[00:00:04]
AND I'M CALLING TO ORDER THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT, UH, FOR THIS JOINT SESSION WITH, UH, WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, MR. GOMEZ.
THEY HAVEN'T STARTED THE MEETING YET.
SO YOU'LL NEED TO REPEAT THAT.
I THINK YOU NEED TO SAY MEDIA WE'RE READY.
I SEE A CORE WE HAVE, WHEN ARE MORE THAN WE NEED.
[1. Update on Covid-19 related matters]
CALLING TO ORDER THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT, UH, MEETING, UH, JUDGE BROWN IS NOT WITH US TODAY.WE, UM, UH, HOPE, UH, FOR HIS, UH, QUICK RECOVERY AND HE WILL BE WITH US NEXT WEEK.
AND SO I, UM, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO THE MAYOR TO, UH, CALL TO ORDER THE CITY COUNCIL COMMISSIONER.
UH, THIS IS, UH, APRIL 20TH, UH, 2021, UM, CALL TO ORDER THE CITY COUNCIL, A PORTION OF THE JOINT MEETING WITH THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT NINE OH FIVE.
WE HAVE A QUORUM, UH, COMMISSIONER, TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
SO WE CALLED TO ORDER THE JOINT MEETING OF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT AND THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE COVID REPORTS.
AND SO WHAT WE WILL DO IS STILL FOLLOW THE ORDER THAT WE HAVE FOLLOWED IN THE PAST FEW MEETINGS.
UM, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT WILL GO, UH, FIRST WITH QUESTIONS AND, UM, AND THE, UH, CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR.
SO, UM, I THINK WE'RE READY TO HEAR FROM DR.
UM, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ, THE SAN MARIE, AND ASK IF THERE'S ANY COLORS BEFORE WE START THE BRIEFING.
AND, UH, LARRY, ARE THERE ANY CALLERS? OKAY.
UH, CAN YOU ALL SEE MY SLIDES? YES.
LET ME JUST MOVE IT INTO PRESENTATION MODE AND I WILL GET STARTED.
UH, TO, UH, TO BOTH THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND CITY COUNCIL, TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE YOU BOTH ON OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE, I'M GOING TO START FIRST WITH A COUPLE OF, UH, UPDATES.
UH, I SHOWED THIS A PIE CHART LAST WEEK WITH OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS HERD IMMUNITY IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, IT'S UPDATED WITH THE CURRENT NUMBERS.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE GOT ABOUT 7% OF OUR POPULATION WHO HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AS A COVID CASE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, AN ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL 13%, UH, BASED UPON PROJECTIONS FROM UT.
SO A TOTAL OF PERHAPS 20% OF OUR POPULATION.
SO ONE IN FIVE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED COVID ILLNESS ALREADY, BUT OF THAT IN THE TWO GRAIN AREAS, YOU CAN SEE, UH, THE FULLY VACCINATED, AS WELL AS THE PARTIALLY VACCINATED, A TOTAL OF ABOUT 41% OF OUR POPULATION.
SO MORE THAN DOUBLE THE AMOUNT WHO HAVE LIKELY HAD COVID IN THE PAST, UH, HAVE BEEN AT LEAST PARTIALLY VACCINATED OR FULLY VACCINATED, UH, THAT LEAVES ABOUT AT LEAST 39% OF OUR POPULATION STILL VULNERABLE.
AND WHEN I SAY AT LEAST 39% THAT'S BECAUSE, UH, THIS PIE CHART IS ASSUMING THAT THERE IS ZERO OVERLAP BETWEEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE ADD COVID AND PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN VACCINATED.
UH, WE, WE, WE KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S AT LEAST SOME OVERLAP BETWEEN THOSE WHO'VE HAD THE ILLNESS AND THOSE WHO'VE BEEN VACCINATED.
UH, SO THIS IS A MINIMUM NUMBER OF VULNERABLE PEOPLE THAT 39% REPRESENTS ABOUT 500,000 PEOPLE.
UH, ABOUT HALF OF THOSE 500,000 PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN VACCINATED ARE CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 16.
UM, SO WE'VE GOT A WAYS TO GO IN TERMS OF HERD IMMUNITY.
UH, AND I THINK THAT THE BEST THING THAT WE CAN DO AS A COMMUNITY IS TO CONTINUE TO SIGN UP FOR VACCINATIONS.
IF YOU'RE 16 YEARS OLD OR OLDER, UH, THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE 16 OR 17 YEARS OLD AND GO GET A PFIZER VACCINE, UH, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE 18 OR OLDER, UH, CAN GET ANY OF THE VACCINES THAT ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE, THE FASTER WE CAN GET SHOTS IN ARMS, THE FASTER WE CAN PROGRESS TOWARDS HERD IMMUNITY AND NORMALCY.
UH, SO AGAIN, UH, WE'VE GOT QUITE A BIT OF WORK TO DO, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY MAKING PROGRESS.
UH, THIS IS A NEW SLIDE, WHICH IS SHOWING YOU A COMPARISON OF TRAVIS
[00:05:01]
COUNTY, UH, WITH SOME OTHER METROPOLITAN AREAS IN TAXES.UH, THERE'S FOUR DIFFERENT, UM, UH, GRAPHS HERE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, ON THE LEFT IS THE 16 YEARS OLD AND OLDER WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED FOLLOWED BY 16 YEARS AND OLDER WITH ONE DOSE 65 YEARS AND OLDER, FULLY VACCINATED AND 65 YEARS AND OLDER WITH AT LEAST ONE DOSE.
UH, THE ONE ON THE FAR LEFT IS, IS PROBABLY THE MOST TELLING AS FAR AS PROGRESS TOWARDS HERD IMMUNITY.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT TRAVIS COUNTY'S IN SECOND PLACE, UH, WITH THIS SMALL GROUP OF COUNTIES BEHIND EL PASO COUNTY, UH, WHO'S REALLY LEADING THE METROPOLITAN JURISDICTIONS IN ALL OF THESE MEASURES.
UH, I THINK THAT'S LIKELY BECAUSE OF THE, UH, CATASTROPHIC SURGE THAT THEY HAD IN EL PASO.
I THINK THE HESITANCY IN EL PASO IS GOING TO BE LOWER THAN A LOT OF OTHER PLACES BECAUSE EXPERIENCED THAT CATASTROPHIC SURGE FIRSTHAND.
UH, SO IT'S, IT'S A LOT CLOSER TO PEOPLE.
A LOT MORE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PERSONALLY IMPACTED OR HAD A FAMILY MEMBER, UH, WHO HAD COVID OR DIED FROM COVID.
AND I THINK FOR US IN TRAVIS COUNTY, WE NEED TO TAKE THESE LESSONS.
WE DON'T NEED TO EXPERIENCE THAT CATASTROPHIC SURGE HERE TO BE MOTIVATED TO GET VACCINE.
SO ONCE AGAIN, ALL OF US, ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY ADVOCATES, ALL OF OUR CHURCHES, ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE TALKING ABOUT VACCINE SO THAT WE CAN PUSH THESE NUMBERS UP AND, UH, PROGRESS MORE RAPIDLY TOWARDS THAT HERD IMMUNITY THAT WE ALL SEEK.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR CONFIRMED CASES IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, YESTERDAY REPORTED 143 NEW CASES WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 116.
UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE PREVIOUS SEVERAL WEEKS, WE'VE BEEN OSCILLATING AROUND THAT, UH, ABOUT A HUNDRED, UH, FOR QUITE SOME TIME, WE'VE SEEN THAT SHIFT UP.
SO WE HAVE A HIGHER PLATEAU NOW, AND IT REALLY BEEN OFFERED AND BETWEEN ABOUT 115 AND 125 OVER THE PAST, UH, WEEK TO 10 DAYS, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, DID SEE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE LAST WEEK.
WE HAD A PEAK, UH, LAST MONDAY, UH, WE'RE ABOUT 136 ON THAT MOVING AVERAGE.
WE'VE SEEN THAT COME DOWN A LITTLE BIT AND, AND PLATEAU OFF, BUT AGAIN, UH, OPEN IT'S STILL HERE.
WE'RE STILL SEEING PEOPLE INFECTED AND HOSPITALIZED.
AND THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE THOSE PROTECTIONS, WASHING OUR HANDS, WATCHING OUR DISTANCE AND WEARING OUR MASKS.
THE MORE WE CAN DO THAT, UH, THE BETTER CHANCE WE HAVE OF PUSHING DOWN DISEASE, PUSHING DOWN TRANSMISSION AND ALLOW THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET MORE PEOPLE VACCINATED.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR NEW ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL.
UH, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS GRAPH, WE HAD A SUDDEN AND, AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN OUR ADMISSIONS TO HOSPITAL FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, UH, SATURDAY, OR SORRY, FRIDAY, UH, WE HAVE 37 ADMISSIONS, WHICH WAS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE MOVING AVERAGE.
SO A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT SATURDAY, WE WERE 50% ABOVE THE MOVING AVERAGE WITH 30 ADMISSIONS.
NOW, LUCKILY SUNDAY AND MONDAY, WE'VE SEEN THAT NUMBER COME DOWN TO 20 AND 12 RESPECTIVELY ON THOSE TWO DAYS.
UH, BUT WE'LL OBVIOUSLY NEED TO BE CLOSELY MONITORING THIS SITUATION AS WE HAVE, HAVE, UH, LOST SIGNIFICANT GROUND, UH, THAT WE HAD GAINED, UH, IN THE, IN THE PREVIOUS COUPLE OF WEEKS.
UM, AGAIN, MORE EVIDENCE OF THE DISEASE IS STILL HERE.
IT'S STILL SPREADING, THERE'S STILL 500,000 PLUS INDIVIDUALS VULNERABLE.
SO WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN OUR CAUTION.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR, UH, HOSPITALIZATIONS.
UH, AGAIN, THE BLUE IS THE TOTAL HOSPITAL BEDS BEING UTILIZED, THE ORANGE ICU BEDS, THE GRAY OR VENTILATOR BEDS.
UH, OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS YESTERDAY WERE 144 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 138, UH, THAT, UH, THAT MOVIE AVERAGE IS INCREASING FOR FOUR DAYS IN A ROW.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE HAD SEEN IT CONSISTENTLY DECLINED FOR, UH, SEVERAL MONTHS, REALLY.
UH, AND THIS IS THE FIRST INCREASE WE'VE SEEN IN QUITE SOME TIME ABOUT A 4% INCREASE OVER THE REPORT FROM LAST WEEK.
UH, SO MARGINAL IMPACT ON THE OVERALL NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED.
UH, BUT NEVERTHELESS, CONCERNING DO THAT, UH, TRANSITION FROM A DECLINE TO AN INCLINE, THE ICU BEDS YESTERDAY, UH, 42 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 39, UH, THAT'S BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT, UH, VENTILATOR USE 21 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 21.
YOU CAN SEE WE'VE HAD SOME INCREASE, BUT IT'S BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT IN BOTH THOSE MEASURES.
AND I'LL, I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT WHY WE'RE SEEING THAT DECREASE IN ACUITY A LITTLE BIT LATER.
UH, THIS IS A PROJECT FROM UT.
[00:10:01]
BEFORE THE, UH, THAT SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ADMISSIONS THAT I TALKED ABOUT LAST FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.UH, THIS IS SHOWING AGAIN ON THIS UPDATE, UH, A PATH TOWARDS STAGE TWO.
UH, MY EXPECTATION AGAIN, BECAUSE OF THAT INCREASE THAT WE SAW FRIDAY AND SATURDAY IS THAT WHEN UT UPDATES THIS, THIS WEEK, UH, IS GOING TO SHOW US EITHER FLAT OR INCREASING, UH, YOU KNOW, ANYTIME WE SEE THAT SIGNIFICANT, UH, CHANGE IN ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL THAT INDICATES TO US, AND IT WAS AN ACCURATE INDICATOR OF INCREASING DISEASE TRENDS.
UH, SO MY GUESS IS THAT, UH, THE PROJECTIONS MAY INDICATE, UH, CERTAINLY A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE RISK THAT THE EPIDEMIC IS GROWING IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, THIS THE DATE OF OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS BY AGE GROUP.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE'VE SEEN SOME INCREASES IN OUR, UH, AGE GROUPS ARE 80 PLUS AGE GROUP, 70 TO 79, 60 TO 69 AND OUR, UH, 50 TO 59 GROUPS.
UM, AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS, WE HAVE SEEN TWO WEEKS IN A ROW DECREASE IN THAT 20 TO 29 AGE GROUP.
AND AGAIN, WHAT WE HAD SEEN IN THE PAST AFTER HOLIDAYS, UH, WAS THAT, UH, WE WOULD SEE AN INCREASE IN THE 10 TO 19 AGE GROUP, 20 TO 29 AGE GROUP, AND THEN A WEEK TO TWO WEEKS LATER INCREASES IN THOSE OLDER AGE GROUPS AND APPEARS.
AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE HERE 168 TOTAL HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS LAST WEEK.
THAT'S A 15% CORRECTION, 16% INCREASE IN TOTAL HOSPITALIZATIONS OVER THE PREVIOUS WEEK.
UH, SO WE'VE BROKEN OUR, UH, OUR TREND OF, OF DECREASING HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS.
UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, WE'VE HAD INCREASES IN EVERY AGE GROUP, UH, OVER THE AGE OF 30, UH, SO 12 TO 16 FOR 80 PLUS 27 TO 34, FOUR 70 79, UH, 26 TO 31 FOR OUR 60 TO 69, 29 TO 31 FOR OUR 50 TO 59 GROUP.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING CONTRACTION IN THOSE YOUNGER AGE GROUPS AND EXPANSION IN THOSE OLDER AGE GROUPS, TRAVIS COUNTY, CITY OF AUSTIN IS DOING A GOOD JOB AT VACCINATING INDIVIDUALS, 65 AND OLDER, UH, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN, HOWARD.
WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IN A BIT LATER, UH, BUT THERE'S STILL LOTS OF VULNERABLE PEOPLE OUT THERE.
WE STILL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL AROUND OLDER ADULTS, UH, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN VACCINATED.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT EVEN THOUGH FOLKS ARE VACCINATED, THEY CAN STILL GET COVID-19, WHICH MEANS EVEN IF YOU'RE AROUND FOLKS, WHO'VE BEEN VACCINATED, YOU NEED TO USE CAUTION.
IF YOU'RE SYMPTOMATIC WITH ANYTHING THAT CAN BE COVERED, SORE THROAT COUGH, RUNNY NOSE, NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIARRHEA, UH, ANYTHING ON THAT LIST OF SYMPTOMS. YOU SHOULD NOT BE AROUND THOSE OLDER ADULTS, IF YOU'RE VACCINATED AND YOU'RE ASYMPTOMATIC, IT'S A DIFFERENT STORY.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE GUIDELINES.
CDC HAS GUIDELINES FOR THOSE, BUT WE HAVE TO USE CAUTION.
ANYBODY WHO HAS SYMPTOMS, ANYBODY WHO IS, HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO SOMEBODY WITH SYMPTOMS SHOULD AVOID GOING TO PLACES LIKE NURSING HOMES, LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES OR VISITING, UH, RELATIVES, UH, PARTICULARLY THOSE WERE UNVACCINATED.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.
UM, WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN OUR, UH, LATIN X ADMISSIONS LAST WEEK.
UM, 41.3% OF ADMISSIONS THE PREVIOUS WEEK AND 33.8 LAST WEEK.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL, 13% TO 17.2%, WHICH REPRESENTS A 39% INCREASE WEEK OVER WEEK, UH, FOR OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AGAIN, WE KNOW THAT, UH, VACCINE HESITANCY IN OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY HAS BEEN HIGHER THAN OTHER COMMUNITIES.
UH, WE'VE GOT SOME, UH, MEETINGS THIS WEEK, DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD, AND I, UH, TO, UH, DISCUSS SOME OF THOSE HESITANCY ISSUES.
BUT AGAIN, ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY GROUPS, ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, UH, ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY ADVOCATES NEED TO BE ACTIVELY REACHING OUT, TALKING TO PEOPLE OF THAT VACCINE, ADDRESSING THE CONCERNS SO THAT WE CAN MOVE PAST THAT HESITANCY AND GET SHOTS IN ARMS AND SAVE LIVES.
