPEFULLY JOHNSON AND JOHNSON VACCINES, BUT I THINK WE COULD GET UP TO IF WE'RE DOING IT SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, UH, CLOSE TO THOUSAND A WEEK IS WHAT OUR GOAL IS.
I THINK OBVIOUSLY RIGHT NOW, NEXT WEEKEND, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE 14,000 DOSES.
SO THAT'D BE 4,000 FRIDAY, 5,000 SATURDAY, 5,000 SUNDAY.
I THINK WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING SATURDAY, JUST LIKE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS AS A DAY FOCUSED ON EDUCATORS AND, UH, AND STAFF AT THE ISD LEVEL.
SO MY MATH ON THAT WAS THAT IT WOULD TAKE US IF WE WERE TRYING TO GET TO THE POPULATIONS OF TRAVIS CASTRO, CALDWELL AND HAYES COUNTIES, UH, SOME SOMEWHERE AROUND 16 WEEKS.
SO I THINK I NEEDED TO GET TOGETHER WITH DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT I'M CALCULATING INCORRECTLY.
BUT I THINK WITH THE COMBINED EFFORT OF WHAT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS IS DOING WITH WHAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS DOING, HEB, CVS, ALL THE, ALL THE HOSPITALS, I THINK WE'RE REALLY STARTING TO GET OUT, GET A CAPACITY TO GIVE OUT LOTS OF VACCINES.
AND I THINK THAT STILL THE COMMON DENOMINATOR ACROSS ALL OF IT IS, UH, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE GET MORE VACCINES ACROSS THE BOARD FOR THE REGION.
AND I THINK ALL KIND OF HOPING THAT WE CAN GET JOHNSON AND JOHNSON BECAUSE THAT IN EFFECT DOUBLES OUR CAPACITY, WE CAN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO A SECOND SHOT WITH JOHNSON AND JOHNSON.
SO THAT REALLY, UH, THAT LITERALLY DOUBLES THE CAPACITY THAT WE HAVE.
SO I'M ALSO HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, UM, BUT LET'S TURN IT OVER TO COMMISSIONER GOMEZ AND WORK OUR WAY THROUGH THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT FOR QUESTIONS FOR DR.
S SCOTT OR DIRECTOR HIDDEN HOWARD OR, OR ON THIS EFFORT,
[00:40:01]
JUDGE, I DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTION.IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S, UH, THE, UM, BAXTON NATIONS ARE STARTING TO MOVE FORWARD AND THAT'S WHAT REALLY IT'S GOING TO MAKE UP A BIT DIFFERENCE.
AND, UM, UH, AND THEN, UH, THE, UH, THE BISHOP, UH, ISSUED A LETTER, WHICH I THINK IS A VERY POSITIVE MESSAGE TO, UH, PEOPLE IN THE PEWS THAT, UM, THAT IT IS ESSENTIAL TO, TO GET A VACCINATION AND, UH, SIMPLY TO, TO, UH, UH, LEND, UM, SUPPORT TO HUMAN LIFE AND HUMAN DIGNITY.
AND, AND SO, UH, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE JUST A TREMENDOUS, UH, POSITIVE NOTE TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND SO THAT MESSAGE WILL CONTINUE TO GET OUT, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE, WE'RE FINALLY ON THAT ROLE, UH, TO TRY TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE VACCINATED AND THAT'S A REAL POSITIVE, UH, UH, ISSUE.
SO THANKS VERY MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE TO GET THIS PROCESS MOVING FORWARD.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ, UH, COMMISSIONER SHEA, UM, AND AS USUAL, THANKS TO ALL OF OUR STAFF THAT ARE, UM, JUST WORKING INCREDIBLE HOURS AND, UM, MAKING AN AMAZING EFFORT TO TRY AND KEEP THE COMMUNITY SAFE.
UM, I HAVE, UH, KIND OF A TWO-PART QUESTION.
UM, AND I, I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE COST OF THE, THESE MASS VACCINATION EFFORTS, BUT W ANDY, WE CAN JUDGE, WE CAN HAVE MORE OF THAT CONVERSATION IN OUR, UH, IN OUR MEETING, BUT, UM, I AM HEARING ALARMING STORIES ABOUT, UM, SECOND INFECTIONS FROM, UH, PEOPLE WHO HAD TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID HAD GOTTEN IT PREVIOUSLY, UM, AND THEN ARE GETTING REINFECTED MONTHS LATER, UM, IN SOME CASES VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY.
SO I WANT TO, I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THAT.
UM, BUT MY OTHER QUESTION CONCERNS THE GOVERNOR, I THINK, RECKLESSLY LIFTING THE MASK ORDER AND, UM, SAYING TEXAS IS 100% OPEN, UH, FULL STEAM AHEAD.
UM, I'M EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT SPRING BREAK ST.
PATRICK'S DAY ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITE HOLIDAYS, UM, EASTER, I MEAN, THESE ARE BIG EVENTS COMING UP WHERE PEOPLE GATHERING IN, IN LARGE NUMBERS.
UM, AND I'LL JUST TELL YOU, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE PLANS FOR A VERY LARGE NATIONAL CONFERENCE HERE.
AND THE NATIONAL STAFF WERE INCREDIBLY ALARMED THAT THE GOVERNOR HAD TAKEN THIS ACTION.
AND THEY SAID THAT CHANGES THEIR THINKING ABOUT PLANNING FOR THIS LARGE CONVENTION THIS SUMMER, BECAUSE IT RAISES THEIR CONCERN THAT THERE WILL BE A GREATER RATE OF SPREAD IN TEXAS.
SO IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO SOME OF THAT, THAT'D BE REALLY HELPFUL.
THANK YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER, I I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF, UH, THE, UH, EXECUTIVE ORDER AS WELL.
UH, I THINK WE ALL ARE SPEAKING TO MY COLLEAGUES.
UH, MY PHYSICIAN COLLEAGUES, HOSPITAL, ADMINISTRATOR COLLEAGUES, OUR SUPERINTENDENTS, EVERYBODY'S CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT.
UH, EVERYBODY SEEMS TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE THAT THIS SEEMS A BIT TOO SOON, UH, AND A BIT TOO AGGRESSIVE FOR WHERE WE ARE IN THE PANDEMIC.
AND I'M GRATEFUL THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS, HAS REITERATED THE IMPORTANCE OF MASKING THE IMPORTANCE OF DISTANCING, UH, OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS.
BUT MY CONCERN IS THAT WHAT PEOPLE WILL HEAR IS YOU DON'T HAVE TO WEAR A MASK AND EVERYTHING'S OPEN A HUNDRED PERCENT, UH, THAT'S THE WRONG MESSAGE.
THE MESSAGE IS WE'VE GOT TO CONTINUE THOSE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS.
WE HAVE TO CONTINUE THE MASKING AND DISTANCING AND HAND HYGIENE.
WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO AVOID LARGE GATHERINGS SO THAT WE CAN DRIVE DOWN TRANSMISSION.
UM, I THINK THIS CERTAINLY LEAVES US OPEN TO A REAL POSSIBILITY THAT WE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, IT WASN'T, WASN'T GOING TO BE REALIZED, AND THAT IS A THIRD SURGE.
UH, BUT AS YOU POINTED OUT, RELAXING NOW FOLLOWED BY, UH, SPRING BREAK, EASTER ST PATRICK'S DAY, UH, AND A NUMBER VACCINATE THEM, WHICH IS NOT ANYWHERE CLOSE TO HERD IMMUNITY CERTAINLY LEAVES US OPEN FOR, FOR A THIRD SURGE HERE IN TEXAS.
UM, I I'M PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, THIS ACTION REALLY BEFORE ESSENTIAL WORKERS ARE EVEN ABLE TO GET VACCINATED.
UH, WE SAW THAT THAT SCHOOL STAFF WAS ADDED AFTER THE FACT, UH, BUT YOU KNOW, I, I, I THINK WE NEED AT LEAST ANOTHER FEW WEEKS AND OTHER MONTHS TO START THINKING ABOUT
[00:45:01]
ANY AGGRESSIVE REOPENING, UH, BECAUSE WE NEED TO VACCINATE THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE GOING TO BE FACE-TO-FACE WITH CUSTOMERS, NOT WHO ARE GOING TO BE AT HIGHER RISK FOR CONTRACTING THE DISEASE.AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE MANY OF THEM ARE FROM OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
THEY'RE GOING TO BE AT HIGHER RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE AND DEATHS FROM COVID-19.
UH, SO OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE TO STAY PROTECTED.
UH, WE STILL HAVE HEALTH AUTHORITY RULES IN EFFECT, WHICH REQUIRE MASKING IN BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
UM, THOSE THINGS WILL STAY IN PLACE.
THE ENFORCEMENT OF THOSE WILL STAY IN PLACE, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN SAVE LIVES.
ANY THOUGHT ON THE RE-INFECTION RATE WITH THE VARIANCE, UH, RISE IN THAT, UH, COMMISSION.
WE CERTAINLY HAVE SEEN MANY REPORTS OF, OF REINFECTION WITH, WITH VARIANTS.
UM, WE KNOW THAT THAT THE ROLE OF VARIANCE IS INCREASING IN TEXAS AND, AND AROUND THE COUNTRY.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS MORE EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTS THAT WE SHOULD BE MORE CAUTIOUS RIGHT NOW, UH, SO THAT WE CAN DECREASE THE RISK OF THE VARIANT TRANSMISSION.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, AND PROBABLY MORE CONCERNING IS THE CREATION OF NEW VARIANTS.
WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THIS IN, IN THE NEWS THIS MORNING, OUT OF, UH, THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, UH, THE MORE THE VARIANTS MIXED WITH THE ORIGINAL STRAINS.
THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO CREATE, UH, FURTHER MUTATIONS, WHICH LIKELY WILL START TO BE MORE, UH, ABLE TO EVADE VACCINE.
UH, AGAIN, WE'RE AT A, AT A CRITICAL TIME SPOT RIGHT NOW, WHERE WE HAVE TO CONTINUE THOSE PROTECTIONS TO AVOID THE IMPACT OF THE CURRENT MYRIADS AND POTENTIALLY NEW VARIANTS.
TREVELYAN UM, JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS.
UM, NUMBER ONE, I APPRECIATE THE CANDOR AND THE CLARITY OF YOUR LAST ANSWER.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT, UH, WHEN SCIENCE GUIDES US IN ONE DIRECTION THAT WE DON'T, UH, WE DON'T ALLOW TO GUIDE US IN ANOTHER DIRECTION WITHOUT CALLING IT OUT.
SO I APPRECIATE THE CLARITY AND THE CANDOR OF YOUR ANSWER.
MY SECONDARILY, UH, I WANT TO, UH, TO PUBLICLY THANK YOU AND, UH, AND DIRECTOR, UM, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN, UM, UH, HOWARD FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DID WITH, UH, WITH, UM, UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT CHURCHES WERE BEING REACHED OUT TO, UM, FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES WERE BEING REACHED OUT TO FOLKS WHO ARE NOT NORMALLY A PART OF THE DISCUSSION.
I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THAT YOU MADE AND THINK THEY WERE IMPORTANT.
I THINK THEY PAID DIVIDENDS LAST WEEK AND WILL CONTINUE TO PAY DIVIDENDS, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, MY CONCERN IS ONCE AGAIN, AS WE TALK ABOUT ESSENTIAL WORKERS, I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE OUR T OUR TEACHERS AND OUR TITLE, ONE SCHOOLS COVERED.
I KNOW THAT WE JUST OPENED UP THE CALL LAST WEEK FOR TEACHERS LEARN PARTICULARLY INTERESTED AND, AND, UH, IN TEACHERS AND KIDS THAT OPERATE IN, IN THE TITLE ONE ENVIRONMENT.
AND MY QUESTION IS, HAVE WE CONSIDERED USING OUR MOBILE TEAMS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR PERSONNEL AND IN TITLE ONE SCHOOLS ARE TARGETED AND THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THEM AT, AT THOSE SCHOOLS, IF NECESSARY, UM, COMMISSIONER TREVELYAN, UM, WE HAVE NOT DECIDED TO USE THE MOBILE TOOLS THAT WAY.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE BEFORE IS WE HAVE A CLOSED, UM, LOCATION THAT WE HAVE ALLOWED, UM, UM, TEACHERS, UM, FULL STAFF TO GO TO THOSE.
AND THOSE ARE BASICALLY WHERE STAFF ARE REACHING OUT TO THEM AND ACTUALLY SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT.