UH, THIS IS THE, UH, NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS FROM EACH RACE AND ETHNICITY WHO WERE HOSPITALIZED LAST WEEK, UM, SAW DECREASE AGAIN,
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57 TO 49 OR LATIN X COMMUNITY INCREASE BY THE SAME AMOUNT, UH, 57 TO 65 IN OUR, UM, UH, WHITE, NON HISPANIC COMMUNITY, ABOUT A 14% DECREASE FOR LATIN X IN A 14% INCREASE FOR OUR, UH, UH, WHITE, UH, NON-HISPANIC COMMUNITY.AND YOU CAN SAY THAT INCREASED, THAT I SPOKE ABOUT BEFORE 18 TO 25 FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR POSITIVITY, UH, WEEK OVER WEEK.
YOU CAN SEE THAT LAST WEEK, WE ROSE TO 4.8% CURRENTLY WE'RE AT 4.5%, UH, FOR THE DATA FOR LAST WEEK.
UH, AGAIN, WE STILL HAVE DATA POINTS COMING IN.
UM, WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN TESTING.
UH, WHEREAS IN THE PAST WE WERE SAYING, UH, 15, 20,000 TESTS A WEEK RENOUNCING ABOUT 10,000 TESTS A WEEK, UH, THAT'S COMING INTO OUR DATA FEED.
UH, SO AGAIN, PART OF THE STRATEGY OF, OF DRIVING TRANSMISSION DOWN IS ENSURING THAT WE'RE TESTING EVERYBODY WHO MAY HAVE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19.
AND I SAY, MAY HAVE SYMPTOMS BECAUSE THE SYMPTOMS MIMIC LOTS OF OTHER THINGS, INCLUDING FLU AND INCLUDING SEASONAL ALLERGIES.
SO IT IS REALLY CRITICAL, EVEN IF YOU REALLY DON'T THINK IT'S COVID-19 TO GO GET YOURSELF A PRE-TEST AND BE SURE IT'S NOT COVID-19 BEFORE YOU GO TO WORK, BEFORE YOU GO TO SCHOOL, BEFORE YOU GO HANG OUT WITH FAMILY OR FRIENDS, THE MORE WE CAN DO THAT, THE MORE SUCCESS WE CAN HAVE A DRIVING DOWN THE TRANSMISSION.
THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF THAT POSITIVITY BY RACE AND ETHNICITY, OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY, UH, HAD A SLIGHT INCREASED 5.8% TO 6.3% SO FAR FOR LAST WEEK.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY DECREASED 5.5% AND 4.5% FOR LAST WEEK.
OUR ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY 5.6% TO 3.9% LAST WEEK, AND OUR WHITE NON HISPANIC COMMUNITY MEMBERS RELATIVELY FLAT 3.9% TO 4.0%.
UH, AGAIN, UH, THE, UH, POSITIVE OF RACE AND ETHNICITY, UH, IS SHOWING THAT ALMOST EVERYBODY IS, IS UNDER THAT 5% MARK, BUT EVERYBODY IS OVER THAT 3% MARK.
SO AGAIN, ACROSS THE BOARD, ACROSS ALL RACES AND ETHNICITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE'VE GOT TO CONTINUE THOSE PROTECTIONS TO DRIVE DOWN DISEASE.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF THE POSITIVITY BY AGE.
NOW YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN OUR POSITIVITY AND OUR REPORTING TO 49 YEAR AND 50 TO 59 YEAR OLDS.
UM, THEY ARE, UH, BOTH OVER 7% ON 7.2%.
SO THOSE ARE THE HIGHEST, UH, POSITIVITY AGE GROUPS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAD A DECREASE IN OUR 10 TO 19
UH, SO AGAIN, COVID-19 CAN AFFECT PEOPLE OF ALL AGES.
UH, WE KNOW THAT HOSPITALIZATIONS INCREASE THE OLDER YET, BUT WE ALSO SEE INCREASES IN THE VERY YOUNG CHILDREN DUE TO THE RESPIRATORY RATE IMPACT OF COVID-19.
WE KNOW THAT, UH, COMPLICATIONS FOR CHILDREN, UH, THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE, UH, IS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE.
UH, AND I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT, THAT WE HAVE GROWING EVIDENCE OF LONG-TERM CONCERNS REGARDING COVID-19 INFECTION, INCLUDING, UH, YOU KNOW, BRAIN INJURY, UH, THAT HAS AN IMPACT ON RATES OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND OTHER MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
UH, SO AGAIN, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU THINK YOUR RISK IS AND HOW MILD YOU THINK YOUR SYMPTOMS MAY BE, I'LL TELL YOU THAT.
WHO'VE BEEN SURPRISED, ATHLETES, MARATHONERS, PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTIVE AND YOUNG AND HEALTHY, WHO ARE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY COVID-19, WHO CAN'T WALK A MILE WITHOUT HAVING TO STOP AND SIT DOWN, BUT USED TO BE ABLE TO RUN FIVE, 10 MILES OR MORE, UH, PEOPLE WHO HAVE LINGERING EFFECTS MONTHS AFTER THEIR, UH, NO LONGER INFECTIONS.
AND I'LL TELL YOU, I KNOW MANY PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD COVID-19 AND I CAN ATTEST THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE IT REGARDLESS OF YOUR AGE, REGARDLESS OF HOW HEALTHY YOU THINK YOU ARE.
YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE COVID-19.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO USE, USE THOSE PRECAUTIONS UNTIL WE CAN REACH THAT HERD IMMUNITY TOGETHER.
UH, HERE'S SOME MORE DETAILS ON
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OUR POSITIVE IN SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN.UH, SO AGAIN, WE SEE THAT OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOLS ARE WELL ABOVE, UH, THAT, UH, THAT AVERAGE, UH, POSITIVITY OUR COMMUNITY 7.9% OF HIGH SCHOOLERS, 5.1% FOR MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS.
UM, AGAIN, WE HAVE SEEN CLUSTERS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, UH, AND, UH, VIC, YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF THE ONES THAT, UH, AISD AFFECT DATING, UH, THE SPORTS, UH, TEAMS. WE'VE CERTAINLY SEEN OTHER CLUSTERS AT OTHER SCHOOLS, UH, TYPICALLY AGAIN, UNRELATED TO ATHLETICS, EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND SOCIAL EVENTS.
UH, WE'RE NOT AT THE, AT THE PLACE WHERE WE CAN GO BACK TO NORMAL YET, AND THAT INCLUDES OUR YOUNG PEOPLE.
UH, SO PLEASE CONTINUE THOSE PRECAUTIONS PARENTS, PLEASE CONTINUE TO REMIND YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MASKING AND DISTANCING AND THAT PERSONAL HYGIENE.
UH, AGAIN, SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS WEEKS, WE SEE THAT OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND PRESCHOOLERS ARE WELL UNDER THAT AVERAGE, UH, POSITIVITY 1.7% FOR BOTH THIS WEEK.
UH, SO AGAIN, UH, QUITE A VARIATION ACROSS OUR SCHOOL AGES, UH, STILL NO SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE INDICATING, UH, CONCERN ABOUT, UH, CLUSTERS ASSOCIATED WITH CLASSROOM SPACES.
OUR SCHOOLS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB OF, OF ENFORCING MASKING DURING THE DISTANCING.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, PARENTS HAVE TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY DO IN-PERSON OR VIRTUAL EDUCATION.
UH, BUT CERTAINLY I THINK THE SCHOOLS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB OF, OF KEEPING CASES DOWN OUTSIDE OF THOSE EXTRACURRICULAR EVENTS.
WE HAVE OUR NURSING HOME AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY DASHBOARD.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN CASES IN THE LAST 14 DAYS.
UH, SO 13, UH, REPORTED, UH, FOR THE PREVIOUS 14 DAY LAST WEEK'S UPDATE WITH SIX CASES.
SO AS WE'VE SEEN CASES INCREASE IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, AS WE'VE SEEN POSITIVITY RISE LAST WEEK, UH, WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE SOME IMPACT ON OUR NURSING HOMES, AGAIN, RELATIVELY SMALL CLUSTERS COMPARED TO WHAT WE WERE SEEING BEFORE.
UH, BUT AGAIN, WE DO HAVE MANY OF THESE CASES WERE, WHICH WERE RELATED TO, UH, UH, PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE NURSING HOME, OUTSIDE THE ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY, UH, ENGAGING IN, IN RISK-TAKING BEHAVIORS IN TERMS OF COVID EXPOSURE, AND THEN GOING INTO THE NURSING HOME OR ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY AND VISITING A LOVED ONE IN SPREADING IT THERE.
UM, SO AGAIN, THAT'S THE REASONING BEHIND THE CAUTION TO, UH, CONTINUE TO BE VIGILANT ABOUT, UH, VISITING OLDER PEOPLE WHO ARE VULNERABLE TO DISEASE, PARTICULARLY FOR UN-VACCINATED OKAY.
IN OUR REGIONAL INFUSION CENTER EFFORTS, AGAIN, TDM, OPENNESS, UH, IN COORDINATION WITH, UH, OUR, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, OPENED IT ON ONE SIX, UH, SINCE THEN MORE THAN A THOUSAND PATIENTS, 1006 HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES.
AGAIN, UH, THIS IS A FREE INFUSION, UH, DESIGNED TO DECREASE THE RISK OF THOSE WHO ARE HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS FOR HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH.
AND I THINK THIS IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE IMPACT THAT WE'RE SEEING ON HOSPITALIZATIONS.
SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE STATE IN PROVIDING THIS RESOURCE, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE, UH, MORE CAPACITY THAN DEMAND.
UH, SO WE ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY.
UH, IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH COVID AND YOU ARE HIGH RISK, UH, TO TALK TO YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER ABOUT REFERRAL TO THE REGIONAL INFUSION CENTER, THAT MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY, I WANT TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE.
I SHARED THESE SLIDES WITH THE MEDIA A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, ONE TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT YOU ALL WERE AWARE OF THE CHANGES THAT WE'RE SEEING IN TERMS OF LENGTH OF STAY AND MORTALITY.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS A GRAPH THAT'S SHOWING, UH, THE DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL, IN WHICH 95% OF COVID PATIENTS ARE DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL.
YOU CAN SEE THAT FOR EACH OF THESE AGE GROUPS, 65 PLUS 50 TO 64 AND 17 TO 49, UH, THAT 95% THRESHOLD WAS ABOUT 25 TO 26 DAYS.
UH, AND ACROSS THE BOARD SINCE MARCH THAT HAS DROPPED TO ABOUT 15 TO 16 DAYS.
SO THAT'S ABOUT A 40% DECREASE IN THAT, IN THAT MEASUREMENT.
SO THAT'S GOING TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE BURDEN THAT OUR HOSPITALS FACE FROM COVID-19.
UH, SO WE ARE, UM, WE'VE ASKED, UH, UT TO REASSESS THE TRIGGERS AND THE MODELS TO PLUG IN THIS NEW DATA BASED ON LENGTH OF STAY, UH, TO, UH, DETERMINE IF, IF,
[00:25:01]
UH, IF WE CAN REFINE THOSE PROJECTIONS, UH, BASED UPON THE TRENDS THAT WE'RE SEEING, IN ADDITION TO THE DECREASED LENGTH OF STAY, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY.SO THESE ARE DEATHS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL.
SO FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE 65 YEARS AND OLDER, THERE'S BEEN A 63% DECREASE IN THE IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY FOR INDIVIDUALS 50 TO 64, 44% DECREASE.
UH, SO REMARKABLE DECREASES IN BOTH THESE AGE GROUPS, AGAIN, MORE THAN 80% OF THE DEATHS FROM COVID-19, UH, HAVE BEEN FROM, FROM THESE TWO AGE GROUPS.
AND, UH, SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS GOING TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ALSO ON, UH, OUR DEATH RATES GOING FORWARD.
AND I THINK THIS IS A COMBINATION OF THE VACCINE EFFORT, AND WE KNOW THAT IT'S POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO GET COVID-19, EVEN AFTER THEY'RE FULLY VACCINATED, BUT THEY TEND TO HAVE A LESS SEVERE DISEASE COURSE.
IT'S ALSO A TESTAMENT TO THE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY, WHICH ALSO, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN STILL BE HOSPITALIZED, BUT IT DOES DECREASE THE SEVERITY, UH, OF THAT ILLNESS COURSE IN PATIENTS.
SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THESE TWO MEASURES.
UH, THIS IS CERTAINLY POSITIVE NEWS, UH, BUT AGAIN, WE STILL HAVE A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF US.
AND IF WE WORK TOGETHER TO DRIVE DOWN DISEASE, UH, COMBINED WITH THESE ONGOING EFFORTS, UH, WE CAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY AVOID SIGNIFICANT SURGE, UH, IN, IN BOTH CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS, AS WELL AS THE DEATHS.
I ALSO WANT TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE.
I SHOWN YOU BEFORE SOME COMPARISONS BETWEEN TRAVIS COUNTY AND OTHER METRO COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, WANT TO PROVIDE YOU SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL, UH, WHAT OTHER LARGE CITIES ARE, ARE LOOKING LIKE IN TERMS OF COVID DEATHS, WHAT I'M SHOWING YOU HERE IS DEATHS PER A HUNDRED THOUSAND POPULATION.
UH, YOU CAN SEE AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE DARK BLUE AT THE BOTTOM, UH, COOK COUNTY AND YELLOW, UH, WHICH IS CHICAGO, NEW YORK, UH, WHICH IS IN THE DARK GREEN LOS ANGELES IN THE LIGHT BLUE, UH, PHOENIX, MARICOPA COUNTY IN THE, UH, IN THE RED AND THE LIGHT GREEN IS, UH, IS FILLING.
UH, SO AGAIN, A LOT OF THESE LARGER METROPOLITAN AREAS ARE AVERAGING BETWEEN 200 AND 250 OR SO DEATHS PER A HUNDRED THOUSAND, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY IS SITTING ABOUT 75.
UH, SO REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, W WE'RE DOING VERY WELL IN TERMS OF, UH, COMPARISONS, OTHER METROPOLITAN, LARGE METROPOLITAN AREAS IN THE US, A QUICK UPDATE ON OUR, UH, INFLUENCER REPORT.
YOU CAN SEE A SIGNIFICANT JUMP IN OUR, UH, POSITIVITY RATE LAST WEEK, 3.15% THAT NECESSARY ABOUT FOUR CASES, UM, 107 12 FOR THE SEASON.
UH, AGAIN, WE CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN A RECORD LOW SEASON COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS.
CERTAINLY, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DO THE FINAL TALLY, I THINK WE'LL FIND THAT THIS IS, UH, A RECORD LOW FLU SEASON, BUT, UM, I WILL HAVE TO CRUNCH THE NUMBERS AT THE END OF THE SEASON TO BE SURE OF THAT.
AGAIN, I, WE RENT REMAINED IN STAGE THREE OF OUR, UH, RISK-BASED GUIDELINES, UH, BEGIN FOLKS WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE, A NUMBER ONCE YOU GET VACCINATED, BUT NUMBER TWO NEED TO CONTINUE TO USE A SIGNIFICANT CAUTION, UH, IN, IN LEAVING THEIR HOME.
UH, THEY NEED TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO PLACES, UH, WE'RE MASKING THE ENFORCE WE'RE DISTANCING IS ENFORCED, UH, AND THEY SHOULD REALLY AVOID NONESSENTIAL TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOME.
UH, WE'RE STILL SEEING A SIGNIFICANT DISEASE TRANSMISSION TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND IF WE CAN EFFECTIVELY PROTECT THOSE HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD, UH, WE CAN DECREASE THE IMPACT ON OUR HOSPITALS, UH, AND CERTAINLY ON THEIR LOVED ONES, UH, CHANCE OF, OF SEVERE ILLNESS AND DEATH.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWELL.
UM, THIS IS A, UM, A SNAPSHOT OF OUR DASHBOARD, UM, OF VACCINES THAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, CODA, AS WELL AS COMMUNITY CARE HAS PROVIDED.
UH, ACCORDING TO, UM, THIS DATA, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE RACE AND WE'VE NOTICED, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE PROVIDED, UM, THE ASIAN POPULATION 14% HAVE RECEIVED THE VACCINE.
UH, AFRICAN-AMERICAN IS AT 5%.
AND, UM, THE HISPANIC POPULATION IS AT 19.5%.
[00:30:01]
TO LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE STATE LEVEL AS WELL.UM, AND, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF NOTICE THE VARIATIONS WHERE WE HAVE NOTICED AT THE STATE LEVEL FOR TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE PROVIDERS AS OF TODAY.
UM, THE ASIAN POPULATION IS AT 6.82%.
THE BLACK AFRICAN-AMERICAN IS THAT 7.12%.
AND THE HISPANIC POPULATION IS AT 27.29.
AND SO AS WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE VACCINES AS WE, UM, NOT JUST AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT ALL PROVIDERS, UM, YOU'LL CONSTANTLY SEE THAT THIS, UM, THIS DATA, UH, WILL CHANGE FROM WEEK TO WEEK.
UM, NEXT SLIDE WANTED TO JUST SHARE, UM, JUST INFORMATION ABOUT, UM, AS WE WERE LOOKING TO ADDRESS THE BARRIERS FOR THE VACCINE, UH, AS WE LOOKED AT THE TRANSPORTATION DIVIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP WITH, UM, WITH CAPITAL METRO, UM, AND FOLKS CAN GIVE A CALL MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, THESE HOURS, AND, UM, REQUEST A FREE TRIP TO, UM, BE, UM, TRANSPORTED OVER TO OUR VACCINE SITES FOR, UM, THE FIRST AND THE SECOND, UM, VACCINE IN ADDITION, YOU KNOW, ALONG THE WAY WE HAVE, UM, ALSO CONSIDERED THE LANGUAGE DIVIDE, UM, UM, LINE, WE HAVE SIX LANGUAGES, UM, ON OUR WEBSITE AND RESIDENTS CAN CALL THREE, ONE, ONE, OR OUR, OUR, UM, WHOLE NUMBER TO GET, UM, ASSISTANCE WITH REGISTERING, UM, THE VACCINE AND, UM, THE VENDOR THAT WE HAVE SUPPORTS OVER 240 LANGUAGES, UM, CONTINUING TO, UM, TEXT MESSAGE RESIDENTS OF EASTERN CRESCENT, UM, THAT ARE, UM, OUR VOLUME IS UP TO OVER A THOUSAND CALLS NOW WITH OUR DIGITAL DIVIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, VERY, UM, EXCITED.
AND AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE ALONG AND, AND, AND, UM, WORK THROUGH, UM, THE RELATIONSHIP WE'VE, UM, ESTABLISHED WITH THREE, ONE, ONE, THEY ARE CONTINUING TO HELP INDIVIDUALS.
IF THEY GIVE THEM A CALL, THEY WILL REGISTER THEM FOR AN ACCOUNT.
AND, UM, AND THEN FROM THAT POINT, UM, WE ESTABLISHED OUR, UM, EQUITY LINE, UH, BACK IN JANUARY.
AND SO, UM, FROM THERE, OUR STAFF FROM OUR EQUITY LINE, WHICH DOES INCLUDE CITY AND COUNTY FOLKS, THEY'RE CALLING FOLKS BACK TO, UM, TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT AT OUR SITES, UM, CONTINUE ON OUR PARTNERSHIPS IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT, UM, WORKING WITH OUR FACE BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND, UM, WITH OUR MOBILE VACCINE PROGRAM, UM, WORKING WITH ALL OF THESE PARTNERS AS LISTED, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT OUR MOBILE VACCINE PROGRAM YEAR TO DATE, WE HAVE PROVIDED, UM, OVER, UH, 4,400, UM, VACCINES WITH OUR VARIOUS PARTNERS.
UM, WE, UM, WE'RE REALLY, UM, EXCITED, UM, THIS PAST WEEK, UM, ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, WE WERE AT SACRED HEART PROVIDED, UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM PROVIDED, UM, 1,640 VACCINES.
IN ADDITION, UM, THE, UM, THE HEALTH ALLIANCE, UM, FORM POSITIONS, WE WERE ABLE TO BE THERE THIS PAST FRIDAY, AND WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, PROVIDE, UM, FIRST AND SECOND DOSES.
AND SO I THINK THE REALLY GREAT THING ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS IS, IS THAT, UM, IF AN INDIVIDUAL COMES TO ONE OF OUR EVENTS AND THEY HAVE A FIRST DOSE AND THEY HAVE THEIR CARD, UM, WE WILL GLADLY PROVIDE THAT VACCINE.
AND SO WE ARE, UM, JUST CONTINUING, UM, WITH THAT MODEL, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DEFINITELY REACHING, UM, OUR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, UH, ALSO THIS WEEK, UM, WE WILL BE, UH, WORKING WITH THE AUSTIN ASIAN COMMUNITY HEALTH INITIATIVE, UM, TO BE AT THE VIETNAMESE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON SATURDAY.
AND, UM, WE ARE GOING TO PROVIDE SOME VACCINES THERE.
AND SO, UM, THROUGH OUR VARIOUS, UM, PARTNERSHIPS, UM, IN MORE PLANNING MEETINGS WITH AISD, AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE ON THURSDAYS, THEY DO, UM, THEY OFFER THEIR FOOD ASSISTANCE, UM, AT SEVERAL SCHOOLS.
AND SO WE ARE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH THEM, UM, TO DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHAT A, UM, PROCESS WILL LOOK LIKE AND HOW WE ESTABLISH THAT.
SO THAT IS MORE IN THE WORKS AS WE CONTINUE TO
[00:35:01]
PIVOT, YOU KNOW, WE, UM, ARE, ARE PICKING UP MORE, UM, MORE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, MODELS.THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE ABOUT A CHILDCARE EDUCATION IN OUR SENIOR POPULATION OVER, UM, 12,000 VACCINES HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO SCHOOL AND CHILDCARE STAFF WITH OUR SENIORS, UM, POPULATION, ACCORDING TO, UM, OUR DATA AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, OUR FIRST AND SECOND DOSES ARE LISTED HERE.
AND THEN ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES, OVER 101 VACCINES, UM, HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO RESIDENTS THAT ARE 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER, NEXT SLIDE, AS WE LOOK AT OKAY.
UM, WE'RE DEFINITELY, UM, REALLY LOOKING AT THE DATA TO JUST KIND OF MOVE US TO THE PLACE OF, OF, OF VACCINE IMMUNITY.
AND SO, UM, LAST, UM, UH, TODAY, UH, YEAR TO DATE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS PROVIDED 251, 244 FIRST AND SECOND DOSES THAT IS AS OF THE 19.
AND, UM, AS WE LOOK AT THE DATA, AND THIS IS, UM, INCLUSIVE OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE 16 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER, UM, ACCORDING TO DISHES DATA, UM, THAT'S ABOUT A MILLION PEOPLE.
AND SO, UM, THAT PUTS US AT THE 48.25%, UM, TO GET US TO OUR, UH, OUR GOAL OF 67% OF HERD IMMUNITY.
UM, WE, WITH OUR APPOINTMENTS, UM, THIS WEEK, UM, FROM LAST WEEK TO THIS WEEK, UM, WE HAVE, UM, BEEN ABLE TO LEAVE OUR APPOINTMENTS OPEN, UM, AS YOU KNOW, UM, WE HAVE HAD A FEW CHALLENGES WITH OUR APPOINTMENTS, UM, FEELING.
AND SO WE THOUGHT WE WOULD, UM, TRY A FEW THINGS, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
SO WE'VE, UM, LEFT OUR APPOINTMENTS OPEN.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, UM, TO SCHEDULE A FEW MORE BY LEAVING THE SCHEDULE ARE OPEN.
UM, AND SO, UM, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THAT AND KIND OF SEE HOW THAT WORKS BY LEAVING THAT OPEN.
UM, BUT, UM, AS OF THAT TIME FROM, UM, FROM SUNDAY, FROM SATURDAY UNTIL TODAY, UH, 4,308 APPOINTMENTS WERE SCHEDULED.
AND SO AT OUR VARIOUS LOCATIONS, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR EQUITY TEAM, UH, CITY AND COUNTY TEAM STILL MAKING THOSE CALLS AND SCHEDULING FOLKS FOR APPOINTMENTS AS WELL.
UM, WE ARE ALSO, UM, WORKING ON A PROCESS FOR WALK-INS.
UM, WE KNOW THAT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE AS FLEXIBLE AS WE CAN BE.
AND SO, AS WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE FOR WALK-INS, UM, LOOKING AT THE CAPACITY, UH, LOOKING AT, UM, HOW MUCH VACCINE WE WILL TAKE LOOKING AT A SPECIFIC LOCATION, UM, THAT WE COULD BE TO MAKE THINGS, UM, UM, ACCESSIBLE FOR THE PUBLIC.
AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE, UM, AND I WILL HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE, UM, WALKING PROCESS NEXT, NEXT SWINE.
WE WANTED TO JUST SHARE A TIMELINE OF OUR DISTRIBUTION PROCESS AND KIND OF TALK ABOUT THE ELIGIBILITY AND KIND OF GIVE YOU A SNAPSHOT.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, UM, IN JANUARY, WE INITIALLY, UM, RECEIVED OUR, UM, VACCINES AT THE END OF DECEMBER.
WE RECEIVED A FEW AND THEN WE RECEIVED MORE IN JANUARY.
AND SO AT THE TIME OF ESTABLISH OURSELVES AS WE HAVE BEEN A SAFETY NET, UM, AND, UM, PROVIDED SOME, UM, VACCINE SITES.
AND SO FROM THERE, UM, IN FEBRUARY, THE STATE OF TEXAS DESIGNATED US AS A HUB.
AND SO, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE VACCINES TO ANY TEXAN, UM, THAT MET THE ONE A AND ONE B, UM, CRITERIA, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE OPENED UP DOVE SPRINGS AND FLU REELS CLINICS, UM, REALLY, UM, EXCITED AND GRATEFUL AND WANTED TO SHOW THE CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAN SITE THAT, UM, STOOD UP.
AND, UM, AND THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ESSENTIALLY SETON THE COUNTY AND COMMUNITY CARE FOR OUR FIRST DRIVE-THROUGH CLINIC.
AND THEN AS WE MOVED ON AND MARCH, UM, WE, UM, BEGAN TO, UM, PROVIDE MORE, UM, UM, MORE TARGETED, UH, VACCINES TO FOLKS
[00:40:01]
THAT STILL MET THE ONE, A ONE B CRITERIA, BUT THEN WE EXPANDED OUR HEALTH EQUITY CALL CENTER, UM, TO INCLUDE TRAVIS COUNTY.ALONG THAT TIME, WE, UM, HAD PROVIDED ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND VACCINES AND, UM, LATER IN MARCH, UM, WE, UM, EXPANDED TO THE BERGER CENTER AND, UM, STARTED OUR PROGRAM, BUT THEN OUR MOBILE VACCINE PROGRAM, UH, BEGAN, UH, WORKING, UM, INITIALLY WITH MEALS ON WHEELS.
UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE EXPANDED THAT TO SEVERAL PARTNERS THAT WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THEIR, UH, PARTICIPATION AND ALLOWING US TO, TO WORK WITH THEM, AND THEN TO, UM, TO SHARE THE CLIENTS THAT THEY'RE WORKING WITH IN APRIL.
UM, EVERYONE IS ELIGIBLE, UM, FOR ALL OF THE, UM, VACCINE, ACCORDING TO IN STATE OF TEXAS.
AND, UM, WE MADE A CHANGE TO OUR SOUTH EAST BRANCH LIBRARY.
I'M STILL DOING SOME TESTING THERE, BUT WE'RE ALSO PROVIDING VACCINES.
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PIVOT IN THE MONTH OF MAY TO SHIFT TO NEIGHBORHOOD CLINICS.
IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO, UM, CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH THE COMMUNITY, CONNECT WITH, UM, GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS, UM, AND BE VERY TARGETED AND INTENTIONAL.
AND SO, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, THESE ARE SOME OF THE STRATEGIES, UM, THAT WE ARE TO IMPLEMENT.
WE KNOW THAT, UM, BASED UPON THESE STRATEGIES, IT'S GOING TO, UM, WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE MORE CHANGES WITH THE DATA, DEFINITELY BEING ABLE TO IMPACT, UM, THE AREAS AND THE POPULATIONS WHO HAVE BEEN HIT VERY HARD DURING THE COVID, UM, DURING THIS TIME, AT THIS TIME, UM, THAT COMPLETES MY PRESENTATION AND I AM AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
UH, WE WILL PROCEED WITH THE QUESTIONS THEN STARTING WITH A COMMISSIONER'S COURT, UH, COMMISSIONER SHEA.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ.
UM, I DID, UH, HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR.
UM, UH, THERE WAS A POST YESTERDAY, UH, ORIGINATING WITH, UH, DR.
AND THE POINT I THINK THEY WERE MAKING IS GIVEN THAT WE ARE NOW VACCINATING SO MANY, LITERALLY MILLIONS OF AMERICANS.
THE FACT THAT THE NEW CASES IS REMAINING FLAT IS A CAUSE FOR GREAT CONCERN, BECAUSE IT MEANS THERE'S MUCH MORE RAPID SPREAD.
AND I THINK THAT THAT STRUCK ME AS A REALLY SIGNIFICANT POINT TO EMPHASIZE, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE KIND OF FEELING LIKE, NO, WE'RE STARTING TO GET PAST THIS.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD ENOUGH PEOPLE VACCINATED AND WE CAN LET DOWN OUR GUARD MORE, OR PEOPLE WHO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE STILL BULLETPROOF AND DON'T NEED TO BE VACCINATED OR WHATEVER REASON THEY HAVE FOR NOT WANTING TO BE VACCINATED.
CAN YOU JUST SPEAK TO THIS BECAUSE THIS SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY ALARMING STATISTIC.
YES, COMMISSIONER, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THIS GOES BACK TO THE DISCUSSIONS WE WERE HAVING LAST MONTH ABOUT, UH, THE TIMING OF REOPENING.
UM, I THINK THE BEST STRATEGY IS FOR US TO HAVE DELAYED GRATIFICATION FOR US TO CONTINUE THE PROTECTIONS, TO DRIVE DOWN DISEASE AND OPEN WHEN THAT HAPPENS, NOT BEFORE IT HAPPENS.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING HAPPENING ACROSS THE U S IS WE'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, CASES ON THE DECLINE WE'VE SEEN STATE BY STATE THINGS OPENING UP AGAIN, UM, NOT A LITTLE BIT, BUT OPENING UP ALL THE WAY.
AND I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE'RE SAYING THIS, THIS LONG LASTING PLATEAU, UH, THAT IS STILL LEAVING US IN A POSITION TO EXPERIENCE A SURGE.
UM, THE, THE, THE CEILING IS STILL QUITE HIGH ON THE NUMBER OF CASES.
WE STILL HAVE 500,000, AT LEAST IN TRAVIS COUNTY WHO CAN OR ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO COVID-19.
THE NUMBER IS PROBABLY MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT DUE TO OVERLAP OF A VACCINATED PEOPLE AND PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD NATURAL ILLNESS.
SO WE STILL HAVE TO BE VERY CAUTIOUS.
UM, WE CANNOT BE IN A RACE, UH, TO NORMALCY, UH, AND GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
UH, I DO THINK THAT BECAUSE THE CEILING IS DROPPING EVERY DAY DUE TO VACCINATIONS,
[00:45:01]
UH, THAT THE RISK IS DECREASING ON A DAILY BASIS, UH, REGARDING THE MAGNITUDE OF THAT SURGE.UH, BUT IT'S STILL, STILL, THE CEILING IS STILL HIGH ENOUGH FOR US TO, UH, TO BE, UH, HIT SIGNIFICANTLY FROM COVID-19.
UH, AND WE'VE GOT TO, WE'VE GOT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT.
WE'VE SEEN IT PLAY OUT IN COUNTRIES ACROSS THE WORLD.
I THINK THAT WE SET A NEW WORLDWIDE RECORD FOR NEW CASES.
UH, NO, IT'S NOT GONE ANYWHERE YET.
IT'S STILL GEARED IT'S MOVING AROUND.
UM, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE THINK ABOUT THAT, UH, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO SUMMER PLANNING, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THE U S IS, THE REST OF THE WORLD IS NOT GOING TO BE WHERE THE US IS IN TERMS OF, UH, VACCINATIONS.
UM, AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OPENING UP TOO MUCH, WE THINK ABOUT SPREADING VARIANCE THAT RIGHT NOW, RELATIVELY RARE, PARTICULARLY THE SOUTH AFRICAN VARIANT.
UM, SO THAT MEANS IF WE CHOOSE TO TRAVEL, IT SHOULD BE ONLY IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE INDIVIDUALS ARE FULLY VACCINATED AND THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY PROTECTED THEMSELVES DURING THE JOURNEY AND DURING THE TRAVEL PERIOD.
UH, I CAN'T STRESS THAT ENOUGH, THAT WE ARE STILL VERY VULNERABLE.
THE PATH TOWARDS HERD IMMUNITY, UM, IS REALLY BASED UPON THE CURRENT VARIANTS THAT WE KNOW, AND THE FACT THAT EVEN, YOU KNOW, AMONGST THE UK VARIANT, THE BRAZILIAN BARRIER, THE VACCINE IS STILL PRETTY GOOD.