SO EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE GOING KIND OF THE MAINSTREAM WAY AT THE SITE ON SATURDAY, THERE'S, UM, THERE ARE OTHER DAYS OF THE WEEK, FIVE OTHER DAYS DURING THE WEEK WHERE THAT STAFF ARE ABLE TO GO, THAT PROCESS HAS WORKED VERY WELL.
UM, OUR STAFF HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, TO TARGET THOSE EFFORTS WITH THEM AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
UM, AND SO, UM, WE CAN DEFINITELY,
[00:50:02]
UM, I'LL MENTION TO STAFF THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, ADDING SPECIAL EFFORT TO, FOR TITLE ONE SCHOOLS.WELL, I, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, JUST, UH, MY LAST COMMENT IS, YOU KNOW, W WHEN I LOOKED AT THE EIGHT WEEK APPROACH VERSUS THE 12 WEEK APPROACH, IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THE 12 WEEK APPROACH WAS, UH, IS RELIANT ON THE EXISTING, UM, THE, THE EXISTING PHARMACY AND, AND, UM, AND GROCERY STORE STRUCTURE, WHICH IS NOT AS AVAILABLE AND APPARENT IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME THAT WE HAVE A PUBLIC PRIVATE ROLLOUT, BUT VAPE THAT THERE HAS, WE HAVE TO TAKE SPECIFIC STEPS TO ADDRESS THE LACK OF AN INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT AND THE INSTITUTIONS, WHICH CAN BE WORKED THROUGH TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING SOME OF THE BANKS THAT COULD HAPPEN IN AN AGB IN THE WEST PART OF THE TOWN AND CAN'T HAPPEN.
AND, AND, UH, IN A, UM, A GROCERY SETTING OR PHARMACY SETTING ON THE EAST PART OF THE TIME.
WELL, COMMISSIONER, LET ME RESPOND TO THAT BY SAYING THAT THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PATH IS THAT AS THE PHARMACIES START TO PROVIDE VACCINE AS THE HEALTH CARE CLINICS, UH, AND, AND OTHER, UH, VACCINE PROVIDERS RAMP UP THEIR EFFORTS THAT FREES UP CITY AND COUNTY RESOURCES TO ONLY FOCUS ON THOSE COMMUNITIES AND NEEDS.
IT REALLY ALLOWS US TO SHIFT FROM A POPULATION BASED APPROACH TO THE BACKS THAT FOR VACCINATION TO OUR TRADITIONAL CLIENTS, WHICH ARE THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO OTHER MAINS ALLOWS US TO HAVE SMALLER, UH, VACCINATION EFFORTS, WHICH ARE CLOSER TO PEOPLE'S HOMES OR CHURCHES OR BUSINESSES, SO THAT WE CAN DO A MORE EFFECTIVE JOB AT REACHING THAT, THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE.
I JUST ALWAYS LIKE TO SEE THE OPERATIONAL PLAN AS WE CHANGE STRATEGIES.
UH, AND AS WE CHANGE TACTICS, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S AN OPERATIONAL PLAN IN PLACE ON THE WEEKEND, SO THAT WE CAN EXPLAIN TO THE COMMUNITY EXACTLY WHAT'S CHANGING AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO HAVE BACK THEIR ABILITY TO GAIN ACCESS.
UH, I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER, UH, HOWARD, THANK YOU, JUDGE.
I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
I THINK THAT EVERYTHING COMMISSIONER TOURBILLION SAID RINGS TRUE TO ME.
WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ACCESS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTY FROM THE, YOU KNOW, FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK.
AND I KIND OF ALREADY WENT EARLIER, SO I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND PASS IT ON OVER TO YOU, MARY FOR Y'ALL'S QUESTIONS.
WE'LL WORK THROUGH OUR COUNCIL THIS TIME FROM 10 WORKING DOWN TO TWO, ONE TO GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO, TO DO THAT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YES.
UM, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITING AND REFRESHING IT IS TO ACTUALLY BE TALKING ABOUT OUR ABILITY TO RAMP UP TO HERD IMMUNITY AND TO HAVE THAT TARGET, YOU KNOW, WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE AND HAVE VACCINE FLOW, AND REALLY BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
SO I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE SOME OF THAT CONVERSATION THIS MORNING.
UM, I HAD ONE POINT OF CLARIFICATION AND THEN A QUESTION.
SO THE POINT OF CLARIFICATION IS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE, THE SCENARIOS THAT DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD PUT FORWARD AND THE INFORMATION ABOUT CODA GO TOGETHER, BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE THAT THOSE ARE THE SAME NUMBERS AND WHETHER THE APH NUMBERS INCLUDE CODA.
AND IF WE COMBINE THEM, IF IT WOULD BE FASTER.
UM, SO IF SOMEONE CAN EXPLAIN HOW THOSE WORK TOGETHER IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW MANY WEEKS, UM, DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD WAS TALKING ABOUT TRAVIS COUNTY ALONE, AND THE JUDGE WAS TALKING COUNTIES.
UM, SO THE NUMBERS ARE NOT THE SAME, BUT IN TERMS OF, FOR WHAT WOULD HAPPEN FOR TRAVIS, IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION IS, UM, WITH RESPECT TO THE CALL-IN NUMBER, WHICH I GUESS IS THE NINE SEVEN TWO FIVE FIVE SIX ZERO NUMBER.
UM, WE ARE HEARING THAT, THAT NUMBER'S NOT BEING ANSWERED.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S CERTAIN PEOPLE THAT ARE CALLING AND THEY GOT INTO SOME PURGATORY AND IT DIDN'T GET ANSWERED.
THEY JUST NEED TO HANG UP AND CALL BACK.
OR IF YOU COULD TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT NUMBER, I BELIEVE THAT'S THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE CALL, UM, IF THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO DO STUFF ONLINE AND THEY DON'T GO THROUGH THREE, ONE, ONE, UM, BUT
[00:55:01]
WE'RE HEARING SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT, UM, LINE AND WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE.UM, THE, THE INFORMATION THAT I SHARED ABOUT A HERD IMMUNITY, UM, IS BASED UPON, UH, WHAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH WOULD DO, UM, IN THE SCENARIO, INCLUDING THE PRIVATE COMMUNITY.
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE WHAT IS HAPPENING AT CODA.
SO WE WOULD HAVE TO GET WITH THE JUDGE AND HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT THAT DATA WOULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, I WILL CHECK WITH STAFF ABOUT THE NON SEVEN TWO, UM, UH, CALL CENTER NUMBER.
UM, IT SHOULD BE WORKING, UM, SO IT MAY JUST BE NO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, ET CETERA.
UM, BUT WE WE'VE ADDED SOME ADDITIONAL STAFF.
WE, UM, SHIFTED OFF, UH, THE NURSES BECAUSE WE NEED THEM TO BE PROVIDING VACCINES.
AND SO I WILL, UM, FOLLOW UP WITH THE TEAM AND GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT MIND.
UM, AND IF MY TEAM CAN BE HELPFUL AT ALL, WITH SHARING THE INFO, WE HAVE, LET US KNOW.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THE CONCERN IS WE'RE HEARING PEOPLE WHO ARE STAYING ON FOR HOURS AND NEVER GETTING AN ANSWER AND JUST NEED TO KNOW IF, IF PEOPLE ARE IN FACT ANSWERING AND THEY JUST NEED TO HANG UP AND TRY AGAIN, CAUSE THEY GOT SOMEHOW INTO SOME WEIRD PLACE.
UM, UM, YOU KNOW, OR IF THEY'RE NOT, IF IT'S TAKING THEM REALLY LONG TIME TO ANSWER CALLS, WE JUST NEED TO KNOW THAT SO PEOPLE KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.
COUNSELING WERE ALTER, I'LL JUST ADD ON TO DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD'S RESPONSE.
THERE, THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE MATH, DEPENDING ON WHERE THE VACCINE GOES.
NOW, THE 24,000 THAT WAS, UH, WAS MENTIONED IN THE PRESENTATION IS 12,000 FROM APH, 12,000 FROM, UH, FROM DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL.
THOSE ARE THE TWO HUB PROVIDERS.
UH, THERE WAS ACTUALLY ABOUT 24,000 MORE VACCINES DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY.
UH, SO REALLY, UH, IF, EVEN IF WE HAVE A FEW PLAYERS, APH DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL, UH, THE COTA, UH, THE CODA EFFORT HDB, AND SOME OF THE LARGE PHARMACY CHANGE, UH, REALLY THE, THE, THE TIMELINE STARTS COMPRESSED SIGNIFICANTLY.
IF WE CAN GET THE VACCINE, UH, WE INTRODUCED THAT THERE WERE 350 OTHER VACCINE PROVIDERS IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE NUMBERS THAT THEY NEED TO PROVIDE ON A WEEKLY BASIS ARE REALLY VERY SMALL, UH, TO REALLY GET US, GET US VACCINATED BY THE END OF MAY.
UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US, AGAIN, THAT WE PUSH THIS EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN GET EVERYBODY VACCINATED, EVERY ADULT VACCINATED BY THE END OF MAY, UH, SO THAT WE CAN START TO DECREASE THAT RISK OF, OF THE VARIANTS EMERGING AND, AND POTENTIALLY NEW VARIANTS EMERGING THAT GIVES US A SUMMER, UH, TO FOCUS ON OUR CHILDREN.
AND, UH, AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL, WE'LL SEE A VACCINE AVAILABLE FOR THEM OVER THE SUMMER, SO THAT BY THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE CAN HAVE A NORMAL OR NEAR NORMAL SCHOOL SESSION FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AWHILE.
UM, NOT THAT I DO THAT TOO, IS AN EXCITING PROSPECT OF HAVING A, A NEAR NORMAL SCHOOL EXPERIENCE FOR, FOR ALL OF THE MANY EDUCATORS AND PARENTS AND STUDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE IN OUR HOUSE.
UM, I HAD A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS AND ONE RELATES TO THAT.
HAYDEN HOWARD OF, OF, UM, HOW, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF EDUCATORS HERE IN, IN TRAVIS COUNTY HAVE BEEN VACCINATED AT THIS POINT? I KNOW AT ONE POINT YOU COULD, YOU WERE ABLE TO ESTIMATE HOW MANY WEEKS AT THE CURRENT RATE OF VACCINATION IT WOULD TAKE TO, TO VACCINATE ALL THOSE WHO HAD REGISTERED IN THE APH SITE WHO WERE CURRENTLY ELIGIBLE THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, A MONTH OR SO AGO, BUT I JUST WONDERED IF YOU HAD ANY, ANY IDEA, IF YOU COULD GIVE US ANY SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE WITH REGARD TO THE EDUCATORS.
AND THEN MY SECOND QUICK QUESTION IS REALLY ONE FOR THE JUDGE, I THINK FOR JUDGE BROWN.
AND THAT IS IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON HOW MANY OF THOSE BEING, UM, WHO HAVE BEEN VACCINATED OUT AT CODA ARE TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS VERSUS RESIDENTS OF OTHER COUNTIES, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, UM, WHAT WE TYPICALLY DO WHEN WE LOOK AT, UM, THE SCHOOL FOOTPRINT, WE DON'T ONLY COUNT EDUCATORS.
WE LOOK AT ALL OF THE STAFF IN SCHOOLS.
SO THUS FAR, UM, WE PROVIDED 5,000, UM, 500 VACCINES, UM, TO SCHOOL STAFF.
AND SO THAT IS YOUR TEACHERS, THAT IS YOUR, UM, CAFETERIA WORKER, BUS DRIVERS, ET CETERA.
UM, AND SO WE'VE, WE'VE SENT OUT A SURVEY,
[01:00:01]
UM, AND, AND WE ARE RIGHT NOW BASED UPON WHAT WE RECEIVE.WE KNOW THAT THERE IS AT LEAST 22,000, UM, FOLKS THAT HAVE, HAVE BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR IN THAT SURVEY.
SO I JUST WANT TO KIND OF PUT THAT OUT THERE.
THAT'S BASED UPON WHAT WE'VE RECEIVED, UM, IN OUR SYSTEM, THERE IS ABOUT 10,000 FOLKS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP THAT SAY THEY WORK IN, UM, AN EDUCATION CAPACITY.
UM, AND SO THOSE ARE THE KIND OF A UNIVERSAL NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE, OUR STAFF WILL, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO, UM, PULL IN INFORMATION ABOUT THE NUMBER, THE PHONE NUMBER.
BUT RIGHT NOW WE ARE AWARE OF 22,000 DR.