THE THREAT, THE REAL THREAT THAT WE HAVE IS THE EMERGENCE OF A VARIANT THAT SUCCESSFULLY EVADES THE CURRENT VACCINE, BECAUSE THEN WE'VE GOT OUR START ALL THIS OVER AGAIN.
UH, WHAT CAN WE DO AS A COMMUNITY TO PREVENT THAT WE CAN MASK, WE CAN DISTANCE, WE CAN WASH OUR HANDS.
WE CAN BE VACCINATED THE FASTER WE CAN DO THAT.
WE CAN QUICKLY CLOSE A WINDOW ON THE POSSIBILITY OF THOSE NEW VARIANTS EMERGING AND, UH, AND, AND GET TO THAT PLACE OF NORMALCY THAT WE ALL WANT TO BE, BUT WE CAN'T RUSH IT.
AND DOES THIS ELEVATE THE URGENCY OF PEOPLE GETTING VACCINATED PUTS NEW VARIANTS? ABSOLUTELY.
WE'RE W WE'RE LITERALLY IN A RACE AGAINST TIME, AND I KNOW LOTS OF OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH DOCTORS HAVE, HAVE USED THAT, BUT THAT'S, THAT IS WHAT WE WERE FACING.
IF WE DON'T DO IT FAST ENOUGH, WE WILL SEE THESE VETERANS CONTINUE TO EMERGE.
UH, THE MORE THEY INTERACT, THE VIRUS INTERACTS.
SO THE VETERANS INTERACT WITH VACCINATED PEOPLE, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT IT WILL, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE A VARIANT VARIAN, EMERGENCE VACCINE RESISTANT, AND THEN WE'LL, YOU KNOW, THE BOOSTERS WILL MERGE AND WE'LL BE CONSTANTLY CHANGING THOSE IN THE FUTURE.
UM, SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT TO GET VACCINATED.
UH, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN FOLKS WHO DIDN'T WANT TO BE FIRST IN LINE TO GET THE VACCINE BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T SURE, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW ABOUT THE 85TH MILLIONTH IN LINE? UH, THERE'S LOTS AND LOTS OF VACCINES OUT THERE.
EVEN WITH THE JOHNSON JOHNSON CONCERNS, UH, VACCINE IS STILL INCREDIBLY SAFE.
ALL OF THEM ARE STILL INCREDIBLY SAFE.
THE RISKS OF THE NATURAL DISEASE ARE MUCH HIGHER, MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT, MUCH MORE LONG LASTING THAN THE COMPLICATIONS THAT WE'RE SEEING, WHICH ARE VERY, VERY RARE.
UM, WE W WE SIMPLY MUST CARE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS CARE ABOUT OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND TALK TO THEM OPENLY, HONESTLY, ABOUT THE VACCINE FACTS.
WE UPDATE IT WEEKLY WITH A WEEKLY FACTS ON VACCINES, UM, MAKE SURE THAT YOU TUNE INTO A RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION WHEN YOU'RE MAKING THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO BE VACCINATED.
UH, UH, ONCE AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, TO THANK YOU BOTH DR.
S SCOTT AND, AND DIRECTOR, UM, HAYDEN, UH, HOWARD FOR, UH, THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, YOU HAVE, UH, WORKED REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PIVOT AND WORK WITH COMMUNITY, THAT WE WORK IN COMMUNITY, THAT WE GO OUT, UH, TO WHERE PEOPLE ARE AND EDUCATE THEM ABOUT, UH, OPPORTUNITIES AND MAKE SURE THAT, THAT I WOULD GIVE THEM ASSISTANCE.
AND I USING THE, UH, THE DATA SYSTEMS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE.
UH, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT.
YOU'VE DONE THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE IN THE EVENINGS, THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE IN THE, ON THE WEEKENDS, UH, IT HAS BEEN APPRECIATED.
AND I THINK THAT'S MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE ON, I, I WANT TO, UM, ASK AND I APPRECIATE THE WAY IN WHICH, UH, THE PRESENTATION WAS LAID OUT TODAY, UH, BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ANALYZING BARRIERS AND DEVELOPING OUR
[00:50:01]
RESOURCES TO SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THOSE BARRIERS.AND, AND THAT WILL BE MY QUESTION TODAY.
UH, WHAT CAN WE DO FROM A TRAINING PERSPECTIVE, WHETHER IT IS WITH OUR LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD OR WHETHER IT IS WITH OUR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE IDENTIFY THE PLACES, UH, IN OUR SYSTEM, WHERE ARE LABOR SHORTAGES AND BUILD A PROGRAM TO, UH, GET STUDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED, TRAINED, AND HEALTH RELATED FIELDS, WHETHER THAT'S NURSING, WHETHER IT'S FIRST, FIRST RESPONDER, WHETHER THAT'S SOCIAL WORK OR DATA MANAGEMENT, WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS SPECIFIC TRAINING IN AREAS WHERE WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A LABOR SHORTAGE? UH, BECAUSE I THINK AS WE LOOK INTO COMMUNITIES THAT HISTORICALLY HAVE BEEN UNDERSERVED, UH, WE NEED TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES SO THAT THOSE FOLKS HAVE SOME, UH, SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE FROM THE, FROM THE AREAS WHERE THERE'S HESITANCY, THAT WE BUILD PROFESSIONALS TO ADDRESS AND EDUCATE AND WORK WITH THOSE COMMUNITIES.
UM, I JUST WANT TO SEE WHETHER WE CAN SIT DOWN AND WORK WITH THE LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD AND BUILD A PLAN BASED ON OUR AFTER ACTION REPORT.
UM, YES, UH, COMMISSIONER TRIVIAN.
UM, I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO THAT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS, UM, THAT WE'VE JUST NOTICED AS, UM, CITY OF BOSTON, A FEW YEARS, TWO YEARS OF SO, UH, MEETING WITH OUR HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR, SHE SHARED WITH US THAT ABOUT 5% OF THE, UM, CITY OF BOSTON, UM, PERSONNEL ARE, WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT.
SO NOT THAT THEY WOULD, BUT THEY WOULD BE ELIGIBLE.
AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALLY KIND OF THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHO IS GOING TO BE OUR WORKFORCE FOR TOMORROW, HOW WE ARE GOING TO, UM, BE ABLE TO EMPHASIZE, UM, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND SKILLS.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS DONE IS, UM, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE DID IMPLEMENT THE PUBLIC HEALTH PIPELINE THAT PUBLIC HEALTH PIPELINE, UM, WORKS WITH SCHOOLS.
EUGENE HAS REALLY WORKED HARD ON THAT PROGRAM, BUT WHAT THAT PROGRAM DOES IS, IS THAT, UM, IT BRINGS, UH, STUDENTS TO PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH US VIRTUALLY DURING THIS TIME, BUT WHAT IT DOES IS THAT EXPOSES THEM TO THE WORK AT PUBLIC HEALTH TALKS WITH THEM ABOUT THE DIFFERENT AREAS IN PUBLIC HEALTH, AND, UM, JUST KIND OF EX YOU KNOW, GIVES THEM THAT EXPERIENCE.
AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT THAT WE DO EXPOSE, UM, YOUNG PEOPLE, UM, AND THEN KIND OF RAISE THEM UP THROUGH THE RANKS, WHETHER IT'S, THEY END UP WITH HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION OR SOME TYPE OF TRADE, OR IF THEY GO FURTHER.
UM, AND WE'VE HAD SOME THAT HAVE, HAVE GONE FURTHER AND HAVE CIRCLED BACK AND THEY HAVE COLLEGE INTERNS WITH US AS WELL.
AND SO THAT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PIECE IS VERY IMPORTANT.
WE WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT.
I WILL, I'LL CERTAINLY, UH, WORK WITH YOU.
LOOK, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
I, YOU KNOW, I HAVE SEEN US WHEN IT COMES TO THE MICROCHIP INDUSTRY.
I'VE SEEN US WHEN IT COMES TO THE CONSTRUCTION ENERGY INDUSTRY DEVELOP SPECIFIC PROGRAMS WITH LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD.
I THINK HEALTH HEALTH-RELATED FIELDS ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR US.
AND, AND I THINK THAT, UH, THE LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD HAS PUT TOGETHER A STRATEGY IN A NUMBER OF AREAS.
I JUST WANT TO FOCUS MORE ON HEALTH RELATED ISSUES, BECAUSE I THINK THAT WILL ADDRESS SOME OF THE CULTURAL HESITANCY ISSUES THAT WE SEE AS IT RELATES TO HEALTH CARE.
SO, UH, WE, WE ARE CERTAINLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND, AND, UM, AND BRINGING ANY RESOURCES THAT WE CAN ASSIST WITH, TO THE TABLE.
THANKS SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER HOWARD.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ASK, UM, DR.
S SCOTT OR STEPHANIE HAYDEN, HOWARD, IF THERE'S ANY STONE UNTURNED, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE, AS LEADERS IN THIS COMMUNITY DO, UM, THAT YOU'VE SEEN OTHER LEADERS PERHAPS IN OTHER COMMUNITIES DO, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, TO CONTINUE TO GET THE WORD OUT, TO SHARE THE MESSAGE OR TO SUPPORT YOUR TEAMS, IF YOU HAD A WISHLIST OF TWO OR THREE THINGS, IS THERE, IS THERE ANYTHING WE'RE NOT DOING THAT WE COULD BE DOING AND
[00:55:01]
LET'S GET FORTH? GO AHEAD.I THINK ONE THING I WOULD REALLY SUGGEST, UH, OF ALL OF YOU, UM, IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR VACCINE, MY HOPE IS, IS THAT ALL OF YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR VACCINE.
UM, UM, AND IF YOU HAVE, AND IF YOU, IF YOU'VE TAKEN ANY PHOTOS OF IT, UM, CAN YOU BE, UM, A PERSON THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, I'VE TAKEN MY VACCINE, I, YOU KNOW, I FULLY SUPPORT IT.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, EVEN THE REASON WHY YOU'RE DOING IT USING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA, ET CETERA.
UM, I THINK THAT IS, UM, CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, UM, TO KIND OF, TO THE, IN THE SPACE OF, OF VACCINES.
I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS, IS, UM, REALLY EXPLAINING AND CONTINUING TO, UM, EXPLAIN TO FOLKS ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, AS WE MOVED ALONG, I STILL THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME FOLKS THAT STILL, UM, CONFUSE PUBLIC HEALTH WITH HEALTHCARE.
AND, UM, THERE ARE SOME HEALTH DEPARTMENTS THAT STILL WORK IN THAT SPACE OF HEALTHCARE AND PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, JUST TO REALLY KIND OF HELP WITH AN EDUCATIONAL PIECE PIECE.
I, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE THE VACCINATION PROCESS PREVIOUS TO TODAY WAS ABOUT GETTING ENOUGH VACCINE TO GET IT TO THE PEOPLE WHO WANTED IT.
NOW, NOW SUPPLY EXCEEDS DEMAND.
UM, WE HAD A VERY BRIEF PLATEAU, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK FROM HERE FORWARD, WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT, THAT, THAT SUPPLIED SEATS DEMAND.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK HARD TO GET PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE, UH, TO GET THEIR VACCINE, WHICH MEANS THAT EVERY MEETING OF EVERY ORGANIZATION, EVERY CHURCH SERMON, EVERY SCOUT MEETING, EVERY GROUP MEETING IN THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSING VACCINATION.
THE MORE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT, THE MORE WE'RE SHARING FACTS AND DISPELLING FICTION, THE MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE INCLINED TO GET THE VACCINE.
WE KNOW FROM PREVIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, THE MORE PEOPLE HEAR IT, THE MORE PEOPLE THERE THAT ARE MORE TIMES THEY'RE ASKED ABOUT IT, THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO DO IT.
WE STILL HAVE SOME WORK TO DO AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD MENTIONED EARLIER, MAKING THE VACCINE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE, PUTTING IT CLOSER TO HOME, CLOSER TO WORK AT TIMES WHEN THEY CAN GET THE VACCINE, WHICH IS CONVENIENT FOR THEM.
UM, BUT WE NEED PEOPLE TO GET SIGNED UP.
WE NEED TO GET PEOPLE IN LINE.
UM, AGAIN, SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, MEETINGS, CHURCHES, UH, ALL THOSE GROUPS.
THE MORE WE TALK ABOUT IT, THE MORE SUCCESS WE'RE GOING TO HEAR.
WHAT I AM INTERESTED IN, IN FINDING OUT IS HOW CLOSELY WE ARE GETTING TO THE HERD IMMUNITY.
AND SO WE'RE SAYING THAT WE'RE NOW AT 48.2, 5% OF THE POPULATION.
WE'RE WE'RE 48.4 8.25 OF ADULTS IN TRAVIS CABINS.
AND THERE'S STILL ANOTHER 250,000 OR SO PEOPLE UNDER 16.
UH, SO WE'RE ABOUT 30%, UH, UH, OF, OF THE WAY TO HERD IMMUNITY, PEOPLE WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED OF ALL AGES.
UM, SO WE'VE GOT A WAYS TO GO.
THE STATE'S GOT A WAYS TO GO, UM, AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE INCREASING EFFORTS IN ORDER TO GET US THERE.
AND, AND I THINK IN, IN, IN LIEU OF A PHOTO, UH, UH, DIRECTOR, UH, HAYDEN IS WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IT GOES BACK TO WHEN WE WERE CHILDREN, UH, BEFORE WE EVER WENT TO SCHOOL, WE HAD TO LINE UP AND GET OUR BACK VACCINATIONS.
AND, AND SO I THINK THAT THAT EXPERIENCE STAYS WITH US AS WE GROW OLDER, UH, SOMETHING ELSE COMES ALONG, WE NEED A BA WE NEED A VACCINE.
AND SO I THINK IT, IT, UH, IT STARTS WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE A YOUNG CHILD, UH, YOU GET USED TO THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE TO BE HEALTHY.
YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE GETTING THROUGH SCHOOL AND GETTING THROUGH LIFE.
SO, UM, I THINK, UM, I THINK WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND, AND, UH, GET ALL OF THE KIDS GET GETTING USED TO, UM, TO VACCINES, UH, TO, TO STAY HEALTHY.
UH, SO ANYWAY, THAT, THAT WAS, THAT'S MY INPUT ON THAT, UH, MAYOR, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU
[01:00:05]
COMMISSIONER.UH, WE'RE GOING TO, UH, GO, UH, DISTRICTS, UH, IN, IN ONE TO 10 TODAY, BUT BEFORE WE START ON, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A BRIEF REPORT AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, IN LOOKING AT THE BARRIERS, VACCINATING THE COMMUNITY, A FEW THINGS THAT I THINK ARE CLEAR AS YOU HAVE MADE, UH, IN YOUR PRESENTATION REPEATEDLY DR.
AND ONE IS THAT THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IS REAL.
SO ONLINE REGISTRATION, EVEN WITH AN OPTIMIZED WEBSITE, UH, IS SAW HURDLE FOR WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE.
AND WE'RE SEEING THAT WITH, UH, THE VACCINATION, UH, NUMBERS THAT WE KEEP, UH, TALKING ABOUT.
UM, AND IT'S HARD TO DO VACCINATIONS WITHOUT A PRE-REGISTRATION SYSTEM.
UH, SO WE HAVE A SUPPLY THAT IS, UH, FROM THE STATE HASN'T HISTORICALLY BEEN PREDICTABLE.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE WALK-UP, YOU HAVE, UH, THE, THE DANGER OR THREAT OF HAVING VACCINATIONS AT THE END, WHICH WE SAW THIS WEEKEND, UH, OUT AT NELSON FIELD, UH, IS THAT, UH, EVENT HANDED WITH, UM, OUR VACCINATORS WALKING UP TO RETAIL LOCATIONS IN THE AREA TO, TO, TO FIND PEOPLE AND SEE IF THEY WERE READY TO BE, UH, TO VACCINATED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE, WE ISSUED ALL THOSE.
UH, SO I REALLY DO LIKE THAT AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC GETS VACCINATED IN GREATER NUMBERS IS APPLYING PRIESTS, IS THAT WE'RE REALLY WORKING ON THAT TARGETED WALKUP STRATEGY, UH, AS, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS, UH, IS DOING, UH, THE EVENT AT SACRED HEART.
UH, ALSO THE POP-UP EVENTS LIKE IN HAM ARE REALLY GOOD.
SO IN SPEAKING, AS WE'VE HEARD HERE IN RECENT TIMES WITH DR.
HAYDEN HOWARD, ONE OF THE BIG LIMITING FACTORS IN THE STRATEGY IS, UH, CLINICAL STAFFING TO ADMINISTER THE, UH, THE VACCINES.
UH, IT SEEMS AS IF WE HAVE PLENTY OF OTHER KINDS OF VOLUNTEERS, AND I KNOW THAT THE COUNTY, AND THEN JUDGE BROWN AND OTHERS HAVE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF BUILDING UP THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE ABLE TO SOLICIT AND GET THOSE, UM, THOSE, THOSE VOLUNTEERS.
UM, BUT, UH, THE, UH, THE HURDLE SEEMS STILL BE THE, UH, THE MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS.
UH, SO JUST REPORTING WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEKEND, UH, MY OFFICE AND I, UH, REALLY FOCUSED ON RECRUITING MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS.
AND THEN IT JUST THIS PAST WEEK, I JUST WANT TO SAY, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE, THE 60 DOCTORS AND NURSES THAT HAVE STEPPED UP, BUT THE INDICATION THAT THERE ARE STILL MORE, THAT ARE BETTER ON THE WAY, UM, WITH, UH, UH, JUST, UH, 48 HOURS.
NOTICE, AGAIN, JUST WANT TO THANK THE VOLUNTEERS.
WE WERE ABLE TO DEPLOY, DEPLOY A TEAM OF 11 OUT TO NELSON FIELD THIS WEEKEND FOR THE POPUP EVENT AT KID FEST THAT, UH, FOOD RESOURCE FAIR PUT ON BY CHILD AND AUSTIN VOICES, UH, REAL SPECIAL THINGS TO, TO ACHIEVE KEN BAILEY OF ESD 11, BEING THE VACCINATOR OF RECORD, UH, THE COLLABORATIVE FOR ACTING AS OUR PHARMACY OUT OF DAKOTA, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR SAR FOR, UH, FOR SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN, IN, IN ORGANIZING, UH, THAT EVENT ALSO WANT TO THANK, UH, MY, MY CHIEF OF STAFF, LESLIE MARDIS, UH, WHO HAS STEPPED IN, IN FRONT OF THE STAR TO, TO, TO ALSO TRY TO, TO HELP.
AND THEN TO, TO HER PARTNER, DR.
THOMAS, WHO STEPPED UP TO BE, I GUESS YOU NEEDED A PHYSICIAN OF RECORD ONSITE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND, UM, AND THEY LITERALLY WROTE OVER TO CODA I IN THE MORNING WHERE THE PHARMACY WAS SET UP TO MIX THE VACCINES AND THEN TOOK IT OUT AND, UH, WAS WITH THE, UM, THE PHYSICIAN GROUP WHEN THEY ARRIVED.
I THINK THE GOAL IS TO DEVELOP A BENCH OF A HUNDRED VOLUNTEER VACCINATORS, UH, AND JUST MAKE THEM AVAILABLE TO VARIOUS EQUITY EFFORTS.
I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES ON COUNCIL, UH, MANY, IF NOT ALL, ARE WORKING WITH THEIR CONSTITUENTS TO, TO HELP SET THESE UP OR, OR, OR ELEVATE THOSE KINDS OF OPPORTUNITIES.
AND THAT WAS THE LIMITING FACTOR.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO HELP PARTICIPATE IN CREATING THAT BENCH OF VACCINATORS THAT CAN THEN BE DEPLOYED TO, UH, TO EVENTS AS THEY HAPPEN.
UH, I GO AT NINTH YEAR BECAUSE WE'RE NOT AT A HUNDRED YET, SO THIS IS A PLEA TO THE COMMUNITY, TO THE DOCTORS.
AND THEN THE NURSES THAT ARE ABLE TO VACCINATE A REQUEST THAT SHE HAS STAND UP AND JOIN THIS, UH, BENCH OF, UH, VOLUNTEER VACCINATORS TO, TO, TO HELP FLUSH THIS OUT.
SO THAT IT'S A RESOURCE THAT'S AVAILABLE TO APH AND TO, UH, UH, ALL THE OFFICES THAT ARE WORKING, HANG ON THIS.
[01:05:01]
AND, UH, THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD FOR, FOR, UH, ASSISTING THAT POINTING US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR THAT.AND FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING, DOING THE SAME WORK, UH, AS WE ALL WORKED HERE YEAH.
TO TRY TO BUILD THOSE NUMBERS.
LET'S GO THROUGH THE COUNCIL BEGINNING WITH DISTRICT.
THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION, UH, DR.
ESCHATON AND DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD.
I THINK, UH, I THINK MOST OF US ARE, ARE THINKING ALONG THE SAME LINES AT THIS POINT, WHICH IS, UM, WHICH IS REALLY HELPFUL.
CAUSE I THINK IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA MAKE OUR, OUR QUESTIONS VERY SIMILAR IN WHICH CASE WE GET TO GET REAL GRANULAR.
NOW, UM, ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT MAYOR ADLER WAS JUST ASKING, I KEEP FINDING MYSELF WONDERING WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE? SO, YOU KNOW, MY COLLEAGUE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER
AND, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THEORY, I ABSOLUTELY CAN SEE HOW THAT'S THE NECESSARY APPROACH.
UM, BUT I, I ALSO KEEP THINKING, YOU KNOW, WE WERE AT, AT NELSON FIELD THE OTHER DAY AND IN A CONVERSATION OVERHEARD, UM, IT WAS THE THOUGHT OF TRYING TO GO TO WHERE EVERY INDIVIDUAL PERSON IS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION NEEDING THAT PHYSICIAN ONSITE AND NEEDING PEOPLE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO DISTRIBUTE VACCINES.
I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WHAT'S THE WAY FOR US TO GET THE MOST BANG FOR THE BOOK, HOW THE MOST, YOU KNOW, SHOTS IN ARMS. AND IT SEEMS TO ME WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, MUCH LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER CASAR MADE A POINT TO, TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE PEOPLE WERE ALREADY GOING TO BE AT THAT NELSON FIELD, THE BED, AND WHICH HE SAID, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE BEST, MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO CAPTURE WHERE ALL THE EVENTS ARE ALREADY HAPPENING.
UM, EITHER PRIVATE EVENTS OR PUBLIC EVENTS, WHERE ARE THE EVENTS ALREADY HAPPENING? WHERE ARE THERE SCHOOLS ARE READY? YOU KNOW, WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF THEIR STUDENTS THAT ARE COMING IN, WHERE ARE THEIR CAMPS ARE READY? WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE CREATE THAT CATALOG OF OPPORTUNITIES.
IS THERE A, AS WE'RE ASKING FOR VOLUNTEER VACCINATORS, CAN WE ALSO BE ASKING FOLKS IN THAT, YOU KNOW, EVENTS FACE, OR, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WHO ARE ACCUSTOMED TO, YOU KNOW, GETTING, UM, SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT EVENTS, IS THERE SOME WAY TO MAKE THAT MORE ORGANIZED? AND I GUESS THAT WOULD BE A DIRECTOR, HAYDEN HOWARD QUESTION.
WELL, WE, WE HAVE STARTED, UM, REACHING OUT TO PARTNERS TO LET US KNOW WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO, UM, HAVE EVENTS.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE JUST KIND OF EMPHASIZED IS THAT IF YOU CALL ME TODAY, WHICH IS TUESDAY AND THE EVENT IN SATURDAY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO WE, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE SUFFICIENT NOTICE, UM, BECAUSE WITH US ONE SCHEDULING PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, FURTHER OUT, UM, AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO PLAN FOR STAFFING.
SO, SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US, UM, TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT INFORMATION, UM, AND BE ABLE TO, UM, PLUG OUR FOLKS INTO THAT PROCESS.
I THINK THE ELDER THING, UM, THAT IS REALLY, YOU KNOW, GOING TO BE IMPORTANT AS WELL, IS THAT, UM, UH, A LOT OF THIS IS, IS, UH, IS, IS RELATIONSHIPS.
WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT THE PARTNERS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO GET A KIND OF LARGER CAPTAIN BODY, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE COMING TO THESE EVENTS ARE THE, UM, PLACES WHERE THEY HAVE SOME TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE CONNECTED TO THAT, UM, INDIVIDUAL.
WE'VE HAD FOLKS TO REFER FOLKS TO US.
UM, THEY'RE VERY GOOD ABOUT SHOWING UP BECAUSE THEY HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'LL USE SACRED HEART, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THAT CONNECTION TO FRANK
UM, AND SO THEY'RE CONNECTED TO THEIR PASTORS AND THEY MADE AN AGREEMENT AND THEY SHOWED UP AT THOSE EVENTS.
SO WE'VE GOT TO KEEP THAT PART OF, UM, THAT INSIGHT AS WELL, THAT IT IS GOING TO BE ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP THAT THEY HAVE WITH THE PERSON OR THE ORGANIZATION THAT IS SENDING THEM TO US.
AND WE DO HAVE, UM, GREATEST SUCCESS WITH THE NO-SHOW RATE.
YOU'RE GOING TO ALWAYS HAVE A NO SHOW RATE BECAUSE SOMETHING IS ALWAYS GOING TO HAPPEN.
UM, BUT I THINK THE OTHER PART THAT WE MUST DO, AND, UM, AND WE NOTICED THIS AT ST.
JAMES, UM, THERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF EDUCATION THAT WENT ON BECAUSE EVEN WHEN PEOPLE ARE THERE AND YOU'RE PROVIDING THE VACCINES, THEY MAY NOT DECIDE TO, TO
[01:10:01]
GET THE VACCINE ON THAT DAY.AND SO WE MUST BE PREPARED TO BRING THE EDUCATION, TO, TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS THAT FOLKS HAVE IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING THE VACCINE.
SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO KIND OF DOUBLE UP AND BEING ABLE TO DO BOTH, BECAUSE THERE'S GOING TO BE FOLKS THAT ARE GOING TO GUESS THEY'RE READY, THEY'RE GOING TO GET IT, BUT THEN THEY'RE GOING TO BE FOLKS THAT'LL BE HESITANT AND JUST WANT THE INFORMATION.
AND SO THOSE THINGS ARE GOING TO BE IMPORTANT AS WELL.
AND I GUESS, YOU KNOW, I'LL CLOSE OUT THAT, THAT LINE OF QUESTION IN WITH THE PLACES THAT I KEEP THINKING PEOPLE ARE ALREADY IN ARE GOING ANYWHERE.
SO, YOU KNOW, JAILS, HOSPITALS, UM, THE, THE PLACES THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO GO, UM, THE WIC OFFICE, THE, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF PLACES THAT KEEP COMING TO MIND FOR ME, THE CONSISTENCY OF FLOW.
UM, SO YEAH, THOSE, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT KEEP COMING BACK TO ME, BUT THANK YOU.
I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSE HERE.
AND MY QUESTION IS, OR CITY MANAGER KRONK MANAGE YOUR CRONK.
YOU KNOW, LAST WEEK WE MET, WE HAD A MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO EXPRESSED DEEP FRUSTRATION WITH HOW THE ROLLOUT HAS BEEN WHEN IT COMES TO THE VACCINES, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO VACCINATING OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
YOU WERE A PART OF THAT MEETING.
I'M HOPING IF YOU COULD, I'M HOPING THAT TODAY YOU CAN SPEAK A LITTLE BIT, UM, TO WHAT EFFORTS ARE BEING PLACED AND ARE IN PROGRESS, UM, THAT THE CITY IS DOING TO VACCINATE OUR MOST MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.
WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE, UH, IN RELATION TO THAT MEETING THAT WE HAD WITH OUR COMMUNITY, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER QUINTAS, AND THANKS FOR BEING PART OF THAT IMPORTANT CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD WITH SO MANY GREAT PARTNERS, UH, IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND, AND I COULDN'T AGREE MORE THAT THERE WERE BOTH, UH, UH, GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT OF IT.
AND WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING ON BOTH RESPONDING TO THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND BUILDING OFF OF, UH, THE, THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE THERE.
BECAUSE AS WE'VE HEARD IN THIS PRESENTATION TODAY, THE PIVOT HAS ALREADY STARTED TO MOVE FROM OUR MASS VACCINATION CLINICS TO, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD HOBBS, MOBILE CLINICS, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GOING TO THE COMMUNITIES WHERE THE VACCINES ARE NEEDED AND DOING THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF EDUCATION AND RESPONSE, WHAT WAS REALLY, UH, EXCITING AND, AND PROVIDED ME A LOT OF OPTIMISM COMING FROM THAT, AS WE DO HAVE ENGAGED PARTNERS THAT ARE WANTING TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION, AND WE JUST NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON TAPPING INTO THOSE EFFORTS.
SO I KNOW THAT DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD HAS ALREADY BEEN ENGAGING WITH MANY OF THOSE COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
WE'VE HAD A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DEL VALLEY COMMUNITY COALITION, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE MANY OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS SO WE CAN GET AT ALL OF THOSE POPULATIONS THAT ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE, ALL US DIRECTOR, HAYDEN HOWARD, TO DESCRIBE A FEW MORE EXAMPLES THAT MAY HAVE NOT BEEN SHARED WITH US TODAY.
UH, BUT THIS IS JUST THE START OF A REALLY IMPORTANT PARTNERSHIP WITH SO MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE NOT GETTING ACCESS TO THOSE VACCINES RIGHT NOW.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COME TO MIND, UM, COMMISSIONER IT IS IT'S REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE LOOK AT KIND OF ROLLING OUT THINGS, WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE NEED TO MAKE CHANGES, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE MOVING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL.
UM, THOSE VOICES THAT WE HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY IS VERY IMPORTANT.
AND SO, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK INTO A LITTLE MORE IS, UM, ARE THERE ADDITIONAL GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS, UM, THAT WE NEED TO, UM, UM, UM, EXECUTE A FEW MORE CONTRACTS RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE SEVEN OF THOSE AGREEMENTS, UH, IN PLACE.
AND SO I KNOW THAT, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SMALL GRANTS AS WELL, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE $25,000 GRANTS.
AND SO, UM, SO WE NEED TO REEVALUATE THAT AND LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE CLOSER, UM, AND DETERMINE DO WE NEED MORE PARTNERS? DO WE NEED TO FUND THEM A LITTLE MORE? UM, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, WORK VERY CLOSELY, UM, WITH, WITH SEVERAL OTHER PARTNERS OUTSIDE OF THAT SEVEN.
UM, BUT I THINK, UM, BEING ABLE TO MAYBE KIND OF PULL ALL OF THEM TOGETHER, INCLUDING THE FOLKS THAT HAVE REFERRED, UM, HAVE BEEN REFERRING FOLKS TO US IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT.
AND SO, UM, OUR STAFF IS GONNA WORK ON CONVENING THAT GROUP OF FOLKS, JUST TO REALLY BE ABLE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM THEM, UM, DIRECTLY IN, UM, ASK THEM KIND OF LATER LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, MOVING FORWARD, DOING THE NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL, UM, YOU KNOW, MOVING INTO APARTMENT COMPLEX,
[01:15:01]
ET CETERA, AND, AND SEE IF THEY, UM, WOULD LIKE TO ADD ANY OTHER, UM, STRATEGIES THAT THEY THINK ARE IMPORTANT.UM, AND OTHER WAYS THAT, THAT WE CAN REACH THOSE COMMUNITIES.
SO SOME MORE TO COME WITH THAT, AND WE WILL SHARE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
AND GREAT TO HEAR THAT WE ARE SHIFTING TO A NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL AND A NEIGHBORHOOD APPROACH, AND THAT OUR COMMUNITY CAN EXPECT MORE INFORMATION ON THAT EFFORT AS WE LOOK TO START HOSTING MORE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES IN A MATTER OF DAYS WITH MAY JUST BEING AROUND THE CORNER.
AND I, AND IT'S SO GREAT TO HEAR THAT, UM, THAT YOU WILL BE, YOU KNOW, HAVING ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR COMMUNITY, WITH THOSE GROUPS WHO THAT WE KNOW ARE TRUSTED COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND KNOW OUR COMMUNITY IN A WAY THAT WILL HELP US ADDRESS SOME OF THE HESITANCY THAT WE'RE SEEING AND HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND NOW THAT WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE ABOUT 39% OF OUR POPULATION WHO, UM, IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE, THE VACCINE HAS NOT BEEN VACCINATED AND WE'RE AN ARE CONSIDERED VULNERABLE.