HADDON HOWARD, JUST TO CLARIFY THAT IS, UM, AND, AND YES, THANK YOU.
AND I, I WANTED REALLY THAT NUMBER, THAT BROADER NUMBER FOR ALL, WHO ARE KIND OF INVOLVED IN THE EDUCATIONAL MISSION, WHETHER THEY'RE TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM OR, UM, ON THE CUSTODIAL STAFF.
SO WHAT I, WHAT I, I JUST WANT TO BE SURE I UNDERSTOOD YOUR ANSWER.
SO 5,000, UM, HAVE BEEN VACCINATED WITHIN TRAVIS COUNTY OF TRAVIS COUNTY FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY.
SO THAT DOES NOT, UM, PICK UP, YOU KNOW, WHAT CODER EFFORTS HAVE DONE.
SO THEY WOULD HAVE TO SHARE THAT NUMBER WITH YOU.
AND THEN, AND YOU'RE AWARE OF 22,000 OTHERS IN THE APH SYSTEM.
NO, THE 22,000 WERE BASED UPON A SURVEY THAT STAFF SEND OUT TO, UM, THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, CHARTER, PUBLIC PRIVATE, UM, AND THAT IS STILL NOT A FULL RESPONSE IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM.
THERE'S, THERE'S 2000 FOLKS THAT ARE REGISTERED.
AND DOES THAT ALSO INCLUDE CHILDCARE PROVIDERS AND THOSE, UM, NO, NO.
UM, RIGHT NOW, UM, WE PROVIDED, UM, 2,168, UM, FOLKS THAT WORK IN THE CHILDCARE, UM, ARENA, UM, STAFF HAVE NOT SHARED WITH ME KIND OF THE SERVING OF THAT NUMBER.
BROWN, UH, JUDGE BROWN, IF YOU WOULD PICK UP ON THE CODE OF QUESTION WITH REGARD TO, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS, BUT ALSO IF YOU HAVE ACCOUNT FOR HOW MANY, HOW MANY OF THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH EDUCATION HAVE RECEIVED VACCINATIONS OUT AT CODA? YEAH, THANKS.
SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE'VE DONE PROBABLY ABOUT A HUNDRED CHILDCARE PROVIDERS.
UH, THIS PAST WEEKEND, WE DID A THOUSAND AISD, UH, EMPLOYEES.
SO TEACHERS AND STAFF, WE DID 420 OR SO FROM DEL VALLEY ISD THIS PAST WEEKEND, AGAIN, TEACHERS AND STAFF.
AND THEN IN PREVIOUS WEEKS, WE'VE DONE THE OVER 65 POPULATION FROM AISD DEL VALLEY ISD, PFLUGERVILLE ISD, AND MAYNOR ISD.
AND I THINK OF THE NUMBERS THAT HAVE COME THROUGH EITHER CODA OR THE CLINIC THAT WE FIRST DID WITH CONSTABLE GEORGE MIRALIS.
I THINK THAT TOTAL WOULD, WOULD BE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 500 AND A THOUSAND, THE NUMBERS OF 65 AND OVER WERE NOT SUPER HIGH FOR THOSE THREE.
UH, THE THREE EASTERN CRESCENT ISD IS, UM, AND SO I WOULD GUESS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EDUCATORS OF TEACHERS AND STAFF FROM ISD AND CHILDCARE WORKERS THAT WE'VE DONE IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 20 503,000.
AND I CAN GET A MORE ACCURATE NUMBER LATER TODAY ON THAT.
AND THEN I THINK THIS WEEKEND, OUR HOPE IS TO DEDICATE ALL 5,000 THAT WE'RE GIVING OUT ON SATURDAY TO ISD EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS.
AND THEN AS FAR AS WHAT IS BEING DONE, TRAVIS VERSUS OTHERS, WE HAD BEEN LOOKING AT IT MAINLY IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY CARE PATIENTS.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY COMMUNITY CARE PATIENTS BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, MANY REASONS PEOPLE MIGHT WORK HERE AND LIVE IN THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES, UH, FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.
SO I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT COUNT OF WHAT THE BREAKDOWN HAS BEEN BETWEEN TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE OTHER THREE.
I DO KNOW THAT WE ARE, UH, IN MORE OR LESS START DOING IT NOW AS ON A PER CAPITA BASIS, BASED ON THE VACCINES WE GET.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE IN TRAVIS COUNTY, 88,000, I BELIEVE IN BASTROP, 43,000 IN CALDWELL, 230,000 IN PAYS.
SO IT WILL MORE OR LESS TRACK THAT IN TERMS OF THE POPULATIONS THAT WE'RE HITTING GOING FORWARD.
UM, AND, AND I GUESS FURTHER ON THE VERY FIRST, THE 3000 THAT WE DID THAT THAT FIRST WEEK, WE DIVIDED IT INTO SIX.
AND SO FOR FIVE, FIVE PARTNERS, I GUESS, SO EACH COUNTY GOT AN EQUAL AMOUNT AND THEN COMMUNITY CARE
[01:05:01]
GOT AN EQUAL NOW.AND TRAVIS COUNTY IN EFFECT, DAVE, IT'S A MOUNTAIN TO COMMUNITY CARE.
EACH OF THE OTHER COUNTIES GAVE HALF OF THEIR AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY CARE.
SO I CAN TRY AND GET BREAK THOSE DOWN A LITTLE MORE EXACTLY FOR YOU LATER TODAY.
BUT THE GENERAL SENSE IS THAT I THINK THAT FIRST WEEK WE PROBABLY DID MORE IN THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES THAN THEIR POPULATION WOULD DICTATE, BUT NOW WE'RE MOVING TO A MORE, MORE BASED ON POPULATIONS WHERE WE'RE DOING A LOT MORE OUT OF TRAVIS COUNTY.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR ALL THAT INFORMATION.
THAT'S VERY, VERY HELPFUL COMMISSIONER TOBO UH, JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF DATA, UH, THE STATE ESTIMATES, 32,884 INDIVIDUALS IN THE, UH, SCHOOL STAFF OR CHILDCARE STAFF, 32 84.
S SCOTT IS FOR SCHOOL PLUS CHILDCARE IN THE TRAVIS COUNTY AREA.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
UM, IT SEEMS THAT SOME PEOPLE, ONCE THEY'RE GETTING THEIR FIRST ROUND OF A VACCINE ARE UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT THEN NO LONGER SHOULD WEAR THEIR MASKS.
IT'S OKAY TO GO BACK TO NORMAL.
CAN YOU PROVIDE A LITTLE MORE INSIGHT INTO WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS OF BEING ABLE TO SPREAD OR GET INFECTED ARE AMONG INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING VACCINATED? UH, YEAH.
SO IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR FIRST VACCINE, YOU HAVE LITTLE TO NO PROTECTION AT ALL.
UH, AS TIME GOES ON, THE, THE PROTECTION CONTINUES TO IMPROVE, UH, AND REALLY THE, THE PROTECTION IS AT ITS FULLEST TWO WEEKS AFTER THE LAST DOSE OF THE VACCINE.
SO FOR THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON, THAT'S THE FIRST DOSE FOR THE OTHERS.
IT'S, UH, IT'S AFTER THE SECOND DOSE, UH, YESTERDAY THE CDC, UH, SHARED SOME, UH, SOME NEW, UH, ADVICE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO'VE BEEN VACCINATED, WHICH DECREASES THE RESTRICTIONS, UH, FOR INDIVIDUALS, UH, WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED TO BE AROUND ONE ANOTHER.
AGAIN, IT'S STILL FOCUSED ON, ON FAMILY MEMBERS, NOT BEING OUT IN THE PUBLIC WITHOUT A MASK ON AGAIN, THE BEST ADVICE RIGHT NOW IS WHATEVER MASK, WHEREVER YOU GO, IF YOU'RE LEAVING YOUR HOUSE, UH, AGAIN, UH, WE, WE HAVE TO BE AWARE OF THE VARIANCE AND DECREASING EFFICACY OF THE VACCINE ASSOCIATED WITH VARIANTS.
UM, THAT'S THE KNOWN VARIANTS AS WELL AS VARIANTS THAT THAT COULD EMERGE AT ANY TIME, UH, WHICH MAY FURTHER EVADE THE VACCINE.
UH, SO AGAIN, THE ADVICE ACROSS THE BOARD, IF YOU'RE OUT IN PUBLIC IS WEAR A MASK.
AND I THINK I SAW IN THAT GRAPHIC THAT IF THERE'S ANYONE IN YOUR CLOSE RANGE THAT IS UNVACCINATED, THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BEHAVE ACCORDING TO PROTECTING THE LEAST VACCINATED PERSON, UM, THAT THAT MAY STILL BE IN YOUR FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS.
UM, AND THEN I JUST QUICKLY, I KNOW THAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAD SHARED A GRAPHIC YESTERDAY.
UM, THAT KIND OF ANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT IF YOU ARE 28 DAYS FROM YOUR FIRST VACCINE OR 42 DAYS, AND WHEN YOU SHOULD EXPECT YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT TO, TO BE SCHEDULED, UM, CAN DR.
HAYDEN HOWARD, OUR DIRECTOR HIDDEN HOWARD BRIEFLY DISCUSS THAT? CAUSE I KNOW I'VE GOT, UM, A QUESTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT WAS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IF I HIT 28 DAYS, DO I JUST SHOW UP, DO I WAIT UNTIL 42? HOW DOES THAT WORK? AND I DO APPRECIATE PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF MANNING THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS AND TRYING TO HELP ANSWER AS MANY QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE.
BUT CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT TIMELINE? UM, YES.
UM, THE, THE GRAPHIC THAT WE SHARED, UM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, IS JUST BASICALLY, UM, A CHART THAT JUST IT'S A FLOW CHART.
AND SO ESSENTIALLY, UM, WHAT IS THE SAYING TO FOLKS? THIS IS THAT IF YOU KNOW, YOU'VE HAD THE VACCINE AND IT'S BEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, 28 DAYS, UM, I'LL GO WITH IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO PROACTIVELY SCHEDULE THOSE APPOINTMENTS.
AND SO YOU SHOULD HEAR FROM OUR OFFICE, UM, WITHIN FIVE DAYS, THE OTHER POINT IS, IS THAT WE GIVE YOU THE CARD, UM, AND SOME OF THE CARD, UM, WE'LL BE VERY CLOSE TO THE DATE OF WHEN YOU WOULD COME IN BASED UPON, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DAY OF CLINICAL OPERATIONS.
AND SO, UM, THEY SHOULDN'T BE RECEIVING AN EMAIL WITH AN APPOINTMENT.
UM, IF THEY'VE BEEN FOLKS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THE EQUITY MIND, THEY WILL RECEIVE A PHONE CALL FROM 19.
[01:10:01]
OUT TEXT MESSAGES AS WELL.ONE OF THE OTHER, UM, OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE IS THAT, UM, THERE IS A, A FORM THAT FOLKS CAN FILL OUT, UM, IF, IF THEY, IF THEY'VE NOT HEARD FROM US.
UM, AND SO, UM, GOING ONLINE AND FILLING OUT THAT FORM AND SEND, SUBMITTING THAT TO US, THAT WAY IT ALLOWS US TO KIND OF TRUE UP WHAT WE ARE FINDING IS, IS THAT, UM, UNFORTUNATELY FOLKS HAVE CREATED SEVERAL ACCOUNTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME FOLKS THAT HAVE CREATED FOUR AND FIVE ACCOUNTS.
UM, AND SO EACH OF THOSE ACCOUNTS ARE TIED TO AN EMAIL ADDRESS, WHICH POTENTIALLY THEY MAY NOT BE CHECKING.
UM, WHEN I WAS ON THE SITE LAST NIGHT, UM, THE STAFF WERE TRYING TO ASSIST A PERSON TO, TO GET AN APPOINTMENT.
UM, AND THEY JUST BASICALLY SAID, OH, I USE MY OTHER ACCOUNT.
AND I GOT THE APPOINTMENT THROUGH THAT.
AND SO WE REALLY DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO CREATE ALL OF THESE ACCOUNTS, UM, BECAUSE WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS, IS THAT STAFF HAVE TO GO THROUGH EVERY ONE OF THOSE ACCOUNTS TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOUR INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, IS ACTUALLY FLOWING.
UM, THE OTHER THING WE'VE ALSO NOTICED WITH ACCOUNTS IS THAT SOME FOLKS END UP NOT BEING ELIGIBLE BECAUSE THEY, UM, PUT IN AN INCORRECT DATE OF BIRTH AND IT SHOWS THEM AS BEING A ONE-YEAR-OLD.