WHAT CAN WE DO AS FAR AS EDUCATION AND OUTREACH? I MEAN, YOU TOUCHED ON IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT IS PART OF YOUR WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WITH ORGANIZATIONS, IS IT GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON EDUCATION AROUND THE HESITANCY OF THE VACCINE? CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT EFFORT AND PERHAPS, UM, WHAT ARE, WHAT APH IS CURRENTLY CONSIDERING? UM, WELL, IT, IT NEEDS TO BE, UM, AROUND THE HESITANCY, BUT IT ALSO REALLY NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO, CAUSE THERE'S GONNA HAVE TO BE MAYBE SOME ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO SPEAK TO FOLKS IN A KIND OF, IN A SETTING WHERE THEY ARE RECEIVING THE EDUCATION, BUT THERE, THERE HAS TO BE MAYBE SOME MORE TO CONVERSATIONS YOU REALLY WANT TO GET AT THE MATTER OF WHY ARE YOU HESITANT ABOUT THIS VACCINE? UM, AND I KIND OF GO BACK TO THE EXAMPLE OF WHERE DR.
PICKETT AND I WENT TO A BIBLE STUDY AND WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, PROVIDE INFORMATION.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, A COUPLE OF THE PEOPLE CAME UP AFTERWARDS, THEY WERE NOT GOING TO GET THE VACCINE.
THEY, THEY, THEY ALREADY MADE UP THEIR MIND, BUT THEY WANTED TO COME AND HEAR WHAT WE HAD TO SAY.
AND BASED UPON WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY, UM, SEVERAL OF THEM AT THE END TOLD US THEY CHANGED THEIR MINDS.
UM, AND THEY WERE AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
AND SO SOMETIMES A PERSON HASN'T HEARD SOME SOMETHING THREE TIMES.
SO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE MAY HAVE TO HAVE PEOPLE TO KIND OF GO BACK TO THIS PERSON OR CALL THE PERSON BACK.
SO TO ASK THEM AGAIN, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND? DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, AND THEN THEY'RE GOING TO OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA MAKE UP THEIR MIND, THEY'RE READY TO GO.
AND SO WE'VE GOT TO BE FLEXIBLE.
UM, WE, WE'VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO KIND OF OFFER, UM, TOOLS THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US ARE WORKING TOGETHER, AWESOME PUBLIC HEALTH AND ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE HAVE CONTRACTS WITH, BUT THEN OTHER PARTNERS THAT WE DON'T HAVE CONTRACTS WITH, UM, JUST TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN THIS SPACE.
AND SO EVERYBODY KIND OF COMING ON BOARD TO BE ABLE TO DO THE EDUCATION PART OF IT, UH, PROVIDING THE FACTS, BUT THEN ADDRESSING THE HESITANCY AND THE WHY IS GOING TO BE ALL IT'S ALL OF THAT IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR SURE.
AND JUST AS A FOLLOWUP, YOU KNOW, AS WE LOOK AT THE SCHEDULER AND HOW WE HAVE THAT SET UP, AND I AM APPRECIATIVE THAT WE OPEN UP THE WINDOW WHEN PEOPLE CAN SIGN UP FOR AN APPOINTMENT, BUT, YOU KNOW, HAVE WE CONSIDERED JUST HAVING IT BE OPEN, AN OPEN CALL, YOU KNOW, 24 SEVEN SIGN UP WHEN YOU CAN.
I MEAN, IT SEEMS THE ISSUE HERE IS THAT OUR SUPPLY IS FAR GREATER THAN THE DEMAND.
SO WHY NOT HAVE IT OPEN 24 SEVEN SO THAT YOU CAN, ANYONE WHO WANTS A VACCINE CAN THEN SCHEDULE THEM WELL, AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE, IT'S A, IT'S A, UM, TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM.
UM, TECHNOLOGY HAS TO BE PROGRAMMED TECHNOLOGY.
YOU HAVE TO WORK THROUGH TO TELL WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO DIFFERENTLY YOU WANTED TO DO? UM, AND SO OUR STAFF DID WORK THROUGH THOSE PIECES.
UM, THEY ARE KIND OF EVALUATING BECAUSE WE DID LEAVE IT OPEN, UM, UH, STARTED JUST OVER THE WEEKEND, SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.
UM, AND THEN THEY OPENED IT BACK UP AGAIN, UM, AND HAVE JUST CLOSED IT.
AND SO I'LL BE SITTING DOWN WITH MY IT MANAGER, UM, AND HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS, UM, ABOUT WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE ONGOINGLY, UM, TO, TO HAVE THAT PORTAL OPEN.
AND SO, UM, I'LL BE ABLE TO SHARE MORE WITH YOU ALL ON NEXT WEEK.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT OPEN, YOU KNOW, AT 24 SEVEN, I, I THINK I'VE SEEN OTHER COUNTIES MOVE TO THAT MODEL.
UM, SO IT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR US AS ACTUALLY, UM, SINCE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A RACE AGAINST
[01:20:01]
TIME AT THIS POINT TO HAVE THAT, UM, OPPORTUNITY.IT'S ONE LESS BARRIER OF HAVING TO SCHEDULE TIME TO SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT AND BE PART OF THAT, THAT TIMEFRAME.
UH, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS AROUND TEXT MESSAGING.
I'VE SEEN OTHER COUNTIES OPT TO PROVIDE A CALL NUMBER SIMILAR TO OUR EQUITY LINE THAT ONE CAN TEXT TO RECEIVE UPDATES.
UH, AND SO I'M JUST GOING TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON TEXT MESSAGING STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY CONSIDERING AND PERHAPS HAVE IN THE WORKS.
UM, WELL, AS YOU, UH, ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT THE ABILITY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO TEXT US, UM, AND ASK QUESTIONS? IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE ASKING ABOUT OR US TEXTS A PERSON ABOUT INFORMATION? WELL, I MEAN, I LOVE THE IDEA THAT SOMEBODY COULD TEXT A NUMBER AND HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ADDRESS, PERHAPS THAT'LL BE A HESITANCY STRATEGY.
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT, UM, OPPORTUNITY THERE.
UH, BUT I WAS THINKING MORE OF A NUMBER OF TEXTS TO FIND WHERE'S MY NEAREST VACCINE OPPORTUNITY, UH, AND, OR A WAY FOR APH TO ALSO PUSH INFORMATION OUT.
SO IF WE'RE NOT MOVING TO A 24 SEVEN ONLINE OPEN REGISTRATION OR ONLINE OPEN APPOINTMENTS, THEN PERHAPS WE CAN TEXT INDIVIDUALS SAYING WE HAVE APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE AT THIS LOCATION, CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
OH, YES, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT.
UM, AND WE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN DOING THAT, BUT TEXT MESSAGES THAT, UM, I LEFT MY ACCOUNT OPEN JUST TO SEE WHAT COMMUNICATION I RECEIVE FROM MY STAFF.
THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO CLOSE MY ACCOUNT NOW, BUT, UH, JUST TO SEE WHAT I RECEIVED FROM MY STAFF.
AND SO, UM, THE, THE TEXT MESSAGES KIND OF AS HIGH LEVEL, IT READS, YOU KNOW, PLEASE REACH OUT TO THREE, ONE, ONE, UM, TO FINISH, YOU KNOW, YOUR REGISTRATION, UM, PROCESS.
I HAVE, I AM FULLY VACCINATED, SO I JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT.
UM, BUT, UM, I WANTED TO GO INTO THE SYSTEM KIND OF EARLY ON WHEN WE IMPLEMENTED IT, JUST TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE PUBLIC WAS EXPERIENCING.
SO WE DO SET OUT, UM, THOSE, THOSE TEXT MESSAGES ABOUT, YOU KNOW, COMPLETING YOUR REGISTRATION, UM, ET CETERA.
I'M GOING TO MAKE A NOTE TO SAY, CAN WE TEXT AND SAY, UM, BUT THE SYSTEM IS OPEN AT THIS TIME.
I'M PRETTY SURE WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT.
AND I THINK WHEN I, WHEN I'M LOOKING FOR IS SO THAT I CAN SHARE WITH MY COMMUNITY TEXTS VACCINE TWO, THREE, SIX, SEVEN, SEVEN, SEVEN TO FIND YOUR NEAREST VACCINE APPOINTMENT OPPORTUNITY.
YOU KNOW, LIKE I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SAY TEXAS NUMBER, YOU'LL GET A RESPONSE WITH INFORMATION ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT.
AND OR IF IT'S A POLYP VACCINE, THEY'LL GET NOTIFIED.
THERE'S A POP-UP LOCATION IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER
CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME INFORMATION ON WHAT'S THE PROCESS FOR THEM BESIDES CALLING THE, UH, THE LOCAL PHARMACY TO GET, TO GET THE VACCINE? UM, ARE, ARE THEY, ARE THEY REACHING OUT TO, DO THEY HAVE A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN? UM, RIGHT.
SOME OF THEM, SOME OF THEM DON'T.
SO I WAS WONDERING IF, UH, DO, DO WE OFFER ANY OF THAT KIND OF SERVICE WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH OR ARE WE JUST RESTRICTED TO 18? SO WE ONLY PROVIDE, UM, MADONNA, UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT, AND MAYBE I NEED TO DOUBLE CHECK WITH STAFF.
SCOTT, YOU TALKED ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER, UM, CAUSE SHE'S 17 AND SHE WAS LOOKING FOR, UM, HER VACCINE.
SO OUTSIDE OF THE PHARMACIES THAT WILL PROVIDE IT IF THEY HAVE PFIZER, UM, WORKING WITH THE COUNTY AS WELL.
UM, THAT'S BEEN ANOTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, WAY FOR US TO GET FOLKS, BUT, UM, IF SCOTT MAY BE ABLE TO SHARE, UM, WHAT HIS DAUGHTER WAS ABLE TO DO TO GET HER VACCINE BECAUSE SHE, BECAUSE SHE'S 17.
SO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER REALLY FOR 16 AND 17 YEAR OLDS, THEY'RE LOOKING AT ONLY THE PFIZER VACCINE.
[01:25:01]
SO THE MAIN SITES FOR THAT, OH, THAT IS ONE OF THEM, UH, SARCOMAS IN ALL PFIZER SITES.SO, UH, AVAILABILITY TO CODE, IT MEANS AVAILABILITY FOR 16 AND 17 YEAR OLDS.
UH, IF THEY'RE UNDER THE AGE OF 18, THEY DO NEED TO HAVE A PARENT, UH, IN THE CAR WITH THEM TO CONSENT.
UH, MY DAUGHTER SIGNED UP AND CVS ON HER OWN, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKED AROUND THE AREA, UH, PUT IN DIFFERENT ZIP CODES TO BUY THAT WHO HAD AVAILABILITY SCHEDULED IT, GOT IT THE NEXT DAY.
UH, SO THERE IS LOTS OF VACCINE AVAILABILITY SUCH THAT, YOU KNOW, 17 YEAR OLD CAN GET ONE THE NEXT DAY.
UH, THEY MAY HAVE TO DRIVE A LITTLE BIT STILL, BUT, UH, IT'S, IT'S CERTAINLY THERE IF YOU WANT IT.
UH, SO CVS, WALGREENS, UH, I THINK HEBS ARE ALSO PFIZER.
UH, SO IF YOU GO TO THAT VACCINE FINDER WEBSITE AND LOOK FOR WHO CARRIES PFIZER, THAT'S THE BEST THING FOR, FOR OUR TEENAGERS RIGHT NOW, I WILL SAY THAT, UH, UH, PFIZER SUBMITTED FOR A MODIFICATION THAT ARE EUA ON APRIL 9TH TO THE FDA TO GO DOWN TO AGE 12.
SO THE EXPECTATION IS THAT SOMETIME IN MAY, THAT WE'LL HAVE A VACCINE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS AND HIGH SCHOOLERS, UH, WHICH IS GOING TO BE VERY HELPFUL.
IT'S GOING TO BE, UH, LOTS MORE PEOPLE INTO THAT ELIGIBILITY LIST.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LIKELY TO SEE AN INCREASE, PARTICULARLY AS, AS PEOPLE PLAN FOR SUMMER CAMPS AND SUMMER TRAVEL, THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO GET THEIR KIDS VACCINATED BEFORE THEY DO THOSE THINGS.
UM, SO WE EXPECT THAT MAY I HAVE NOT SEEN THAT THE MTA HAS SCHEDULED A SPECIFIC DAY TO REVIEW THAT.
UH, BUT I THINK MOST PEOPLE WERE EXPECTING THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS.
SO STILL A 16 AND A 17, THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO ON, ON TO EITHER THESE LOCATION AND MAKE A CALL AND, AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT THAT CORRECT.
YOU HAVE TO STILL MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.
YOU STILL NEED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.
UH, AGAIN, EACH OF THOSE DIFFERENT SITES HAVE A DIFFERENT PROCESS FOR, UH, FOR REGISTRATION.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL HAVE TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF SEARCHING, BUT I THINK THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL AVAILABILITY RIGHT NOW.
CAUSE I, I NEED TO, UH, GIVE US GIVE THAT INFORMATION BACK TO, TO THE STUDENT LEADER BECAUSE THEY CAN GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THEIR, THEIR 16, 17 YEAR OLD FRIENDS.
SO I, I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
CAUSE THAT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE FOR THEM TO TRY TO GET THAT INFORMATION.
AND IF WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION TO THE PRINCIPAL, THE VICE PRINCIPAL OF ALL THESE HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WE HAVE AROUND HERE, THAT WOULDN'T BE REALLY GREAT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY REALLY NEED THAT INFORMATION.
SO THEY, YOU KNOW, IT KINDA CONFUSED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T REALIZE WHICH, WHICH VACCINE THEIR, THEIR, THEIR NEED TO TAKE.
SO THEY MIGHT CALL OVER THERE TOO OFTEN PUBLIC HEALTH AND THEN FIND OUT THAT THAT'S NOT A PLACE TO, TO, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE AN APPLICATION.
SO YES, SIR, WE'VE BEEN, UH, WE'VE BEEN HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENTS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS.
UM, AND WE'VE ENCOURAGED OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO ACTIVELY, UH, PROVIDE INFORMATION TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, JUNIORS AND SENIORS.
UH, WE'RE SEEING LOTS MORE UNIVERSITIES WHO ARE GOING TO REQUIRE VACCINATIONS TO BE ON CAMPUS IN THE FALL.
UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, WE'VE ENCOURAGED THROUGH OUR, OUR COALITION WITH THE OTHER 360 PROVIDERS IN TRAVIS COUNTY TO TRANSITION THEIR MINDSET ALSO FROM PASSIVE VACCINATION TO ACTIVE VACCINATION.
SO STARTING THAT PROCESS OF ACTIVE OUTREACH, AND WE'RE PLEASED TO SEE THAT THIS IS ALREADY STARTING TO HAPPEN.
UH, AND WE'RE SEEING OTHER PRIVATE ENTITIES STARTING THE ACTIVE OUTREACH PROCESS, PARTICULARLY TO OUR, UH, HIGHER RISK COMMUNITIES.
UH, IT REALLY IS ABOUT ALL OF US, NOT JUST THE PUBLIC SECTOR, BUT THE PRIVATE SECTOR ALSO ENGAGING IN THESE SAME STRATEGIES, UH, TO GET TO HERD IMMUNITY.
UH, WE, WE REALLY NEED TO GET THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, ABOUT THE MARATHON RUNNER, I, THERE WAS A, UH, A YOUNG MAN THAT'S IN OUR BOXING PROGRAM THAT, YOU KNOW, HE WENT TO A MARCH AND DIDN'T HAVE A MASS ON.
HE GOT COVID, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? HE SPENT
[01:30:01]
FIVE DAYS IN A HOSPITAL AND NOW HE CAN'T EVEN GO THREE ROUNDS THE BEST, UH, THE, THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT THAT YOUNG AMATEUR BOXERS THOUGH.AND HE CANNOT DO THE THIRD ROUND.
HE JUST, YOU KNOW, HE JUST CANNOT BREATHE AND HIS LUNG STARTS HURTING.
SO, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S VERY TRUE.
YOU KNOW, THE LONG-TERM EFFECT.
WE NEED TO GET OUR YOUNG PEOPLE VACCINATED, SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH, UH, CATHOLICS.
AND I KNOW YOU THINK SOME, A GOOD HANDFUL OF FOLKS FOR THEIR HELP THIS WEEKEND.
UH, BUT I HAD A LIST HERE TOO, AND WANTING TO MAKE SURE WE DIDN'T MISS ANYONE.