AND SO IT'S THOSE TYPE OF, OF THINGS WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, COOKIES, WANTING PEOPLE TO MAKE SURE YOU TURN THOSE OFF.
AND SO IT'S THOSE TYPES OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR FOLKS THAT JUST KIND OF REMINDING FOLKS AND THEN HAVING INFORMATION THAT SHOWS WHEN YOU'RE STARTING TO, TO LOG ON.
AND SO I'M AT THE 42 DAY MARK IN CASE SOMEONE IS MISSED AND YOU'RE LIKE, OH, I'M LOOKING AT MY CAR.
THEY CAN GO TO A SITE WITH THAT CAR AND WE WILL PROVIDE THE VACCINES TO THEM.
SO IT GIVES US A WAY JUST TO KIND OF HOW WE CAN CATCH EVERYONE JUST IN CASE SOMEONE, UM, IS, IS OVERLOOKED.
AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK THAT YOU'VE PUT INTO IT.
AND FOR YOUR STAFF, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG HAUL COMING UP ON ONE YEAR, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY SAID SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS TODAY.
S SCOTT, UM, I HEARD AND READ YESTERDAY A REALLY EXCITING REPORT FROM THE HILL, UH, ABOUT THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, MAKING SOME STATEMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAD RECEIVED BOTH THEIR VACCINES AND THEIR ABILITY TO, UM, CONGREGATE, UM, WITH FOLKS IN THEIR HOMES AND SO FORTH.
I WAS NOT ABLE TO JUMP ONTO THIS CALL, UM, RIGHT AT NINE O'CLOCK.
I THINK I GOT IN ABOUT 10 AFTER NINE.
SO I MAY HAVE MISSED ANY DISCUSSION OF THAT, BUT IF YOU COULD PLEASE, UM, EXPAND ON IT IN CASE, IN CASE IT HASN'T YET COME UP.
IT'S REALLY, IT'S LIKE THAT LIGHT THAT WE ALL KNOW IS AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL IS LITERALLY GETTING CLOSE.
COUNCIL MEMBER, I'M HAPPY TO DISCUSS THAT.
WE'LL BE SENDING OUT SOME, UH, SOME INFOGRAPHICS, I THINK PROBABLY TODAY OR TOMORROW FROM APH TO, TO HELP EXPLAIN THAT, UH, BASICALLY INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED OR THE TWO WEEKS AFTER THEIR FINAL SHOT, UH, IF EVERYBODY IN THE GROUP IS VACCINATED, THEY CAN CONGREGATE WITHOUT DISTANCE AGAIN, MASKING.
AND I THINK, YEAH, THIS IS DESIGNED TO ALLOW FAMILY MEMBERS TO, UH, TO, TO BE TOGETHER ONE HOUSEHOLD PLUS ANOTHER HOUSEHOLD.
IF EVERYBODY'S VACCINATED, THERE'S ALSO SOME ALLOWANCES.
IF, UH, IF EVERYBODY'S VACCINATED EXCEPT FOR LOW RISK INDIVIDUALS, UH, IT ALSO ALLOWS THEM SOME CO-MINGLING.
UH, BUT AS I SAID BEFORE, UH, THAT HE FALL SHOULD BE TO THE, THE LEAST PROTECTED PERSON.
SO IF YOU HAVE ONE PERSON WHO IS AT HIGHER RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE THAN EVERYBODY SHOULD MASK, EVEN IF THEY'VE BEEN VACCINATED, CAN, WE CAN EXPECT THAT AS WE ROLL THROUGH THE SPRING, WE'RE GOING TO SEE, UH, CHANGES IN THE GUIDANCE AND HOW TO MANAGE, UH, UH, INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE FULLY VACCINATED.
SO WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE SOME, UH, SOME FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT, IN THAT GUIDANCE AS WE GO FORWARD.
UH, WE HAVE MORE DATA NOW THAT SUGGESTS THAT WHILE INDIVIDUALS WHO'VE BEEN VACCINATED CAN TRANSMIT DISEASE.
IT'S REALLY UNLIKELY THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE THE VIRAL LOAD IS SO MUCH LOWER IN VACCINATED.
FOLKS WHO GET COVID-19, IT MAKES IT VERY, VERY DIFFICULT
[01:15:01]
FOR THEM TO THEN TRANSMIT DISEASE TO OTHER PEOPLE.UH, SO WE SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING OUT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS ON THAT FROM AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND SO THAT INCLUDES THE TWO WEEKS AFTER THE FULL VACCINATION.
IT INCLUDES STILL WEARING MASKS, UM, AND SOCIAL DISTANCING IN PUBLIC.
UM, AND I THINK IF I'M GOING TO QUOTE ROCHELLE, WILLINSKY THE CDC DIRECTOR, I GUESS SHE TALKED TO REPORTERS YESTERDAY AND SHE SAID, IF YOU AND A FRIEND OR YOU AND A FAMILY MEMBER ARE BOTH VACCINATED, YOU CAN HAVE DINNER TOGETHER WITHOUT WEARING MASKS OR WITHOUT DISTANCING.
AND IN ADDITION, VACCINATED, PEOPLE CAN VISIT WITH SOMEONE IN A SINGLE HOUSEHOLD WHO IS NOT VACCINATED WITHOUT PROTECTIONS, AS LONG AS YOU HAVE HAD YOUR DOUBLE DOSE AND HAVE SAT OUT THE, UM, TWO WEEKS, RIGHT.
AND I GUESS ALSO FOR JOHNSON AND JOHNSON, I JUST THINK THAT THAT SHOULD BE THAT ALONG WITH THE CONTINUING CAUTIONS, OF COURSE, REALLY SHOULD BE OUR HEADLINE.
THIS IS THE REALLY, REALLY GOOD NEWS WE'VE ALL BEEN HOPING FOR.
AND I THINK IT SHOULD ALSO, UM, UNDERLINE AND EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUING TO WEAR OUR MASKS AND KEEPING OUR DISTANCE SOCIALLY SO THAT WE CAN FORCE IT DOWN EVEN FURTHER LIKE YOUR GRAPHS WERE SHOWING.
AND ALSO SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THAT KIND OF JOYOUS REUNION THAT, THAT I THINK WE ALL ARE GOING TO HAVE, UM, SOONER, SOONER, SOONER, SOONER, RATHER THAN LATER.
BUT IF WE LET DOWN OUR GUARD THAT SOONER, WE'LL BE LATER AND DANG, I THINK WE'RE ALL DESPERATE FOR IT TO HAPPEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
YES, THAT'S, THAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME RIGHT NOW.
AND AGAIN, WHEN WE LOOK AT PUBLIC POLICY, THAT'S LIKELY TO EVOLVE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS, THAT POLICIES SHOULD TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF ADDITIONAL RISK AT A TIME.
IT TAKES SOME TIME TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF THAT LITTLE BIT OF RISK INCREASE.
AND IF YOU DID OKAY, YOU TAKE A LITTLE RISK, UH, THESE DRAMATIC SHIFTS THAT WE ALL WANT TO DO.
WE WANT TO TAKE RISK AND RETURN TO NORMAL.
THOSE ARE GONNA COME BACK TO BITE US AS THEY HAVE EVERY OTHER TIME THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR.
UH, SO WE ALL HAVE TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH, WITH INCREMENTALIZING THAT RISK, SO WE CAN KEEP ONE ANOTHER SAFE AND AVOID THAT THIRD SURGE COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
UH, YES, I JUST WANT TO, I WANT TO THANK, UM, REALLY WANT TO THANK, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN, HOWARD AND DR.
ASCOT ON, UM, AND THE WHOLE TEAM THAT'S WORKING ON THIS.
I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE THERE'S BEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN REACHING OUT TO VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AND SENIORS, AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE ALL FEELING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL FEELING SOME LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL AS WE GET MORE VACCINES, UM, INTO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I ALSO WANT TO REITERATE THE CAUTION DR.
AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL FOR THAT.
SO MY QUESTION, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
UM, WELL, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS, SO I'M JUST GOING TO ASK ONE OF THEM NOW.
AND IF WE GO THROUGH AGAIN, AND I'LL ASK THAT ON A SHIFT A LITTLE BIT, AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO SCHOOLS OPENING UP AND, UM, UH, THE POTENTIAL FOR OTHERS TO OPEN UP IN THE FUTURE.
I WANT TO ASK A QUESTION RELATED TO, UM, RELATED TO, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE, I GUESS, MIGHT BE THE WAY TO TALK ABOUT IT.
UH, AND WHEN I'M THINKING ABOUT AS VENTILATION SYSTEMS, UH, AND SYSTEMS TO HELP, UH, TO HELP, UM, UH, FILTER OR SCREEN, UM, IN BUILDINGS.
AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT, NOT SOMETHING, SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN TOP OF MIND AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE OF OUR EFFORTS TO REDUCE THAT RISK, BUT AS WE ARE IN BUILDINGS MORE AS KIDS GO BACK TO SCHOOL, THAT SORT OF THING, DR.
ASCA, CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THERE'S BEEN ANY THINKING OR PROGRESS AROUND HOW WE MIGHT THINK ABOUT OUR PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND HOW WE MIGHT THINK ABOUT THE VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND FILTERS THAT CAN BE PUT IN PLACE COUNCIL MEMBER? UH, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS UP.
AND IT IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR AS WE CONSIDER, UH, THE END OF COVID-19 AND PROTECTIONS FOR, FOR FUTURE, UH, AIRBORNE PATHOGENS, EVEN THINGS AS SIMPLE AS, UH, FLU AND TUBERCULOSIS, UH, THESE ENHANCED VENTILATION SYSTEMS CAN REALLY HELP TO DECREASE THE, THE ABILITY TO TRANSMIT THOSE, PARTICULARLY IN ENLARGED, UH, CLOSED SPACES.
UH, I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE WITH THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, UH, RELATED
[01:20:01]
TO THE, THE CITY FACILITIES AND, AND THEY'VE MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, UH, TO HELP BETTER PROTECT, UH, VISITORS TO AUSTIN AS THEY, AS THEY USE OUR CONVENTION CENTER SPACE.UH, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO NEED TO LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, IN, IN THE COMING YEAR TO TWO YEARS, TO HELP SOLIDIFY THAT INFRASTRUCTURE TO BETTER PREPARE US FOR, UH, FOR FUTURE OUTBREAKS OR EVEN A BAD SEASONAL FLU.
UM, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT VENTILATION SYSTEMS USUALLY AREN'T THE, AT THE TOP OF THE LIST OF, OF, UH, OF BUDGET NEEDS OR DESIRES, PARTICULARLY AS IT PERTAINS TO OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR TITLE ONE SCHOOLS, IT IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT AND, UH, AND, AND PLAN FOR IN STRENGTHENING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
NOW, THERE, THERE ARE MANY OTHER ISSUES, BUT THAT CERTAINLY IS ONE OF THOSE THAT, UH, THAT WE CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS ON ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION.
DO YOU KNOW IF THERE'S ANY EFFORTS AT A FEDERAL LEVEL TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO SCHOOLS, FOR EXAMPLE, TO, UM, TO PUT VENTILATION SYSTEMS IN PLACE, OR DO YOU KNOW IF IT'S EVEN BEING DISCUSSED AT THIS POINT? I HAVEN'T READ THROUGH THE FULL TEXT OF THE COVID RELIEF BILL.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY EARMARKED FOR SCHOOLS, UH, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF THAT, UH, IF INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED VIOLATION IS, IS AMONG THE ITEMS THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT THOSE FUNDS CAN BE UTILIZED FOR.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO HAVE SOME BEGIN, HAS MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT AND PLANNED FOR.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT RESPONSE COUNCIL MEMBER CONCERN.
MY QUESTION IS ABOUT, YOU CAN HEAR ME NOW.
MY QUESTION IS ABOUT, UM, MAKING OUR GOALS EXPLICIT.
IF WE'VE REACHED HAVING THOSE GOALS, I'VE HEARD IN THIS PRESENTATION, WHAT SOUNDS LIKE REALLY POWERFUL AND POSITIVE NEWS THAT WE WANT TO TRY TO GET TO THAT HERD IMMUNITY BETWEEN THE NEXT EIGHT TO 12 WEEKS OR DR.
SCOTT, I THINK YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT BASICALLY EQUATES TO THE END OF MAY, UM, IS, IS THAT OUR BASED ON THE SUPPLY THAT IT SEEMS LIKE WE MIGHT GET FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND FROM THE STATE, IS THAT CURRENTLY OUR, IS THAT CURRENTLY OUR GOAL? AND I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE, THERE'S ALL SORTS OF CAVEATS ABOUT THINGS WE CAN'T CONTROL, BUT NOW THAT YOU'VE SORT OF SET IT UP, I WANT TO KNOW, UNDERSTAND, AND KNOW WHETHER THAT'S, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO.
UH, CAUSE I THINK THAT IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO, UH, YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED THE UNKNOWN AND THAT IS, WILL THE VACCINE SUPPLY BE ABLE TO GET US THERE? UH, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY ARE SEEING INCREASED INDICATIONS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THAT THOSE, THAT THE NUMBER OF VACCINES AVAILABLE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH APRIL AND INTO MAY.
UH, SO THINK IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT, UH, THAT WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH TO DO THAT.
THE QUESTION IS HOW SOON WILL THAT INCREASE START TO BE REALIZED? UM, IT COULD POTENTIALLY, IF IT'S A SLOW INCREASE WITH A, YOU KNOW, A MUCH LARGER INCREASE AS WE ENTER INTO MAY, IT MAY OF COURSE THE TIMELINE OUT BEYOND THE END OF MAY.
UH, BUT THAT'S WHERE YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY.
THAT'S WHERE, UH, THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS HELPS US TO, UH, TO DISTRIBUTE THE LOAD AMONGST 350 PROVIDERS RATHER THAN JUST A FEW.
UH, SO REALLY SMALL INCREASES IN THE OUTPUT FROM THOSE 350 PROVIDERS CAN START TO MAKE UP A LOT OF THE DIFFERENCE VERY QUICKLY IF THAT, UH, VACCINE LOAD IS WEIGHTED TOWARDS MAY.
AND SO RIGHT NOW, THE LIMITER ON GETTING TO THAT GOAL IS SUPPLY, AND WE CAN KEEP ON ADVOCATING AND HOPING FOR THE SUPPLY TO REACH THE LEVELS SO THAT WE CAN REACH THE GOAL OF IN THE NEXT EIGHT TO 12 WEEKS, GETTING HER TO ME AND ME.
AND THEN AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN, HOWARD SAID, IF WE GET SUFFICIENT SUPPLY, BUT WE SEE ISSUES WITH DEMAND, UM, THEN WE NEED TO DO EDUCATION AND OUTREACH, BUT THANKFULLY IN TRAVIS COUNTY, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE REALLY WANT TO GET THE VACCINE.
SO I HOPE OUR ISSUE ONCE WE HAVE SUPPLIES, NOT DEMAND, BUT WE CAN DO OUR BEST TO ADDRESS THAT.
WHAT I WANT TO STATE CLEARLY HERE IS THAT WHAT WE CAN'T HAVE IS BE THE LIMITING FACTOR, BE OUR DISTRIBUTION CAPACITY, THAT ONCE WE GET ENOUGH SUPPLY, WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY SINGLE VACCINE GETS INTO AN ARM BASED ON US OR THE PRIVATE PARTNERS, BEING ABLE TO GET IT INTO ARMS DIRECTOR, HAYDEN HOWARD, YOU KIND OF PRESENTED TWO SCENARIOS FOR DISTRIBUTING IT.
IS IT OUR SENSE THAT IF THERE IS SUFFICIENT SUPPLY AND THEN THERE IS SUFFICIENT DEMAND THAT WE WILL HAVE
[01:25:01]
THE DISTRIBUTION CAPACITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ACTUALLY CAN GET THAT MANY VACCINES OUT BETWEEN HERE AND THE END OF MAY.UM, THE PREFERRED ROUTE IS THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, UM, THAT HAS SERVED US WELL IN THE PAST.
UM, IT ALLOWS SO MANY MORE, UM, LOCATIONS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, KEEP IN MIND THE, THE EQUITY NEEDS AND THE NEEDS OF THE EASTERN CRESCENT ALLOWS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND, UM, POTENTIAL PARTNERS THAT WE WOULD CONTRACT WITH TO, TO FOCUS OUR EFFORTS, UM, IN, IN ZIP CODES WHERE WE WE'VE SEEN AN HIGH INCREASE OF, UH, POSITIVITY, BUT IF THAT MAY BACKS, BUT BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE SHOWING US THOUGH, IS IF THAT MANY, IF A LOT OF VACCINES DO COME TO US, THOUGH, AS OPPOSED TO THE, AS MANY GOING TO THE PRIVATE PARTNERS, THAT IT MIGHT COST US MORE MONEY, BUT WE CAN HIRE THE STAFF AND RAMP UP THE CAPACITY TO GET THOSE VACCINES OUT.
IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE SHOWING US IN THE FIRST YOU SHOWED US TWO SCENARIOS.
UM, BUT SO THE, THE REALITY IS, IS THE SECOND SCENARIO IS WHAT WILL PROBABLY HAPPEN.
UM, THE FIRST SCENARIO IS, IS NOT AS LIKELY, UM, BECAUSE WHAT THE STATE IS DONE THIS TIME WITH THIS PANDEMIC IS A THING, UM, GOT ALL OF THOSE PROVIDERS SIGNED UP AND, UM, HAVE THEM APPROVED IN THE PAST WITH H ONE N ONE.
THEY WORKED WITH THE LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND THE LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF START THE PROCESS.
UM, BUT THEN FROM THERE, THE VACCINE WENT OUT TO THE PRIVATE, UM, PARTNERS.
AND SO WHAT WOULD TYPICALLY HAPPEN IS, IS THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR WILL DEFINITELY STAND UP.
THEY, THEY, THEY ALREADY HAVE, UM, THEIR FACILITIES OPERATING.
THEY'RE ALREADY PROVIDING SOME VACCINES RIGHT NOW.
UM, THEY DON'T HAVE IT AT THE LEVEL THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE IT, BUT THEY ARE READY TO PROVIDE THE VACCINES.
AND SO THAT ONE IS MORE LIKELY BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT ALSO THOSE CONTRACTS, THOSE FEDERAL CONTRACTS ARE IN PLACE AND THEY'RE ALREADY RECEIVING VACCINES.
BUT JUST TO BE REALLY CLEAR, IT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT, WE AREN'T CHOOSING SCENARIO ONE OR SCENARIO TWO, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CHOOSE SCENARIO ONE OR SCENARIO TWO FOR US.
AND THEN WE EXECUTE BASED EITHER YOUR FIRST SLIDE OR YOUR SECOND SLIDE BASED ON WHAT THEY SAY IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND WHAT, SO, WHAT YOU'RE SHOWING US IS IT'S MORE LIKELY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO PICK NUMBER TWO, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING.
BUT IF THEY PICK NUMBER ONE, WE ARE GONNA DO IT AND GET SHOTS IN ARMS. AND IF THEY PICK NUMBER TWO, IT'S GONNA WORK.
BUT WHAT YOU'RE SHOWING US IS EITHER WAY, IF THE SUPPLY IS THERE, WE AREN'T GOING TO LET DISTRIBUTION CAPACITY LIMIT VACCINES.
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET ALL THE VACCINES OUT IN EIGHT TO 12 WEEKS, IF THEY DELIVER ENOUGH.
AND THESE ARE THE TWO DIFFERENT WAYS YOU DO IT BASED ON WHAT THEY PICK IS THAT ACCURATE? THAT IS OKAY.
THAT I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AND COMMIT TO THAT, UM, THAT ONCE THERE'S ENOUGH VACCINE AND IF PEOPLE WANT IT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE THE ONES SLOWING DOWN IN ANY WAY AT GETTING OUT.
WE'VE GOT A PLAN TO GET IT OUT.
UM, AND IF THERE, AND IF ANY OF THAT BECOMES HARD OR YOU NEED SOMETHING FROM US OR FROM THE COMMUNITY TO GET THAT DONE, THEN OF COURSE YOU TO YOU GUYS COME AND LET US KNOW BECAUSE DISTRIBUTION CAPACITY SHOULDN'T BE THE LIMITING FACTOR HERE.
I WANT TO KNOW IF, UH, YOU KNOW, VA IS NOW MINISTERED IN SHOTS TO ALL THEIR BEDROOMS AND THEY JUST RECENTLY LOWERED THE AGE TO 65.
DO YOU, UH, DO YOU GET THAT INFORMATION? HOW MANY PEOPLE THEY HAVE ADMINISTERED SHOTS TO? IT GOES INTO THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES.
IT DOES NOT COME TO AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, AND KEEP IN MIND, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S VETERANS IN GENERAL.
SO, SO NOT, THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE JUST TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE MSA.
CAUSE MY, MY WIFE GOT HER SHOT THROUGH AT VA.
SO, UM, MY SON GOT HIS SHOT BECAUSE HE WORKS FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
[01:30:01]
AT F1 GOT HERS SATURDAY.SO I'M REALLY THANKFUL FOR THAT.
YOU KNOW, UH, I WAS VERY ALARMED BECAUSE I WAS THERE AT THE, AT A FAST FOOD SHOP, GETTING A SANDWICH AND, UH, SAW SOME, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THE GOVERNOR ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WERE NOT GONNA MANDATE MASKS ANYMORE.
AND THESE CUSTOMERS CAME IN WITHOUT MASS.
AND THE LADY WAS TRYING TO TELL HIM THAT WE'LL SERVE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE SHE'S DIABETIC AND SHE DIDN'T WANT TO SERVE THEM, BUT THEY GOT REALLY HOSTILE AND I'M AFRAID THAT THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN HERE.
AND THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, BEING VERY DISRESPECTFUL FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE HAVING THEIR MASS ONLY CUSTOMER.
AND THEY ARE WANTING TO CHALLENGE, YOU KNOW, THESE BUSINESSES AND WALK IN.
AND WE SAW THAT HAPPENING EARLY ON AT APRIL AND MAY OF LAST YEAR, WHERE THERE WERE FIGHTS OUT THERE IN THE STORE.
AND I JUST HOPE THAT PEOPLE REALIZE THAT THESE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, SOME HAVE, YOU KNOW, UH, ASSIST, UH, EXISTING, YOU KNOW, MEDICAL, UH, AND THEY'RE, UH, THERE ARE GOING TO BE OUT THERE BEING REALLY HOSTILE TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE NO, YOU KNOW, THEY JUST WANT TO EARN A LIVING AND WORK OUT THERE.
SO I REALLY WANT TO REACH OUT TO THE GROCERY STORES THAT ARE MANDATING MASS SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN KEEP THEIR WORKERS SAFE AND OUR CUSTOMERS SAFE AT THE SAME TIME.
SO THAT I JUST WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE AND, AND TO THE ONES THAT ARE TRYING TO CHALLENGE TO, UH, HOPE THAT THEY HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE RESPECT AND ACT OR A INSTEAD OF GOING IN THERE AND PICKING A FIGHT.
THANK YOU, COUNSEL, LET ME RESPOND TO THAT.
AND NOW I WANT TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR TO OUR COMMUNITY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY BUSINESSES ARE REQUIRED TO REQUIRE MASKS.
IF AN INDIVIDUAL ENTERS A BUSINESS THAT REQUIRES A MASK AND DOES NOT WEARING A MASK AND THEY ARE ASKED TO LEAVE AND THEY DO NOT, THEY'RE TRESPASSING, THAT'S A CRIME.
THEY CAN BE ARRESTED FOR THAT.
THEY CAN'T BE ARRESTED FOR NOT WEARING A MASK.
THEY CAN BE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING.
UH, IF THAT TRESPASSING INVOLVES VIOLENCE OR THREATS, IT'S GOING TO INCREASE THE LEVEL OF THE CRIME THAT'S INVOLVED.
UH, AGAIN, PEOPLE CAN HAVE THEIR OWN PERSONAL VIEWS ABOUT MASKING.
THEY CAN'T DO THAT WHEN THEY ENTER IN A BUSINESS THAT REQUIRES MASKING.
IF THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO THAT, THAT PLACE OF BUSINESS, THEY DON'T HAVE TO, BUT IF THEY GO IN THAT PLACE OF BUSINESS, THEY HAVE TO HAVE A MAN SCHOOL.
THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT BECAUSE WE REALLY DON'T NEED THAT.
THE, THAT THE HELP AND TO INFORM ALL OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND GROCERY STORES THAT YOU KNOW, THAT THEY DO HAVE THE SUPPORT OF, UH, THE, UH, OF THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR THIS.