SO WHAT FOLKS WILL WE'LL ENTERTAIN IT? I JUST WANT TO THINK THOSE FOLKS AGAIN AND THEN SHARE SOME LEARNINGS FROM THAT POP-UP EVENT, BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT FOR SO LONG INTO THESE HARD HIT ZIP CODES.
AND I THINK THERE'S SOME REALLY GOOD THINGS ABOUT IT, BUT I THINK THERE'S SOME THINGS WE LEARNED THAT ARE WORTH REITERATING HERE.
UM, BUT FIRST OF ALL, FOR THE THANKS REALLY SPECIFICALLY, UH, KATE GARZA, WHO IS CHIEF OF STAFF TO JUDGE BROWN PUT IN LOTS OF LATE NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING HOURS.
SO I WANT TO THANK HER SPECIFICALLY, ALONG WITH YOUR CHIEF OF STAFF, MAYOR, LESLEY VARGHESE, UH, CHILDS, INC, AND AUSTIN VOICES ALREADY HAD AN EVENT GOING AND NELSON FIELDS, BUT THEN WITHIN 48 HOURS TO PIVOT AND SAY, WE'RE GOING TO ADD A VACCINATION CLINIC TO THE END OF THE EVENT.
IT'S A REALLY BIG DEAL IN THAT SAME 48 HOURS.
UM, CONSTABLE MIRALIS STEPPED UP ALONG WITH IS THE FACILITIES AND POLICE STAFF TO MANAGE TRAFFIC, UH, CHIEF BAILEY FROM ESD 11.
THOMAS SAYS, YOU MENTIONED, UH, LONE STAR CIRCLE OF CARE.
UH, AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS HAD SOMEONE THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING WAS SAFE.
UH, WE HAD ALL FROM APH, UH, AND, UH, AND THEN DRAWING THEM OVER OTHER, YOU GUYS, THE BOTH CHAIR OF THE ASD BOARD, BUT ALSO AT ESSENTIALLY SETON ALSO PUT IN, YOU KNOW, REALLY EXTRA, EXTRA TIME AND HOURS TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT IT COULD WORK, UH, ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS AND COMMISSIONER PAVILION AND COUNCIL MEMBER AMERICANS HAVE AN ARGUMENT HOW TO SEND IN MAYOR, YOU KNOW, ALL CAME BY AND APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE ALL OF THAT.
SO WITH A, JUST A TOUGH OLD DAYS NOTICE AND EVENT WAS PUT TOGETHER AT NAVARRO HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH WE ALSO HAD A LOT OF HELP FROM AISD ON AND WALGREENS ALONG WITH THE HELP AT NELSON FIELD.
UH, SO WE HAD SORT OF TWO POP-UP EVENTS WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAD 24 HOURS NOTICE OR LESS, IN SOME CASES, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN TWO MINUTES, NOTICE THAT YOU COULD GET A, THAT YOU COULD GET A VACCINE AND THE PRO, WHICH I JUST WANT TO SHARE FOR FOLKS, BECAUSE THESE ARE BOTH LARGELY IN FIVE, THREE AND FIVE EIGHT, TWO OF THE HARDEST HIT ZIP CODES WITH THE LOWEST VACCINATION RATES WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD BETWEEN THOSE TWO EVENTS, UH, OVER, OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE OR ABOUT A THOUSAND PEOPLE THAT DECIDED TO GET A SHOCK, WHICH IS REALLY GOOD.
UM, YOU KNOW, SOME, THERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH NO HESITANCY, RIGHT? THEY, NO, BUT IF I'M GETTING A BOX OF FOOD, THEY FOUND THAT THEY CAN GET A SHOT AND THEY DECIDED THAT MINUTE TO GET A SHOT WHEN PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, GOT CALLED AND, AND KNEW ABOUT IT THE DAY BEFORE.
SO THERE'S CERTAINLY VALUE IN BRINGING SOME OF THESE EVENTS DIRECT TO THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO NEED IT, WHO HAVE STRUGGLED WITH ONLINE, OR HAVEN'T KNOWN HOW TO GET IT AND JUST GOT IT.
THEN IN THERE, THERE ARE, UM, SO THAT'S A BIG PRO UH, AND ANOTHER BIG PRO IS THAT WE HAVE INCREDIBLE PEOPLE THAT ARE WILLING TO PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER.
BUT SOME OF THE LEARNINGS THAT I THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO SHARE IS THAT, UM, FIGURING OUT HOW TO GIVE PEOPLE MORE TIME IN ADVANCE, NOT JUST FOR THE PEOPLE PLANNING IT, BUT ALSO FOR THE PEOPLE COMING, I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST, WE DIDN'T WANT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW OF THINGS WAY TOO LONG IN ADVANCE.
IF WE HAD VERY LITTLE VACCINE, BECAUSE YOU CAN WORRY ABOUT HAVING A LINE FOUR TIMES AS LONG, WE DISAPPOINT A LOT OF PEOPLE AND CONTINUE TO PROPAGATE THIS PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE FEELING REJECTED FROM THE VACCINE.
THAT'S NOT WHERE MY SENSE IS WE ARE ANYMORE.
AND I HAVEN'T SEND THAT OUT LOUD AT ONE OF THESE MEETINGS.
AND THAT'S WHY I WANT TO SAY THAT OUT LOUD, BECAUSE NOW I THINK, UM, THERE, BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT SUPPLY, WE HAVE, I HAD MORE PEOPLE SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOMETIMES PLANNING, YEAH, YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME SIDE EFFECTS OR JUST DECIDING IN THAT MOMENT FOR SOME PEOPLE, YEAH, I'M COMFORTABLE.
AND I WENT TO CARTER CAR TALKING TO PEOPLE TO CONVINCE THEM AND GET IT.
AND THERE WAS MORE HESITANCY THAN I'VE SEEN.
UM, AND, AND IN SOME CASES I GOT ASKED ABOUT JOHNSON AND JOHNSON A LOT.
IT GOT US IT'S A LOT OF TIMES WHICH VACCINE WE WERE GETTING OUT, HE MADE IT REALLY CLEAR THAT THE VACCINES WERE SAFE AND IMPORTANT TO GET, UM, HAD A CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO TOLD ME THEY'D ALREADY
[01:35:01]
GOTTEN IT.AND THEN AFTER I TALKED WITH THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE FOUND OUT THEY HADN'T GOTTEN IT.
UM, AND REALLY HAVING THAT CONVERSATION WITH PEOPLE I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO I THINK, UH, NOW WITH THOSE POP-UP EVENTS, WE CAN SEE HOW THEY REALLY ARE USEFUL IN THESE COMMUNITIES.
I MEAN, I WASN'T TAKING THE TALLY, BUT PRETTY EASY TO BET, 80%, 90% PLUS FOLKS OF COLOR, UM, RECEIVING THE VACCINE OF THESE, UH, THE EVENTS THAT I WAS AT.
UM, SO REALLY IMPORTANT, SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING PEOPLE.
BUT I DO THINK NOW WITH POP-UPS FINDING OUT, I MEAN, IT WAS, WE DIDN'T WANT TO TURN AWAY ANY VACCINE.
SO WE SAID, LET'S DO IT IN 48 HOURS.
IF THAT'S HOW MUCH TIME WE'VE GOT AND THAT'S RIGHT.
BUT AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN, HOWARD SAID, NOW, IF WE GO WITH MORE TIME IN ADVANCE, I THINK WE'RE NOW AT A PLACE WHERE WE CAN LET PEOPLE KNOW IN ADVANCE WHERE WE ARE NO LONGER AS SHORT ON SUPPLIES.
SO WE CAN REALLY TRY TO DRIVE PEOPLE TO THE EVENTS SO THAT THEY CAN PLAN AND THAT WE CAN WORK ON THE, ON THE HESITANCY ISSUES.
AND I DO THINK THAT THOUGH, ALL THOSE POP-UP EVENTS ARE IMPORTANT.
THEY CAN'T SUBSTITUTE FOR THE WALK-UPS.
YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD, SO THAT, UM, PEOPLE WITH HESITANCY OR UNCERTAINTY THAT WE CAN WORK ON THEM OVER TIME AND NOT JUST GET THEM TO ONE POP-UP EVENT, BUT THAT THEY ALWAYS KNOW THAT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AREA IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE ON THE VACANT SIGN UP WHEN THEY ARE ALREADY.
SO I REALLY LIKE TO SECOND, WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES SAID AROUND, IF WE HAVE A PLACE WHERE WE CAN SAY TEXT THIS NUMBER AND WE'LL LET YOU KNOW, AND WHEN YOU GET THE TEXT BACK, THEY SAY, WHICH NEIGHBORHOOD ARE YOU IN? AND THEN WE TELL THEM, WELL, THIS FIRE STATION OR THIS LIBRARY, OR THIS WHY MCA, ANYTIME BETWEEN WHATEVER IT IS, BOOM AND 7:00 PM, YOU SHOW UP, YOU GET A VACCINE.
THEN AS WE WORK THEM AND TALK PEOPLE THROUGH GETTING THE VACCINE, THEY KIND OF ALWAYS KNOW THAT THEY CAN GO THERE WHEN THEY'RE READY.
UM, AND I THINK THAT THAT MAY BE WHAT IT TAKES.
UM, YOU KNOW, I HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH MULTIPLE, UH, EXPECTING MOMS KNOW THAT'S NOT AN EASY CONVERSATION TO HAVE.
AND I THINK AS YOU SAID, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAVE AN EASY PLACE.
PEOPLE CAN JUST WALK UP TO AND GOV.
SO THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY FOR HELPING WITH THOSE POP-UP EVENTS.
I THINK THEY ARE GOOD AND IMPORTANT, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THEY CAN FULLY SUBSTITUTE FOR 24 HOUR ONLINE REGISTRATION WALK-UP SITES WITH A REGULAR SCHEDULE THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS SHOW UP TO THAT HAVE HOURS AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE THAT WORK DIFFERENT KINDS OF SCHEDULES, THAT KIND OF THING.
I THINK WE WERE NOW AT THAT PLACE WHERE, WHERE WE NEED ALL OF THAT AND I'M, AND I'M HAPPY TO HEAR FROM APH AND THE COUNTY TEAM THAT THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
UM, I HAVE HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
UH, I DO WANT TO, AGAIN, EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR ALL THE, ALL THE WORK THAT EVERYONE IS DOING AND, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE THE PROGRESS WE'RE MAKING AS A COMMUNITY.
SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AND MY FIRST QUESTION IS, UM, WAS ABOUT TO DATA.
UM, I'M, UM, HEARING AND FEELING THE SAME THINGS THAT, UH, HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED TODAY IN TERMS OF THE SHIFT IN OUR COMMUNITY.
S SCOTT SAID THAT WE'RE SHIFTING NOW TO WHERE WE HAVE MORE SUPPLY THAN DEMAND.
AND, UM, I'M HEARING, UM, BOTH IN MY DISTRICT AND FROM, FROM OTHERS ABOUT SOME MORE RELATED TO, UM, PRESIDENCY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF DATA WE HAVE.
UM, HAVE WE DONE ANY KIND OF, UH, OBJECTIVE, UH, ANALYSIS THROUGH, THROUGH POLLING OR SOME KIND OF OUTREACH? I THINK THAT JUST HELPS US, UH, I THINK THE, THE, WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING IS VERY HELPFUL AND WE NEED TO RESPOND TO IT, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE ALSO IMPORTANT AS A COMMUNITY THAT WE ACTUALLY PUT, PUT SOME RESOURCES TOWARD, UH, UNDERSTANDING THE DATA, PARTICULARLY SINCE WE SEEM TO BE SLOWING DOWN IN TERMS OF GETTING TOWARDS OUR HERD IMMUNITY GOAL OF YOUR LAST TIME WE TALKED TO HAVE 65%, I THINK BEING A MINIMUM AND WE'RE ONLY AT 48.5, I THINK IT WAS.
SO I THINK IF WE GET SOME MORE DATA THAT WOULD HELP, AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULDN'T BE MUCH OF A COMMITMENT TO RESOURCES TO DO THAT.
UM, SO THAT WE, SO WE KNOW MORE SPECIFICALLY HOW WE NEED TO, TO FOCUS ON ADDRESSING HESITANCY AND, AND EDUCATION IN THE WAY THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, BUT THAT WE ALSO CAN IDENTIFY WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE BARRIERS IN TERMS OF PEOPLE GETTING, UM, BEING, UM, ACCESS TO, UM, WE MAY FIND SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE NOT AWARE OF.
[01:40:01]
SO HAVE WE, SO MY QUESTION THAT, THAT MY FIRST QUESTION IS HOW HAVE WE DONE ANY KIND OF, UM, POLLING OR ANY KIND OF OTHER RESEARCH RELATED TO OBTAINING THIS OBJECTIVE DATA AT THIS POINT IN TIME? HAVE WE DONE ANY OF THAT, DR.PRESCOTT OR DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD? WE, WE HAVE NOT DONE ANY POLLING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER.
UH, THERE HAS BEEN POLLING DONE BY PRIVATE ENTITIES, UM, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY EXPLORE, UH, THE, THE FEASIBILITY OF, OF LOCAL POLLS.
UH, OF COURSE THE, THE POLL THAT WAS DONE EARLIER ON IN, UH, IN THE, THE SPRING INDICATED THAT 85% OF INDIVIDUAL POLLS IN TRAVIS COUNTY INDICATED THAT THEY WANTED A VACCINE.
UH, WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW THAT POLLING, UH, IS, UH, MAY NOT ACCURATELY CAPTURE, UH, THE, THE, THE TRUE NUMBERS.
UH, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE WHO WANT THE VACCINE AND THE PEOPLE WHO WANT IT NOW, UH, THE PEOPLE WHO WANT IT WILLING TO DRIVE 20 MILES TO GET IT VERSUS SOMEBODY ELSE WHO, YOU KNOW, MAY WORK TWO JOBS AND IT NEEDS TO BE VERY CONVENIENT FOR THEM.
SO, AND THAT'S WHY OUR APPROACH IS TO, TO MAKE IT MORE CONVENIENT.
UH, BUT I AGREE THAT THAT, UH, HAVING A, UH, AN INFORMATION OR A POLL SUCH AS THAT FOR OUR COMMUNITY WILL HELP US, UH, TO TWEAK OUR STRATEGIES TO MEET THE NEEDS.
I MEAN, THE USEFULNESS OF IT IS IT'S ONLY USEFUL TO THE DEGREE THAT THAT PROVIDES US ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE CAN THEN USE TO TARGET OUR EFFORTS.
SO WHETHER THOSE BE EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS OR THOSE BE ACCESS EFFORTS.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU ALL AT THIS POINT IN OUR PROCESS TO DO THAT.
UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU, UM, THAT, UM, WE HAVE RECEIVED IN ADDITION TO WHAT DR.
UM, WE DID ATTEND A MEETING, UM, WITH THE DEL VALLEY DEL VALLEY, UM, COMMUNITY, UH, COALITION.
I'M MAYBE NOT SAYING IT CORRECTLY, COUNCIL MEMBER POINT TEZ, BECAUSE I BELIEVE YOU WERE AT THAT MEETING AS WELL.
UM, THEY DID CONDUCT A POLL, UM, AND SHARE THAT INFORMATION, UM, WITH US.
AND IT DOES ALIGN VERY CLOSELY WITH, WITH WHAT, UM, DR.
SCOTT HAS MENTIONED THERE, THEIR BIGGEST CONCERN WAS, WAS THE ACCESS AND MAKING SURE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THEIR COMMUNITY, THEY HAVE THE, THE VACCINE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WE'VE WORKED WITH, UM, A CONSULTANT THAT DOES WORK FOR, UM, FOR SANDARA AND THEY HAVE, UM, CONDUCTED A POLL AS WELL, UM, TO GET, YOU KNOW, OPINIONS ABOUT, UM, UH, FOLKS BE HESITANT.
AND IT IS, UM, IT ALSO ALIGNS AS WELL.
AND THEN, UM, THE THIRD INSTANCE IS, IS THAT OUR, UM, WE HAVE THOSE SEVEN, UM, CONTRACTORS THAT AS THEY ARE WORKING A PART OF THEIR JOB IS ALSO TO DO A NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN, IN A SPECIFIC AREA.
UM, AND SO THAT IS INFORMATION, UM, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUOUSLY SHARE WITH OUR OFFICE.
SO I THINK WHAT WOULD PROBABLY BE HELPFUL, UM, IS IF WE KIND OF PULL THAT TOGETHER AND BE ABLE TO KIND OF BRING IT BACK AND SPEAK TO IT BECAUSE, UM, IT, IT DEFINITELY ALIGNS.