SO MY LINE OF QUESTIONING REALLY IS LOOKING AT, UM, TODAY'S HEARING AND LOOKING AT THE MATERIAL FROM THE LENS OF WE HAVE 11 WEEKS UNTIL THE END OF MAY.
AND AS STATED EARLIER, YOU KNOW, PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS COMMITTED TO HAVING ENOUGH VACCINES WITHIN THE NEXT 11 WEEKS.
AND THAT IN SEEING TODAY'S PRESENTATION HAS BEEN SUPER, SUPER HELPFUL AS A STARTING POINT FOR US TO HAVE A CONVERSATION OF WHAT DOES OUR PLAN LOOK LIKE TO MEET THE NEED ONCE WE HAVE THE SUPPLY.
AND I APPRECIATE MY ROTE CASAREZ LINE OF QUESTIONING, BECAUSE I REALLY WANT TO BUILD OFF OF WHAT, UH, THE CONVERSATION YOU ARE HAVING AROUND THE TWO SCENARIOS THAT WERE PRESENTED DURING TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, A FEW MONTHS AGO, WE, SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES AND I DRAFTED A LETTER TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE DISPARITIES WE WERE SEEING IN VACCINE ACCESS.
SO I'M LOOKING AT STRATEGY NUMBER TWO, WHICH DIRECTOR HAYDEN, HOW ARE YOU? YOU'VE MENTIONED THAT AS KIND OF PERHAPS THE PREFERRED OPTION, UH, OF WHERE, UH, WHAT WE COULD DO.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'M LOOKING AT THIS SLIDE FROM, OKAY, WELL WITH EQUITY IN MIND, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? AND SO MY FIRST LINE OF QUESTIONING, UH, AND I DO HAVE, SO WHEN ASKED ABOUT MOBILE VACCINES, BUT ALSO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE REGISTRATION PROCESS.
UM, AND THEN ALSO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EMPLOYER OUTREACH BECAUSE WE RECEIVED SOME DATA THAT, UM, THAT'S ANOTHER AREA THAT WE REALLY NEED TO HONE IN ON AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND EDUCATION AROUND EMPLOYERS AND HOW THEY CAN HELP FACILITATE VACCINATING, UH, EMPLOYEES.
UM, SO WITH LOOKING AT STRATEGY, NUMBER TWO, UH, I SEE THAT YOU HAVE A HUNDRED OUTLINED OR I GUESS, KIND OF EARMARKED FOR MOBILE
[01:35:01]
SITES.AND COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE MOBILE VACCINE OUTREACH? BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT TOOL FOR US TO TRULY MEET OUR COMMUNITY IN NEED.
WE'VE WE ALL KNOW THE BARRIERS WITH ONLINE REGISTRATION AND, YOU KNOW, GETTING FOLKS TO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UM, AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THERE'S A FORM THAT FOLKS CAN FILL OUT IF THEY HAVEN'T HEARD BACK FROM HA, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S REQUIRING PEOPLE TO GO BACK ONLINE TO FILL OUT THAT FORM.
UM, I REALLY LIKED THE CONCEPT OF DOING THESE MOBILE POP-UP SITES FOR VACCINES, WHERE WE HAVE A VACCINE, A MOBILE CLINIC THAT GOES INTO HARD HIT AREAS WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A PRE-REGISTRATION AND AT ALL BOOKS CAN WALK UP AND GET VACCINATED.
I THINK THAT WOULD DO WONDERS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR MOBILE OUTREACH STRATEGY IS ROBUST AND WELL THOUGHT OUT, ESPECIALLY KNOWING THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING THE SUPPLY WITHIN THE NEXT 11 WEEKS.
SO WITH A HUNDRED DOSES EARMARKED FOR THAT MOBILE TOOL OR THE MOBILE STRATEGY, UM, CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH A LITTLE BIT MORE, A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, HOW MANY MOBILE SITES ARE WE THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU ALREADY IDENTIFIED AREAS WHERE THESE MOBILE SITES WOULD GO? UM, HAVE WE HAVE, HAS APH ENGAGED OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, AND SAW A PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, AFD ON REALLY UTILIZING FIRE STATIONS, WHICH WERE ALREADY WELL-SUITED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE THEY BEEN ENGAGED TO PERHAPS HELP WITH SOME HOMEBOUND VACCINATIONS, SO TO HELP OUR SENIORS WHO AREN'T ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE? UM, AND SO I GUESS I'M JUST TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT ARE THOSE CONVERSATIONS THAT YOU ALL ARE ENGAGING IN AROUND, UH, MOBILE OUTREACH.
AND, UH, AND THEN ALSO IF YOU COULD TOUCH ON, UM, THE OPERATING HOURS, BECAUSE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING IN MIND WITH OUR WORKING FAMILIES, YOU KNOW, TAKING AN HOUR OUT OF THEIR DAY TO GO GET VACCINATED WELL, MIGHT BE CHALLENGING, UM, WHICH IS WHY WE ALSO HAVE TO GET THAT EMPLOYER BUY-IN AS WELL.
UH, SO THAT'S KIND OF MY FIRST ROUND OF QUESTIONINGS.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE, THE MOBILE EFFORTS, UM, THE, THE MOBILE EFFORTS WE'LL BE USING NON-TRADITIONAL SETTINGS.
SO WHAT WE'VE DONE THUS FAR, UM, IS AS WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE, WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, UM, AND TYPICALLY WHAT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS DONE IS, IS THEY WILL TYPICALLY, UM, COLLECT THE NAMES OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT NEED TO BE PROVIDED THE VACCINES.
AND SO, UM, EACH OF THESE PARTNERS LIKE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES, UM, THEY ASSIST US WITH, UM, DETERMINING WHERE WE CAN BE.
THEY ASSIST US WITH A LIST OF FOLKS THAT, UM, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO REFER TO US, AND THEN OUR TEAM WILL WORK WITH THEM TO SCHEDULE THE FOLKS TO COME IN.
AND SO THAT IS WHAT WE'VE DONE WITH THE, WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
UM, AND WE'LL, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT THIS WEEK, AS WELL AS, UM, FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES.
AND SO WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS, IS THAT EVERYONE HAS TO BE IN THE SYSTEM.
AND SO WHAT HAPPENS ON THE BACKEND, UM, IS THAT OUR FOLKS, UM, WILL, ARE, ARE HERE ON CAMPUS, UM, DOING DATA ENTRY.
AND SO THEY'RE ENTERING ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IN THE SYSTEM, UM, WHICH ALLOWS US TO RUN REPORTS AND USE THE DASHBOARD.
AND SO WITH, UH, WITH THE MOBILE EFFORTS, THEY, THEY ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBLE BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO A SITE WORKING WITH A PARTNER ON A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE, AND WE WILL DEFINITELY CONTINUE TO, TO DO THOSE EFFORTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW IS, IS DEFINITELY GOING TO HELP US FROM AN, FROM AN EQUITY PERSPECTIVE IS, IS TO CONTINUE TO, TO DO THOSE EFFORTS.
UM, WE'VE IDENTIFIED, UM, SEVERAL LOCATIONS HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH SEVERAL PARTNERS, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT, UM, FAITH-BASED LOCATIONS AS WELL, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WITH SOME OF OUR PARTNERS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE FOLKS THAT, UM, MAY BE WILLING TO EITHER HELP WITH THEIR CONGREGATION, TO, TO, TO TRAIN THEM, TO TEACH THEIR FOLKS HOW TO SET UP THOSE ACCOUNTS.
AND SO, UM, OUR TEAMS HAVE BEEN HOSTING SOME EVENTS.
WE'RE GOING TO DO ANOTHER ONE ON 24, 25TH OF THIS MONTH.
UM, IT'S IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH WORKING WITH THE PARENT SUPPORT SPECIALIST AT AISD, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, BECAUSE WANTING TO BE ABLE TO, UM, HAVE THEM TO, TO WORK WITH POPULATIONS THAT ARE SAYING, YOU KNOW, IF YOU TRAIN ME AND TEACH ME
[01:40:01]
HOW TO DO IT, I WILL, I WILL BE WILLING TO SET UP MY OWN ACCOUNT.SO IT'S A HYBRID TYPE APPROACH, UM, THAT WE ARE HAVING.
UM, WE TRAIN THE TRAINERS, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND WITH PARTNERS THAT ARE WILLING TO DO THAT FROM THE FIRE PERSPECTIVE.
UM, EARLY ON, WE DID HAVE CONVERSATIONS, UM, WITH CHIEF BAKER, AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, UM, THE FIRE STAFF HAVE BEEN A TREMENDOUS HELP TO US.
THEY ARE AT OUR EXISTING PARTS, UM, HELPING US, UM, PROVIDING VACCINES AS WELL AS, UM, THEY'VE BEEN PART OF THE INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE AND, UM, HAVE ALSO HELPED US, YOU KNOW, FROM A KIND OF A DRAWING PERSPECTIVE, UM, PUTTING VACCINES IN NEEDLES.
AND SO, UM, WE'VE USED THEM THAT WAY.
UM, THE FIRE, UM, UM, UH, PART OF IT TO SIGN UP IS VOLUNTARY.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE ARE WORKING WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BRING BACK ON SOME RETIREES THAT HAVE RETIRED, UM, TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF FOLLOW THEM INTO OUR OPERATIONS.
THE OTHER THING IS, IS, UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH MEALS ON WHEELS, UM, AND STARTING WITH THEM ROUGHLY, PROBABLY ABOUT THE 22ND OF THE MONTH, UM, TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF GO FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM HOME TO HOME WITH FOLKS, UM, AS THEY ARE DELIVERING MEALS.
AND SO WE'RE DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LOOKING AT ALL OF OUR OPERATIONS IN, YOU KNOW, HOW WE WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH OUR MOBILE EFFORTS, BUT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, KEEPING IN MIND THAT SOME OF THE SMALLER LOCATIONS THAT FOR EXAMPLE, OR IN DOVE SPRINGS, OR THAT MAY BE IN THE LUMBER COMMUNITY, UM, THOSE LOCATIONS HAVE WORKED WELL.
AND SO, UM, HAVING A COMBINATION OF, UH, OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOOTPRINTS, UM, AND THEN WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT, UM, OURS BECAUSE IN OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF THE FAITH-BASED, UM, FOLKS, THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, HEY, WE'RE WILLING TO DO THIS ON SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE HAD SOME OTHER PARTNERS THAT SAYING, YOU KNOW, SATURDAY, SUNDAY ARE GREAT DAYS FOR US, UM, TO SIGN UP FOLKS AND HAVE THEM TO COME THROUGH THE OTHER, UM, AREA IS, UM, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS, TO BE ABLE TO GET THE INFORMATION OUT, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, TO EMPLOYERS MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED, UM, FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE.
AND WE'VE CONTINUED TO DO THAT THIS ENTIRE TIME.
UM, AS THINGS ARE REOPENING, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH STAFF, UM, HAVE ALREADY STARTED HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE RESTAURANT OWNERS.
UM, BUT THEY'RE ALSO STARTING TO TALK WITH PEOPLE AS FOLKS MAY LOOK TO OPEN UP, YOU KNOW, POOLS IN THE AREA, BUT MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS OR OUR PARTNER THAT HAS CONTRACTED WITH THE DEPARTMENT IS DOING SO.
SO WE DEFINITELY HAVE, UM, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK THAT IS GOING ON IN THE DEPARTMENT.
SO AT THIS POINT, APH WILL NOT BE OPERATING ITS OWN STANDALONE MOBILE CLINIC.
IT WILL BE ALL DONE THROUGH, UH, RIGHT NOW THE PLAN IS FOR IT TO BE DONE THROUGH A PARTNER ORGANIZATION, FOR EXAMPLE, MEALS ON WHEELS.
SO, SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S DIFFERENT OPERATIONS.
SO THE EXAMPLE WITH THE MEALS ON WHEELS IS, IS OUR BEST AND PART OF OUR MOBILE TEAM.
SO THEY WOULD BE, UM, WORKING WITH MEALS ON WHEELS TO IDENTIFY LOCATIONS WHERE THEY WOULD GO TO, TO PROVIDE THE VACCINE, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
WELL, THEY, THEY WILL SAY, OKAY, PARTNER WITH US, UM, WE WILL PROVIDE THE, THE COMMUNITY ROOM AT OUR SITE.
UM, WE WILL ORGANIZE ALL OF THE FOLKS WHO WOULD NEED THE VACCINE, ET CETERA.
AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE WORKING WITH SENIORS AND PEOPLE THAT ARE DISABLED.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WE CHURCHES, FOR EXAMPLE, MOST OF THEM ARE GETTING, UM, LESS THAN OUR CONGREGATION OF FOLKS THAT ARE 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER, OR MEET THE ONE B CRITERIA.