AND SO IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT, UM, THAT 15%, I THINK TALKING TO OUR PARTNERS ABOUT KIND OF WHO SPECIFICALLY IS WITHIN THAT 15%, JUST KIND OF WHERE WE'RE LANDING, UM, AND BEING ABLE TO DO THAT MORE TARGETED, UM, TYPE, UM, UM, VACCINE STRATEGIES WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE THE EDUCATION AS WELL AS THE, THE VACCINES.
AND SO, UM, SO THAT HAS BEEN DONE, UM, QUITE A BIT, NOT, YOU KNOW, DIRECTLY IN PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT IT HAS BEEN DONE WELL.
THAT IS REALLY VERY HELPFUL AND SHARING THAT INFORMATION, UH, WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.
UM, REALLY, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT.
I KNOW OTHERS WOULD TOO, UM, DO DO, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WHOEVER DOES IT, IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE APH, BUT I AM CURIOUS ABOUT THE, THE, THE EXTENT OF THE CITY THAT IS COVERED IN THOSE.
I DO THINK THOSE, THOSE, THOSE, UM, THOSE POLES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT I WOULD WANT TO UNDERSTAND IF THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORHOOD SPECIFIC OR IF THEY WERE A
[01:45:01]
PARTICULAR POPULATION SPECIFIC, BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED THAT KIND OF DATA ALL OVER THE CITY.UM, AND SO IF WE, IF WE DON'T HAVE IT AVAILABLE FOR THE CITY AS A WHOLE, THEN I THINK THAT THAT MIGHT, THERE MIGHT BE SOME PLACES THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE FILLED IN.
SO, UM, SO THAT WE CAN, SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, SO I'D BE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU, DR.
ESCHATON WITH YOU DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD, TO KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT THAT INFORMATION.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
SO, UM, MY SECOND QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, IT'S A COMBINATION OF OUTREACH AND EDUCATION.
HAVE WE CONSIDERED, UM, OR HAVE YOU GUYS CONSIDERED USING, UM, UH, MORE TARGETED OUTREACH? UH, WE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST TIME, BUT SO FOR EXAMPLE, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED USING OUR REVERSE NINE ONE ONE SYSTEM TO SEND, TO, TO SEND MESSAGES OUT TO PEOPLE, UH, BOTH TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET THE VACCINATION AND TO CONNECT THEM TO HOW THEY COULD GET IT.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, USING REVERSE NINE ONE, ONE TO SEND A MESSAGE OUT THAT THEN TELLS THEM WHO TO TEXT, IF, UM, AS, YOU KNOW, AS COUNCIL MEMBER QUINTAS WAS SUGGESTING, HAVE WE, UH, HAVE WE ACTIVATED OUR REVERSE NINE 11 SYSTEM IN PART AND, OR HAVE WE CONSIDERED THAT, UM, WE HAVE NOT CONSIDERED THAT, UM, THAT IS TYPICALLY, UM, USED, UM, FOR, UH, EMERGENCIES.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, UM, HAS SHARED WITH US IS WANTING TO MAKE SURE, UM, BECAUSE WHAT THEY DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO DO IS, IS IF IT'S TRULY AN EMERGENCY AND THEY TOO MANY MESSAGES THAT THEY MAY NOT, THEY MAY OVERLOOK AN EMERGENCY, UM, FROM US.
AND SO, UM, I THINK WHAT WE CAN DO IS MAYBE LOOK AT ANOTHER WAY, BESIDES THE REVERSE NINE ONE, ONE, THERE MAY BE ANOTHER STRATEGY.
SO LET ME HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THEM, UNDERSTAND, UM, AND I KNOW I'M NOT A COMMUNICATIONS PERSON, SO I TRY TO STAY IN MY LANE.
UM, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A ANOTHER, UM, UH, I THINK IT'S CALLED EVER BRIDGE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT STAFF HAVE BEEN ABLE TO USE.
AND SO, UM, LET ME SEE IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD USE IN LIEU OF, UM, TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF CAST THAT NET.
SO I CAN, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF CAST A BROAD NET, TO BE ABLE TO, UM, REACH A GREATER NUMBER OF FOLKS.
IT, YOU KNOW, UM, WHETHER IT'S REVERSE NINE ONE, ONE OR A COMPARABLE KINDS OF SYSTEM, UM, BUT WHAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M REALLY TRYING TO GET AT IS, IS, UM, PROACTIVE OUTREACH, WHICH I, IF IT'S TARGETED, I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
YOU KNOW, YOU COULD EVEN GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU'RE SENDING OUT A MESSAGE THAT'S TARGETED THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, PRESS, PRESS ONE.
IF YOU NEED A VACCINE, PRESS TWO, IF YOU DON'T.
AND THEN, AND THEN KEEPING TRACK OF THAT IN A WAY THAT WE CAN KNOW HOW WE'RE, HOW WE'RE REACHING THE 65%, BECAUSE THIS IS TRULY AN EMERGENCY.
IF WE DON'T GET TO HERD IMMUNITY.
AND IF WE DON'T REALLY, YOU KNOW, GET OUR, UH, COMMUNITY, UM, VACCINATED AND SAFE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER SURGE AS DR.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT THAT IS WE'RE AT THE POINT WHERE WE REALLY NEED TO, TO, UM, A LOT OF FIRE.
I MEAN, I KNOW EVERYBODY'S BEEN WORKING VERY HARD, SO I DON'T MEAN THIS IN A PEJORATIVE SENSE, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO LIGHT A FIRE UNDER OUR COMMUNITY TO GET TO THAT EXTRA 15%.
MY LAST COMMENT IS JUST, UM, FOR COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, WHO I BELIEVE HAS HAD TO STEP AWAY, UH, SHE ASKED ME TO PLEASE, UM, LET FOLKS KNOW THAT SHE APPRECIATES THEIR WORK AND WANTED TO KNOW IF WE COULD ADD, UM, TO THE STATISTICS THAT ARE BEING TRACKED, UH, THE RATE OF REINFECTION.
SO THAT WOULD BE AN ADDITION TO THE DASHBOARD.
SO THAT'S MY QUESTION THAT I'M ASKING FOR HER, COULD THAT BE DONE ADDRESS? DO WE HAVE DATA OR, UM, UH, I'LL HAVE TO HEAR WITH OUR EPI TEAM, UH, TO SEE, UH, THE FIDELITY OF THAT DATA.
WE HAVE DATA ON BREAKTHROUGH INFECTION, SO, UH, INFECTIONS AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN VACCINATED, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, VERY, VERY SMALL NUMBER OF A FEW DOZEN, UH, BUT I CAN, I CAN CHECK WITH THEM AND, AND CERTAINLY, UH, YEAH, WE HAVE GOOD FIDELITY WITH THAT DATA.
WE CAN ADD THAT TO THE PRESENTATION.
AND THEN FINALLY, THIS IS NOT A QUESTION JUST TO REQUEST IF, IF, UH, DIRECTOR, HEY NOW, OR IF YOU COULD SEND TO ALL OF US, UM, WHAT STEPS WE NEED TO TAKE IF WE
[01:50:01]
HAVE FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WANT TO SET UP SOME NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS.UM, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, MANY OF US WOULD LIKE TO BE INVOLVED IN THAT AND ARE NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THE, THE PATH IS, UH, TO DO THAT.
UM, I DON'T THINK THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY IS WITH US.
I THINK SHE WAS HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, UH, HAD TO STEP OFF, WILL BE JOINING US AT 1230 ISH.
I THINK, I GUESS INSTEAD OF COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS AND CATHERINE ALICE HAS DISAPPEARED HERE MOMENTARILY.
LET'S GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK.
I JUST HAVE ONE REALLY QUICK QUESTION.
I THINK WE'VE COVERED A LOT OF GROUND HERE TODAY IN THE QUESTIONS FROM AF I MEAN, FROM MY COLLEAGUES, UM, GIVEN, GIVEN WHAT MAYOR PRO TEM HARPER MADISON WAS TALKING ABOUT BEFORE, ABOUT THE CONNECTION, THE REALLY GOOD POSSIBILITIES OF CONNECTING WITH EVENTS.
I WONDERED IF THERE WERE ANY PLANS UNDERWAY, UH, FOR A POP-UP EVENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE HALF MARATHON THIS WEEKEND.
WELL, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS, IS NOT, UM, IS NOT SIGNED UP TO BE AT THAT EVENT.
UM, I, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR ANY OTHER PROVIDERS, BUT THAT IS NOT ON OUR RADAR.
UM, OUR STAFF WILL, UM, BE AT THEIR TYPICAL LOCATIONS, UM, PROVIDING VACCINES AS WELL AS THE, UM, UM, CATHOLIC BIG VIETNAMESE CHURCH THIS WEEKEND.
WELL, I LOOK FORWARD TO ALSO TO THE INFORMATION THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN SUGGESTED.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY USEFUL IF, IF THERE WAS A BIT OF A TEMPLATE FOR, FOR HOW WE CAN GET HOW, AND TO WHOM WE SHOULD GET INFORMATION ABOUT EVENTS WE KNOW OF THAT MIGHT BE GOOD CONNECTIONS.
AND TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE FROM OUR OFFICES, HOW WE MIGHT PROVIDE THAT, WHAT THE BEST WAY TO PLUG IN IS, AND DR.
ASCOT, LET ME JUST SAY YOU, YOU CREATED A LOT OF JOY IN OUR HOUSE WHEN YOU ANNOUNCED THAT MAY, MIGHT BE AN APPROVAL FOR VACCINES FOR UNDER 12.
IN FACT, I THINK THAT NEWS IS NOW MAKING ITS WAY AROUND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CIRCUIT.
YOU'RE A COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR, PERHAPS MARY, HANG ON ONE SECOND.
KATHERINE MARIE ELLIS IS BACK WITH US.
UH, PAIGE, ARE YOU THERE? I'M GOOD.
I'M GOING TO TRY TO ASK MY QUESTION AGAIN.
UM, WITH SOME OF THE MOBILE VACCINES, UM, SO DIRECTLY TO YOU, UM, AND CALL PUBLIC HEALTH, OR DO THEY NEED TO GO TO THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS? AND, UM, I'M ASKING THIS ALSO, UM, IN WHAT IT SEEMS LIKE WAS COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN AND COUNCIL MEMBER POOL'S LINE OF THINKING IS THAT WE COULD BE VERY HELPFUL IN ORGANIZING A CONCENTRATED DISTRICT AID EFFORT, KNOWING WHERE OUR FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES ARE, WHERE OUR MOBILE HOME COMMUNITIES ARE, AND THOSE OF OUR HOUSEBOUND THAT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS BUS SERVICE.
UM, SO IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THEY SHOULD JUST CALL YOU OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD TRY TO NAVIGATE ON THE FLY AND TRY TO, UM, KIND OF GATHER VOLUNTEERS AND TRY TO DO SOMETHING HYPER-LOCAL LIKE THAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST APPROACH TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? WELL, UM, TYPICALLY, UM, WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, WHENEVER WE ARE ATTENDING ANY TYPE OF EVENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SENT OUT, UH, A LINK TO FOLKS FOR THEM TO MAKE THE REQUEST FOR US TO PUBLIC HEALTH, TO BE THERE.
UM, AND SO THAT'S THE SAME PROCESS.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT, UM, I WOULD SHARE, UH, FOR YOU ALL.
SO, UM, I DON'T GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU ALL TO SHARE THAT.
I THINK IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE FOLKS THAT ARE, ARE, ARE HOME-BOUND, UM, THAT ARE NOT ABLE TO COME IN FOR VACCINES, JUST ASK THEM TO CALL THREE, ONE, ONE.
UM, OUR TEAM WILL, UM, WE'LL CALL THEM AND SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT AND, AND GO PROVIDE THE VACCINE.
I THINK THE REALLY GOOD THING NOW ABOUT THE HOME-BOUND, UM, VACCINES IS THAT THEY'RE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYONE ELSE IN THE HOME.
UM, LAST WEEK, UM, THEY WERE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN THE HOME, A VACCINE.
SO WENT OUT TO DO A, AN ELDERLY LADY 91 YEARS OF AGE, AND THEN WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE A COUPLE OF OTHER VACCINES.
AND SO, UM, OUR STAFF WILL BE ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS AS WELL OF THE FOLKS IN THE HOUSEHOLD.
THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY GREAT TO HEAR.
AND IF, IF THERE'S ANY WAY TO SHARE INFORMATION, I KNOW OBVIOUSLY THERE CAN'T BE DETAILED INFORMATION
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ABOUT PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO YOU, BUT SOME PEOPLE MAY BE CALLING YOU, SOME PEOPLE MAY BE CALLING US AND IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE COULD HELP KIND OF MERGE THIS DATA AND FIGURE OUT IF IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR US TO TRY TO DO A TARGETED POP-UP, UM, FOR, FOR A SET NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS IN, IN MY DISTRICT, JUST SO WE KNOW HOW TO ACCESS THAT I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO TRY TO FIND PHYSICIANS TO ASSIST.AND I THINK WE COULD REALLY MAKE THIS WORK WELL AND GET MORE PEOPLE VACCINATED.
UM, IF THERE'S ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN SHARE WITH MY OFFICE ABOUT HOW THAT'S GOING OR WHAT TYPE OF REQUEST YOU'RE GETTING LOVE TO BE OF HELP.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS, UM, WHAT OUR PLANS ARE FOR WHEN THE VACCINE ROLLS OUT TO THIS YOUNGER SET OF, UH, RESIDENTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT THING WHEN YOU'RE VACCINATING CHILDREN AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT PROCESS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, DO WE HAVE A SENSE OF HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT IS, UM, AND JUST LIKE A GREATER SENSE OF THE PLANS FOR THAT AND HOW APH WILL BE INVOLVED IF WE MOSTLY HAVE MADONNA SHOTS, UH, COUNSELING, I DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF HER FOR 12 TO 16 YEAR OLDS OR FALL TO 15 YEAR OLDS.
UH, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE SOMEWHERE IN THERE.
UH, A QUARTER OF THAT 250,000, UH, THAT ARE IN THAT UNDER 16 AGE GROUP.
UH, THERE'LL BE A LOT OF, A LOT OF PEOPLE, UM, AS YOU POINTED OUT, APH ONLY HAS MADONNA VACCINE.
UH, SO I THINK THE HEAVY LIFT IS REALLY GOING TO BE ON, UH, THE PHARMACIES, UH, THE CLINICS, UH, CODA FOR INSTANCE, THAT, UH, THAT HAS PFIZER AS WELL AS OUR SHOTS FOR TOTS CLINIC.
UH, WE, YOU KNOW, I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT, OR OUR SHOTS FOR TODD'S CLINIC, WE WOULD REQUEST PFIZER, UH, FOR THOSE SITES BECAUSE IT IS ALREADY ORIENTED, UH, FOR, UH, THAT YOUNGER AUDIENCE.
UH, BUT WE HAVE SPOKEN TO OUR SUPERINTENDENTS ABOUT IT.
UH, WE'VE SPOKEN TO THEM ABOUT THE ANTICIPATED TIMELINE, UH, AND, UH, THE NEED TO HAVE, UH, UH, ONGOING COORDINATION ON, ON HOW TO ROLL THAT OUT AND GET THOSE VACCINATIONS OUT EFFICIENTLY, OR FOR THOSE MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, MIDDLE SCHOOLERS AND HIGH SCHOOLERS.
I ANTICIPATE THAT, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UH, ARE GOING TO BE MORE HEAVILY ENGAGED AT THAT PHASE.
UH, BUT WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THOSE PLANS.
THANK YOU WITH THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ.
I PROMISE YOU THAT NEXT WEEK, WE'LL DO A BETTER JOB OF LIMITING OURSELVES TO JUST ONE QUESTION.
UH, AND, UH, I TURN THE GAVEL BACK TO YOU.
THANK YOU, DIRECTOR PADEN, UH, AS WELL, UH, FOR YOUR REPORTS THIS WEEK.
LET'S TRY TO GET MORE PEOPLE VACCINATED.
AND SO NOW WE'LL, UM, WE'LL CALL BACK THE, UH, COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
UH, WE WILL ADJOURN THIS SESSION AND, UH, AND THEN, UM, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL PARTICIPATION IN THE JOINT MEETING, UH, IS A JURY HERE AT 1102 OUT OF THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING US DO THIS WITH YOU AND THANKS TO, UH, UH, DR.
I HATE AN HOUR, A FIVE MINUTE BREAK GUYS, AND THEN WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE WORK SESSION ON THE OTHER CHANNEL, RICHARD GOMEZ.