AND SO ALL OF THE PARTNERS, UM, IT'S DEFINITELY A PARTNERSHIP, UM, WHERE THE PARTNER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE MOBILE OPERATIONS.
AND THEN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS RESPOND FOR, YOU KNOW, BRINGING THE VACCINE, THE STAFFING, ET CETERA, UM, INDOOR AND OUTSIDE OF THE FACILITY, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO JUST LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS FROM THOSE FOUR, WORKING AT HAKA AND FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES, I MEAN, THAT WAS ONLY LIKE 3%
[01:45:01]
OF APH IS TOTAL WEEKLY ALLOCATION.AND SO I GUESS THEN I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK, LIKE, ARE WE REACHING, BECAUSE AT THIS POINT EITHER YOU ARE A RESIDENT AT A HAKA PROPERTY OR FOUNDATION COMMUNITY, OR YOU'RE ON A MEALS ON WHEELS LIST, OR YOU HAPPEN TO BE A PARISHIONER OF ONE OF THE CHURCHES THAT IS PARTNERING WITH APH.
OTHER THAN THAT, THIS, THE OUTREACH THAT THEY'RE GETTING FROM APH IS PERHAPS A, WELL, NO, THEY'RE NOT GETTING A PHONE CALL BECAUSE THAT'S BASED ON A REFERRAL LIST.
SO THEN AT THAT POINT, IF I'M AN AUSTINITE, THAT'S NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THOSE ENTITIES, THEN IT'S UP TO ME TO GET REGISTERED ONLINE OR TO CALL THE NUMBER.
WELL, WE HAVE, UM, EIGHT NON-PROFITS THAT ARE ON CONTRACT TO, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE DOING THE OUTREACH EDUCATION PART OF IT.
UM, AS YOU ALSO KNOW, UM, THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS SEVERAL NONPROFIT PARTNERS THAT WE FUND, UM, THAT HAVE SAID, THESE ARE SOME OF THE EFFORTS THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO DO.
IF THERE IS A PERSON THAT DOES NOT FIT INTO ANY OF THOSE SCENARIOS, WE ARE ENCOURAGING THEM.
IF THEY KNOW HOW TO BE ON THE COMPUTER NOW, HOW TO OPERATE THE, THE SIGN UP, WE'RE ENCOURAGING THEM TO GO TO THE SYSTEM TO SIGN UP TO ENROLL.
AND THEN THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, WE TYPICALLY, YOU KNOW, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MISS ANYONE BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE WILL BE GOING THROUGH, UM, THE, THE PORTAL, UM, OR THEY WOULD BE WORKING THROUGH A PARTNER IN THE INSTANCE THAT IT IS A SENIOR CITIZEN THAT IS NOT DOING ANY OF THOSE PROGRAMS. UM, OUR STAFF WILL BE CREATING A FLYER FOR HOME-BOUND.
UM, WE RECEIVED SOME REFERRALS FROM THAT.
OUR FOLKS ARE COLLECTING THOSE NAMES.
AND SO OUR STAFF WILL BE DOING, UM, HOME VISITS FOR FOLKS THAT SAY ME AND MY WIFE OR DISABLED AND HOME BAIL, UM, WE'RE NOT WORKING WITH ANY OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
AND SO BASICALLY OUR STAFF WOULD BE ABLE TO GO INTO THEIR HOMES TO PROVIDE THOSE VACCINES.
SO, SO FOLKS HAVE GOT TO FIT INTO ONE OF THOSE CARRIERS.
SO IS THERE THE REASON WHY, WHY APH IS NOT CONSIDERING DOING A, UH, MOBILE VACCINE CLINIC ON ITS OWN? ARE YOU SAYING TO ME IN A VAN GOING AROUND FROM PLACE TO PLACE PROVIDING THE VACCINES, WE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH A COMPANY LAST WEEK, UM, THAT THEY PROVIDE US A PROPOSAL.
UM, AND SO THE PURCHASING TEAM ARE LOOKING AT THAT.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE ON THE TABLE THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING.
AND THEN, I GUESS, GOING BACK TO THE CALL CENTER, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE HAD A POOL OPERATORS FROM THE CALL CALL CENTER, UH, MEMORY, UM, TO HELP WITH ACTUAL FACILITATION OF VACCINES.
SO HOW MANY OPERATORS DO WE HAVE RIGHT NOW ANSWERING THE CALL NUMBER AND HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE BILINGUAL? SO WE HAVE, UM, WITH AN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, AND WE'RE STILL WORKING WITH THE COUNTY.
THE COUNTY HAS THERE, UH, 20 STAFF THAT ARE PROVIDING, UM, OUTBOUND CALLS.
WE HAVE OUR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF, UM, THAT ARE ANSWERING THE CALLS AS WELL.
SO BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM IS A FOOTPRINT OF ABOUT 80 PEOPLE.
UM, AND THEN ABOUT 15 OF THEM ARE BILINGUAL.
MY LAST QUESTION, I JUST WANTED TO GET A SENSE, YOU KNOW, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SO MANY MOVING PIECES IS WITH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PROVIDERS AND, AND, UM, AND EVEN IF WE GO TO STRATEGY TOO, WITH APH WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A PRIVATE PROVIDER, UM, HOW IS ALL OF THAT BEING COORDINATED BETWEEN, UM, LIKE I'M JUST TRYING TO GET A SENSE, IS THERE, UM, A COORDINATION OF, UH, LIKE YOU AND OTHERS WHO GET TOGETHER FOR A MEETING AND SAY, OKAY, ON THE AUSTIN AREA HAS THIS AMOUNT OF SUPPLIES WE'RE GOING TO ENSURE THAT WE GET ALL OF OUR EDUCATOR AND CHILDCARE STAFF VACCINATED THIS WEEK WITH THAT SUPPLY, UM, OR EVEN LIKE A COORDINATION ON ASKING FOR MORE, YOU KNOW, AN INCREASE FROM THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT, UM, THAT TYPE OF COORDINATION AMONGST ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PROVIDERS.
UM, WE HAVE A VACCINE COALITION.
UM, THAT MEANS IT'S A REGIONAL COALITION, UM, WITH MEMBERS FROM HAYES, BASTROP, WILLIAMSON, AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, WITHIN THAT COALITION, THERE'S ALSO A SUBSET OF THAT GROUP
[01:50:01]
THAT ARE PROVIDERS.IT IS NOT EVERY PROVIDER THAT IS BEING APPROVED BY, UM, STATE HEALTH SERVICES.
BUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IS, UM, IS TO DEVELOP A PLAN THAT WE PUT OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
AND SO BASICALLY, UM, WE WILL PROVIDE GUIDANCE OF, OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO ON THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH SIDE, UM, AND ENCOURAGE THEM, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THE SCHOOL SATURDAYS, FOR EXAMPLE, DEFINITELY WANT TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO, TO BE PRESENT AND TO DO THAT INITIATIVE.
AND SO, UM, HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, UM, ON A REGULAR BASIS, SOMETIMES IT'S IN A LARGER GROUP AND SOMETIMES IT'S IN A, IN A SMALLER GROUP.
UM, I HAVE TO ECHO THE SENTIMENT OF THE FIRST COLLEAGUE OF MINE WHO SPOKE A COUNCIL MEMBER.
ALTAR SEEMED REALLY ENTHUSIASTIC, AND THAT'S HOW I FEEL THIS.
SEE, IT FEELS LIKE THE FIRST GOOD NEWS IN A VERY LONG TIME.
UM, AND THAT TELLS YOU A LOT ABOUT WHAT KIND OF, UM, THE RAPID SUCCESSION OF BAD NEWS THAT WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING IF THIS WHICH EVEN IN AND OF ITSELF IS NOT GREAT NEWS, BUT IT'S THE BEST NEWS IN A LONG TIME.
SO I FEEL VERY MUCH LIKE THIS WAS A, AN OPTIMISTIC PRESENTATION AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK THAT'S GONE INTO ALL THE POINTS OF CONSIDERATION.
LITERALLY HALF OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE ASKED DIRECTOR PEYTON HOWARD, YOU JUST, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
S SCOTT, YOU KNOW, IS ANSWERING MOST OF THOSE QUESTIONS.
I REALLY ONLY HAVE A FEW LEFT, BUT JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE FOLKS WHO'VE BEEN POURING SO MUCH HARD WORK INTO TO GETTING US TO THIS PLACE WHERE IT DOES FINALLY FEEL LIKE WE CAN BREATHE AGAIN.
UM, SO A COUPLE OF MY QUESTIONS HAD TO DO WITH, UM, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, POPULATIONS OF FOLKS THAT I DIDN'T HEAR US SPEAK SPECIFICALLY.
UM, DO YOU HAVE TO FORGIVE ME IF I WALKED AWAY BECAUSE OF THE CEDAR FOR A SECOND, DID WE SPEAK TO, UH, INCARCERATED PEOPLE AND WHAT OUR VACCINE STRATEGY LOOKS LIKE THERE? UM, AND, OR, YOU KNOW, OTHER, I CAN'T THINK OF ANOTHER EXAMPLE, BUT OTHER EXAMPLES OF, UM, CLOSE QUARTERED, UH, LIVING ACCOMMODATIONS.
YES, WE WE'VE WORKED WITH, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, WE HAVE PROVIDED THEM SOME VACCINES TO PROVIDE, UM, TO THEIR INMATES AS WELL, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEM.
ONE OF THE OTHER AREAS IS, IS THAT WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, WITH SOME OF THE SMALLER LOCATIONS, UM, WHERE THEY ARE, UH, BOARDING CARE FACILITIES.
OUR STAFF HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE MET WITH THEM THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
UM, WANTING TO ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM A, UM, A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE THAT THEY, UM, ADHERE TO SAFETY.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WE'RE ROLLING THAT INTO OUR OPERATIONS.
SO WE CAN ALSO PROVIDE THOSE VACCINES BECAUSE WHAT WE ARE FINDING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE LOCATIONS, UM, HAVE PEOPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT SUFFER FROM SEVERE DISABILITIES.
AND SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S REALLY NOT GOING TO BE HELPFUL FOR THEM TO LEAVE THAT FACILITY TO GO INTO ONE OF OUR FACILITIES, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE ADA COMPLIANT, IT WOULD BE EASIER FOR US TO WORK WITH OUR MOBILE TEAM ON THAT, ON THOSE EFFORTS.
I ALSO WONDERED HOW WE'RE ADDRESSING SOME OF THE MULTIFAMILY COMPLEXES THAT AREN'T A PART OF THE HAKA INVENTORY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME THAT ARE INCOME RESTRICTED, BUT THEY, THEY WOULDN'T BE ON THEIR ROLES.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT MISSING ANY, DO WE HAVE A SYSTEM FOR CAPTURING THOSE? SO WHAT, WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THIS ROUND, UM, BECAUSE, UM, UM, THE KIND OF THE REAL PUSH OUT FROM THE, UM, FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE IS WANTING 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER.
UM, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE FOCUSED INITIALLY ON HAS THAT ARE PRIMARILY SENIORS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WITH THE SECOND PHASE, WHEN WE STARTED TO LOOK AT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT'S OPENED UP BROADER.
UM, AND YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD DR.
SCOTT REFER TO IT AS ONE C UM, THE MAJORITY OF FOLKS MAY FIT INTO THAT CATEGORY.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A MIXED USE, UM, AUDIENCE IN THOSE AS WELL.
AND OUR HOPE IS, IS IF THEY DO FIT INTO, UM, THE CURRENT CRITERIA, ONE, A ONE B, UM, THAT THEY WOULD REACH OUT TO US IF THEY'RE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, JUST TO, I'M JUST, I'M SORRY.
I JUST WANT TO GET SOME CLARITY
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WHEN YOU SAY THEY REACH OUT TO US.DO YOU MEAN THE PEOPLE WHO OPERATE THE FACILITY OR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, OR ARE THEY INDIVIDUAL PARTIES THAT THE INDIVIDUALS THINK INDIVIDUALS? ALL RIGHT.
AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, DID OUT AT, UM, CODA.
I JUST CAN'T HELP, BUT THINK HOW FAR CODE IS FOR, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE FOLKS WHO OTHERWISE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT RESOURCE.
I JUST WONDER IF THERE ARE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT A CONSIDERABLY FURTHER NORTH, YOU KNOW, SORT OF SAMSUNG AREA OR CENTRAL MASS DISTRIBUTION LOCATION, IN ADDITION, ADDITION TO COTA, UM, WELL, THE DEPARTMENT IS LOOKING AT EXPO, AS YOU MAY RECALL.
AND THOUGH THIS MONTH, UM, WE DID AN EXERCISE THERE.
AND SO, UM, OUR GOAL IS TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY TO PROVIDE, UM, VACCINES AT THAT LOCATION.
I CAN JUMP IN A LITTLE BIT ON THAT COMMUNITY CARE ALSO IS, IS SIMULTANEOUSLY GETTING VACCINES OUT THROUGH OTHER THEY'RE THEIR OWN PATIENT NETWORK AND OTHER PLACES.
I BELIEVE THEY HAVE A SITE IN CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN, AND I BELIEVE ALSO IN PFLUGERVILLE, BUT TO YOUR POINT, YEAH, I THINK WHAT MY PERSONAL GOAL IS, IS TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE FULL CAPACITY GOING AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS, BECAUSE I THINK JUST, IT'S JUST THE MASS NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE TO GET VACCINATED.
THERE'S I THINK OF OUR FIRST PRIORITY SHOULD BE GETTING THAT UP AND RUNNING FULL AT FULL TILT, APH, SAME THING WITH THEIR SITES.
UM, AND I DO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN COMING THROUGH A CODA BASED ON THE COMMUNITY CARE OUTREACH WE'VE BEEN DOING, I THINK HAS BEEN, UH, A GROUP OF THE POPULATION THAT I THINK YOU AND I WOULD BOTH AGREE ARE PEOPLE THAT WE SHOULD TARGET FIRST.
AND I'VE BEEN REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE WORK THAT COMMUNITY CARE HAS DONE TO REACH OUT TO THOSE COMMUNITIES TO GET THEM IN THERE.
I THINK WE NEED TO WORK ON GETTING CODE UP AND RUNNING, BUT, OR, UH, UH, IT'S SUPPOSED TO INTERRUPT AND RUNNING ALSO OTHER PLACES AROUND THE COUNTY.
CAUSE I LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER CASSARA POINTED OUT.
I THINK OUR DUTY IS MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE FULL CAPACITY AND IN THE ENTIRE COUNTY, EAST, WEST, NORTH, AND SOUTH, SO THAT WHEN WE GET TO THESE MASS QUANTITIES OF VACCINES, WE'RE MAKING THEM AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE NO MATTER WHERE THEY LIVE, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR INCOME IS, UH, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR ABILITY IS TO DRIVE SOMEWHERE.
AND SO I THINK THAT THAT WILL INCLUDE MOBILE CLINICS.
I THINK THAT WILL INCLUDE, UH, SMALLER CLINICS IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THE COUNTY, BUT, UM, WE'D LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM ON PLANNING THOSE LOCATIONS.
UM, I AM ONE TO THANK, UH, UH, DR.
ASCOT AND DIRECTOR HAYDEN AND, AND YOUR STAFF'S WORK.
UH, THANK, UH, THE COUNTY AND EVERYBODY COMMUNITY CARE, SEE DISSENSION, UH, FOR HELPING WITH THE, WITH THE SITES.
UH, IT'S GOOD TO SEE THE NUMBERS THAT ARE COMING IN AND THE NEWS HAS BEEN REALLY OPTIMISTIC THIS WEEK AND WITH THE CD, UH, CDC.
SO I AGREE WITH, WITH, WITH EVERYBODY LOOKING AT THIS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, UH, I REMAIN REAL CONCERNED, UH, AS, AS DR.
STRIDE, YOU EXPRESSED THAT, UH, IT COULD ALL BE IT'S PRECARIOUSLY BALANCED.
WE GOT INTO THIS PLACE BECAUSE OF THE BEHAVIORS THAT EVERYBODY ADOPTED, AND WE ARE SO CLOSE NOW TO BEING ABLE TO RUN THIS COURSE AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO, TO MAINTAIN THAT.
UH, AND, AND, AND I SURE HOPE WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
I HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY A LOT OF BUSINESSES, UH, THAT WANT TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT AND WANT TO BE ABLE TO, UH, REQUIRE THEIR EMPLOYEES TO, UM, UH, AND, AND CUSTOMERS, UH, AND EVERYONE TO, TO MASK WHEN THEY COME IN.
UM, UH, BUT, UH, ARE HOPING FOR SOME, SOME ORDER OR SIGN OR, OR AN AMBIGUOUS STATEMENT FROM, UH, THE, THE LEADERSHIP IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO REALLY GIVE THEM SOMETHING, TO BE ABLE TO RELY ON.
I THINK THAT WAS PART OF THE INITIAL CONFUSION THAT WE'RE AMBIGUITY, THAT RESULTED WHEN THE GOVERNOR ANNOUNCED HIS, UH, UH, NEXT STAGE WITH SOME OF THE GROCERY STORES THAT WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO.
SO I WANTED, I WANT TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE STAND WITH RESPECT TO THE, THE, THE ORDERS THAT, UH, EXISTS NOW, UM, AS, AS MAYOR I'VE ENTERED ORDERS, UH, THAT REQUIRE MASKING, UH,
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REQUIRE BUSINESSES TO REQUIRE MASKING AND THAT ORDER, UM, UM, UH, STILL READS THE SAME WAY.UH, THE GOVERNOR'S OBVIOUSLY TAKEN THE POSITION THAT HIS OR TRUMP'S, UH, MAYORS OR COUNTY JUDGES ORDER IN THAT REGARD, UH, BECAUSE, UH, UM, WELL, THE LEGAL ARGUMENTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEFORE THE THIRD COURT OF APPEALS RIGHT NOW, RELATIVE TO WHAT WE DID FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE.
UH, BUT SO AS TO NOT POLITICIZE THIS, UH, UH, WHILE THE, THE ORDER READS THAT WAY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO ENFORCE, UH, THE, THE MAYOR'S ORDER, MY ORDER, UH, AND LET THE THIRD COURT OF APPEALS WRESTLE WITH THAT LEGAL QUESTION, BUT SEPARATE AND APART FROM THAT, UH, DR.
S SCOTT, AS THE HEALTH AUTHORITY HAS BEEN VERY CONSISTENT ABOUT ISRAEL'S FROM WHERE HE SITS.
UH, AND, AND THE COUNCIL HAS TAKEN ACTION TO LIKE, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS AGO OR SOMETHING TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT HIS ORDERS ALSO HAD THE FORCE OF, OF LAW AND ORDINANCE IN THE CITY.
SO, UM, I WANT TO ASK THE CITY ATTORNEY, UH, UH, AND MORGAN, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE ORDERS AND THE STANDING OF THOSE ORDERS AND WHAT THEY SAY NOW? SURE.
MAYOR, AS YOU REFERENCED, AND AS DR.
S SCOTT REFERENCED EARLIER, UH, COUNCIL BACK IN JULY PASSED AN ORDINANCE, WHICH, UH, WE CAN DO AS A HOME RULE CITY AND PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE, WHICH AUTHORIZED DR.
S SCOTT AS THE HEALTH AUTHORITY TO ENACT RULES.
AND HE DID THAT, AND THOSE RULES ARE STILL IN PLACE.
THEY'VE BEEN IN PLACE SINCE JULY.
THE ORDINANCE WAS WRAPPED IN DECEMBER.
THE HEALTH AUTHORITY RULES ARE IN PLACE UNTIL APRIL.
SO TILL NEXT MONTH, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE RELATED TO COVID-19 AND THEY ALLOWED DR.
ESKOM TO, UM, UH, ENACT RULES THAT ARE REASONABLY NECESSARY TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH AS IT RELATES TO COVID-19.
AND SO THEY APPLIED TO BOTH INDIVIDUALS AND SITES.
UH, THEY REQUIRE A CLASS C MISDEMEANOR IT'S PUNISHABLE BY FINE, UP TO $2,000.
THE ACTUAL FINE WOULD BE DETERMINED BY A JUDGE OR JURY IN MUNICIPAL COURT.
UM, THE HEALTH AUTHORITY RULES WILL BE ENFORCED BY THE SAME, UH, DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE ENFORCED THE MAYORS RULES FOR THE PAST YEAR.
OF COURSE, OUR, OUR FIRST STEP ALWAYS IS EDUCATION.
AND THEN IF THERE ARE SUBSEQUENT, UM, UH, VERIFIED COMPLAINTS, THEN IT WOULD RESULT IN CRIMINAL PENALTIES.
AND SO IF SOMEBODY HAS A COMPLAINT, THEY COULD, THEY COULD REFER THEM TO THREE, ONE, ONE, AND THE GENERAL DESCRIPTION, OR ARE SIMILAR TO THE THINGS THAT, UM, THE ORDERS HAD BEEN ABOUT FOR THEM FROM THE MAYOR REQUIRE FACE COVERINGS.
THEY LIMIT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CAN GATHER TOGETHER.
THEY REQUIRE PHYSICAL DISTANCING.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S SOME, UH, SPECIFIC THINGS ABOUT WHAT IF PEOPLE TEST POSITIVE OR IN A HOUSEHOLD OF PEOPLE WHO TEST POSITIVE, WHAT HAPPENS THERE, THERE'S SOME SPECIFIC, UM, PIECES OF INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, CHILDCARE, FACILITIES, SCHOOLS, CONSTRUCTION SITES, THAT TYPE OF THING.
SO OUR RECOMMENDATION IS THAT WE SIFT FROM THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE, THE MAYOR'S ORDERS, AS YOU JUST DESCRIBED AND MOVE OVER TO DR.
S GODS HEALTH AUTHORITY RULES, WHICH AGAIN HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW.
UM, WE'RE SO CLOSE TO, TO MOVING INTO A PLACE, AS WE SEE NOW WHERE, UM, MORE NORMAL LIVES CAN, CAN RETURN.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT CONSISTENCY, UH, THAT OUR DOCTORS AND, AND DATA, UH, PRIVATES TO, UH, AND, AND, AND I'M PLEASED TO HEAR THAT, UH, DIRECTION CONTINUE, UH, JUDGE BROWN.
THOSE WERE ALL THE QUESTIONS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL HERE ON THIS ROOM.
WE'RE A LITTLE PAST 11, SO I THINK WE HAVE HIT OUR TIME IF YOU WANT TO.
UM, I JUST THINK, THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HAYDEN.
S SCOTT, AND THANK EVERYBODY FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS ON RAMPING UP THE CAPACITY TO VACCINATE PEOPLE IN TRAVIS COUNTY AND CENTRAL TEXAS REGION.
WE'RE IN A RACE AGAINST THE VIRUS AND ITS MUTATIONS, AND WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE GETTING THE VACCINE OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, AND THAT WE'RE BUILDING CAPACITY TO GIVE OUT, GIVE OUT MORE SO THAT WE WILL GET MORE VACCINE WHENEVER IT IS
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AVAILABLE.AND I THINK I'M REALLY IMPRESSED BY THE TEAM EFFORT TO WORK ON THAT.
SO I'LL HAND IT BACK TO YOU, MARY, IF YOU WANT TO ADJOURN, AND THEN I WILL COME BACK HERE AND ADJOURN.
AND I SEE YOUR HAND, YOUR HAND RAISED.
WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ANY MORE QUESTIONS.
UH, AT THIS POINT I WAS RVO WITH, UH, WITH THE COUNTY.
UM, SO WE'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THIS OUT.
IT IS 1111, UH, AND, UH, I'M GOING TO, UM, UH, AND THE, UH, ADJOURN, THE, UH, CITY COUNCIL'S PARTICIPATION IN THE JOINT SPECIAL CALLED MEETING WITH, UH, WITH TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, WE'RE GOING TO NOW GO AS A COUNCIL, UH, BACK TO, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, MEETING ON THE OTHER CHANNEL, UH, AND WE'LL CONVENE THAT.
AND I THINK THEN, UH, WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSIONS.
IS THAT THE WAY TO HANDLE THAT IN, TO CONVENE THE MEETING, THEN WE'LL GO INTO, YOU SHOULD EXIT THIS MEETING AND RECONVENE A COUNCIL MEETING FOR YOURSELVES.
SO WE'LL DO THAT IN, UH, IN, IN FIVE MINUTES, I'LL SEE YOU GUYS THERE.
JUDGE ENTER THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING US PARTICIPATE WITH THANK YOU, MARILYN CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND SO WITHOUT OBJECTION, I'M ALSO GOING TO ADJOURN THE MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
AND WE WILL COME BACK IN FIVE MINUTES.
UH, SO WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS