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BROWN CALLING TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
WE'RE MEETING HERE AT 700 LAVACA.
UM, I ALMOST WORE MY OLD DARTH VADER MASK, BUT WITH MY TORN ARM, I JUST COULDN'T PULL IT TOGETHER.
AND, UH, SINCE MR. TREVELYAN IS REMOTE TODAY, I GOT MR. HOWARD, YOUR STAFFER, UH, NICK LONG HELPING YOU TO MY TIME.
I'M UP TO SNUFF TODAY, UM, FROM MY PRINCESS, THE HAIR HAIR BONDS, BUT COULDN'T FIND THEM MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU? YES.
YES, YOU MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU.
UM, OKAY, SO, UH, I'M GOING TO HAND IT OFF TO THE MAYOR, STEVE ADLER TO CALLS A MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL JUDGE IN COURT.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING NAVY AGAIN.
UH, ALSO ALI CONCUR, THE CITY COUNCIL PORTION OF THIS SESSION.
IT'S MAY FOUR 2021, UH, NINE OH FIVE.
WE HAVE A FORUM PRESENT, UH, TURN BACK TO THE JUDGE.
UM, LARRY, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE PHONE LINE TODAY? UH, WE HAVE ADAM SELF-SELECT HERE ON PUBLIC COMMENT AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE DO HAVE SEVERAL, UH, HOLLERS IN, BUT NONE FOR THIS PART OF THE AGENDA.
THEY'RE ALL FOR LATER ITEMS. THANK YOU.
SO, UH, WE'RE DOING OUR JOINT BRIEFING TODAY BETWEEN THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND THE CITY COUNCIL, AND TO HELP ENSURE THE EFFICIENT USE OF DR.
WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO STICK TO ONE QUESTION IN THE ORDER BELOW.
SO FIRST WE'LL GO WITH MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT AND THEN, UH, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, AND THEN WE WILL CLOSE THE MEETING.
[1. Update on Covid-19 related matters.]
THAT'S YOUR ETIQUETTE.IF YOU ARE READY TO GO, YOU CAN START WITH YOUR BASEMENTS.
I'M GOING TO SHARE MY, MY SLIDES.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE THE COURT AND CITY COUNCIL ON OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE.
UM, FIRST UPDATE, UH, AGAIN, THIS IS A UPDATED GRAPH OF OUR METROPOLITAN COUNTIES IN TEXAS AND HOW WE'RE ALL DOING IN TERMS OF VACCINATING ADULTS, UH, IN, UH, IN THOSE COUNTIES, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY IS DOING QUITE WELL COMPARED TO OUR PEERS ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.
NOW, OVERALL WE HAVE 57.8% OF ADULTS WITH AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF COVID-19 VACCINE.
UH, THE ONLY, UH, CITY THAT'S LEADING US IS EL PASO, EL PASO, EL PASO COUNTY AT 63.1%.
NOW YOU CAN SEE NOW THAT HARRIS COUNTY HAS SURPASSED THAT 50% MARK, UH, FOR THE, UH, INDIVIDUALS WITH AT LEAST ONE DOSE, BUT THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF VARIABLE VARIABILITY ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS IN THE METROPOLITAN COUNTIES.
UH, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS, THE SAME THING AS BEING SEEN, UH, IN THE NON-METROPOLITAN COUNTIES IN TEXAS AND ACROSS THE US, WHICH MAKES IT CHALLENGING FOR US TO NOW REALLY ACHIEVE HERD IMMUNITY, UH, AS A NATION QUICKLY AS WE NEED TO DO.
UH, SO AGAIN, UH, IT IS CRITICAL THAT ALL OF OUR, UH, RESIDENTS GET VACCINATED.
IF THEY'VE HAD COVID-19 BEFORE GET VACCINATED, IF YOU'RE BETWEEN 16, UH, AND YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED, EVEN OVER A HUNDRED IT'S TIME TO GET VACCINATED, THE FASTER WE CAN GET OUR COMMUNITY VACCINATED, THE FASTER WE CAN RETURN TO MORE NORMALCY IN OUR LIVES, UH, THE LIVES OF OUR CHILDREN.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE ALL WANT.
SO AGAIN, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US IN THE COMMUNITY TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE, CONNECT WITH THEM, TALK ABOUT VACCINATIONS SO THAT WE CAN PUSH THESE NUMBERS UP.
WE'RE CERTAINLY IN A SITUATION WHERE OUR SUPPLY OF VACCINE LOCALLY STATEWIDE, NATIONWIDE EXCEEDS THE DEMAND, UH, AND WE NEED TO INCREASE THAT DEMAND.
AND MY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN DO THAT.
WE ARE EXPECTING THAT VACCINATIONS, UH, THE WAY WILL BE MODIFIED FOR PFIZER TO DROP DOWN TO AGE 12, AS SOON AS THIS WEEK, UH, THAT'S GOING TO INCREASE THE DEMAND FOR US.
AND CERTAINLY WE ENCOURAGE PARENTS OF MIDDLE SCHOOLERS AND HIGH SCHOOLERS.
UH, AS SOON AS THAT IS APPROVED TO SIGN UP WITH, UH, VACCINATORS WHO, WHO ARE PROVIDING PFIZER VACCINE AND GET THEIR CHILDREN VACCINATED, UH, CERTAINLY, UH, BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, BUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE,
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IT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS HERD IMMUNITY.UM, I'M SHOWING YOU, UH, THIS PIE CHART AND THIS PIE CHART IS THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF TRAVIS COUNTY.
THE GRAPH I SHOWED YOU BEFORE WAS JUST ADULTS, 16 YEARS OLD AND OLDER NOW, BUT THIS GIVES US AN OVERALL PICTURE OF WHERE WE ARE IN THAT PROGRESSION TOWARDS HER IMMUNITY.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE 33% OF OUR POPULATION OVERALL, FULLY VACCINATED, AND ANOTHER 14% PARTIALLY VACCINATED.
SO THEY RECEIVED ONE DOSE OF THE PFIZER OR MATERNAL.
SO 47% OVERALL, UH, IS, IS, IS GOOD PROGRESS.
BUT AGAIN, WE NEED TO PUSH IT FURTHER AS WE CAN SEE, WE'VE HAD 6% OF OUR COMMUNITY WITH A CONFIRMED CASE OF COVID-19 AN ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL 13% THAT PROBABLY HAD COVID-19 THAT WENT UNDIAGNOSED.
AND THAT'S A, THOSE ARE NUMBERS GENERATED FROM OUR COLLEAGUES OVER AT THE UT COVID-19 VOLUME CONSORTIUM NOW.
SO THAT LEAVES ABOUT 34% OF OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS STILL VULNERABLE.
A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THOSE ARE CHILDREN, 15 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER.
SO AGAIN, AS WE, UH, UH, WAIT FOR THAT DUA TO, TO, UH, DROP THAT PFIZER DOWN TO AGE 12, WE STILL HAVE MORE WORK TO DO, UH, AND THE ADULTS.
AND CERTAINLY, UM, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PROGRESS IN THIS EFFORT TO DECREASE THAT NUMBER OF VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS AS THAT NUMBER CONTINUES TO DROP OUR RISK OF A SIGNIFICANT SURGE WILL DROP AS WELL.
UH, OUR HOSPITAL EIGHT HOSPITAL HOSPITALIZATIONS, WE'LL DROP OUR CASES A LITTLE JOB.
AND, UH, AND CERTAINLY OUR MORTALITY WILL DROP.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR CONFIRMED CASES IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
YESTERDAY, WE REPORTED 78 CONFIRMED CASES WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 89.
THAT'S A 25% DECREASE OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS NOW.
SO CERTAINLY WE HAD SOME ELEVATION OF THAT PLATEAU, UH, FOR A WEEK TO 10 DAYS.
WE'VE SEEN THAT COME BACK DOWN TO WHERE WE WERE BEFORE IN THAT, YOU KNOW, 90 TO A HUNDRED RANGE.
AGAIN, OUR HOPE IS TO CONTINUE TO PUSH THAT DOWN, UH, AND, UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, DRIVE THE TRANSMISSION DOWN FURTHER, UH, WHICH WILL IMPACT OUR HOSPITALS AS WELL.
NOW THIS IS OUR NEW ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL, BUT YESTERDAY WE REPORTED 11 ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL, WHICH BROUGHT OUR MOVING AVERAGE DOWN TO 17.
THAT'S A 26% DECREASE AS COMPARED TO TWO WEEKS AGO NOW.
SO AGAIN, GOOD PROGRESS THERE.
NOW WE BROUGHT THAT NUMBER BACK DOWN FROM THAT ELEVATED PLATEAU THAT WE SAW A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
AND SO CERTAINLY IN A BETTER POSITION TODAY THAN WE WERE BACK THEN, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR NEW INMATE OR OUR, UH, HOSPITALIZATIONS.
THE BLUE IS OUR TOTAL HOSPITAL BEDS BEING UTILIZED, THE ORANGE ICU AND THE GRAY VENTILATOR USAGE ARE HOSPITALIZATIONS YESTERDAY, ONE 15 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF ONE 28.
THAT'S AN 8% DECREASE COMPARED TO TWO WEEKS AGO.
HOWEVER, OUR ICU NUMBERS ARE A BIT HIGHER, UH, 44 FOR A REPORT YESTERDAY WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 46.
THAT'S AN 18% INCREASE FROM TWO WEEKS AGO.
OUR VENTILATOR USE 23 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 25, AN INCREASE OF 19%.
UH, AGAIN, UH, WE'VE GOT SOME MIXED, UH, MIXED INDICATORS HERE NOW, BUT CERTAINLY OUR KEY INDICATOR, OUR ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL, HE IS MOVING IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION AND HOPEFULLY, UH, THE LAGGING INDICATORS, THE, THE ICU AND VENTILATOR USE WILL FOLLOW THAT IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION IN THE WEEK TO TWO WEEKS TO COME.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR ADMISSIONS, UH, BY AGE GROUP, UH, NANCY, THAT WE'VE HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ADMISSIONS FOR THE 20 TO 29 GROUP, THE 30 TO 39 GROUP AND THE 40 TO 49 AND GROUP.
UH, WE'VE ALSO SEEN A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE 70 TO 79 AGE GROUP AND OUR 80 PLUS AGE GROUPS.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING THIS PATTERN WHERE, UH, THE, THE MORE VACCINATIONS THEN THE AGE GROUP IS, UH, IT'S CERTAINLY IMPACTING THE ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL AT THIS STAGE.
WHEREAS THE LESS VACCINATED GROUPS ARE SAYING, UH, INCREASES DUE TO INCREASED TRANSMISSIONS.
HERE'S A BREAKDOWN BY NUMBERS OF ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL WEEK OVER WEEK, UH, LAST WEEK MADE A 15% INCREASE IN OVERALL ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL AS COMPARED TO THIS WEEK.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, THE, THE BARS AT THE BOTTOM HAVE, HAVE GROWN THICKER NOT SINCE LAST WEEK, WHEREAS THE, THE TOP BARS, UH, ARE, UH, ARE GETTING SMALLER, PARTICULARLY OUR 80 PLUS
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IN OUR 70 TO 79 AGE GROUP.AGAIN, WHEN WE SEE THAT NUMBERS LIKE THIS 30 INDIVIDUALS IN THE 40 TO 49 AGE GROUP, 17 IN THE 30 TO 39 AGE GROUP AND 22 IN THE 20 TO 29 AGE GROUP, THAT INDICATES THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION IN THOSE GROUPS BECAUSE THEY HAVE SUCH A DRAMATICALLY SMALLER RATE OF HOSPITALIZATION AS COMPARED TO OLDER ADULTS.
IT MEANS THERE'S GOTTA BE A LOT MORE TRANSMISSION HAPPENING.
SO AGAIN, IT IS CRITICAL FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET VACCINATED ARE, ARE 16 TO TWO 20, OUR 2029 GRADE OR 30 TO 39, 40 TO 49.
UH, THEY ARE NOT VACCINATED TO THE SAME LEVEL AS OUR 50 PLUS AGE GROUP, IN FACT, CURRENTLY.
AND WE'RE SO WORKING WITH DSHS TO GET MORE ACCURATE DATA, UH, BY DECADE OF LIFE.
UH, BUT IT APPEARS THAT OUR INDIVIDUALS YOUNGER THAN AGE 50 ONLY HAVE ABOUT A 55% VACCINATION RATE WITHIN THAT GROUP INDIVIDUALS 50 YEARS OLD AND OLDER ARE MORE LIKE 70% OR HIGHER.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT IMPACT, UH, IN COMPRESSION OF THE, THE OLDER AGE GROUPS.
AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT POSITIVITY, UH, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE TWO OLDEST AGE GROUP OF 77 AND 80 PLUS, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF THE HOSPITALIZATIONS BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.
UH, WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A DECLINE IN OUR WHITE, NON HISPANIC COMMUNITY, RELATIVELY FLAT FOR OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY IN GREEN AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE, UH, IN OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY HOSPITALIZATIONS LAST YEAR WEEK.
UM, AND AGAIN, THIS IS THAT SAME DATA BY NUMBERS OF HOSPITALIZATIONS.
CAN YOU SEE A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE, UH, THE LATIN X, UH, HOSPITALIZATIONS 45 TO TWO, UH, AGAIN, A SLIGHT INCREASE IN OUR WHITE NON-HISPANIC 57 TO 60, BUT A SIGNIFICANT JUMP IN OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN HOSPITALIZATIONS LAST WEEK, MOVING FROM 12 TO 22.
AGAIN, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
UH, AND THIS IS WHY, UH, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD, UH, IN THE TEAM HAS CONTINUED TO FOCUS EFFORTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR REGARDING VACCINATIONS.
AND SHE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IN A LITTLE BIT LATER, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR POSITIVITY WEEK OVER WEEK, LAST WEEK.
SO FAR, THAT POSITIVITY IS 4.0%.
IT'S A RELATIVELY FLAT COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS WEEK 3.9%.
AGAIN, WE NEED PEOPLE TO GET TESTED IF THEY HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19.
I HAD A CONVERSATION THIS WEEK WITH A, WITH A YOUNG MAN WHO WAS ASKING IF SHE HAD A PATIENT VISIT HIS MOTHER, AND HE HAD SOME NASAL CONGESTION AND, YOU KNOW, IT FELT OKAY, BUT, UH, AGAIN, NASAL CONGESTION, UH, YOU KNOW, MILD SORE THROAT.
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF SYMPTOMS WE SEE IN YOUNG PEOPLE AND TEENAGERS AND PEOPLE IN THEIR TWENTIES AND THIRTIES.
AND THAT SHOULD BE A WARNING SIGN.
ANY OF THOSE SYMPTOMS SHOULD RESULT IN INDIVIDUALS GETTING TESTED FOR COVID-19 TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T HAVE IT PRIOR TO IT GOING TO WORK, GOING TO SCHOOL, OR CERTAINLY VISITING LOCAL ONES.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR POSITIVITY BY, UH, RACE AND ETHNICITY.
UH, SO UNFORTUNATELY SOME SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE POSITIVITY WITH THE DALLAS SO FAR THAT WE HAVE FOR LAST WEEK, OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY MOVED UP FROM 5.9% TO 6.9%.
OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY 3.8% TO 5.8%, OUR ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY, A 3.1% TO 3.6% AND OUR WHITE NON HISPANIC COMMUNITY FLAT AT 3.1%.
THIS IS THAT POSITIVITY DATA BY AGE GROUP.
UH, AND I WANT TO POINT OUT FIRST THEY BARS ON THE RIGHT SIDE, BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR 60 TO 69, 70 TO 79 AND 80 PLUS ARE AT OR BELOW, UH, YOU KNOW, RIGHT AROUND THAT 2% MARK, UH, THIS IS THE GROUP WHERE WE'RE SEEING 70 TO 75% AND OVER VACCINATION RATES WITH AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF VACCINE NOW.
SO WE'RE CERTAINLY SEEING AN IMPACT ON THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN MOST HEAVILY VACCINATED ALREADY.
NOW WE'VE SHOWN IT, SEEING IT IN THE NURSING HOMES AS WELL, WHICH I'LL SHOW YOU IN JUST A BIT, UH, AGAIN, IN THE POPULATIONS WHERE WE DON'T SEE AS MUCH VACCINATION, IT'S MORE SEEING THAT POSITIVITY RISE, YOU CAN SEND THAT LINK OVER RINGS, SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THAT 40 TO 49 AGE GROUP POSITIVITY, 50 TO 59, AS WELL AS OUR, OUR 20 TO 29 AGE GROUPS.
SO AGAIN, WE NEED ALL OF THESE GROUPS TO GET VACCINATED, TO BE PASSIONATE ABOUT GETTING VACCINATED, TO NOT ONLY PROTECT THEMSELVES, BUT TO PROTECT THEIR FAMILY AND THEIR COMMUNITY AS WELL.
AND IT'S CRITICAL FOR ALL OF US TO ADVOCATE FOR VACCINATION SO WE CAN MOVE PAST THE MASKING AND
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THE DISTANCING AND GET BACK TO MORE NORMAL.WHEN WE LOOK AT THE POSITIVITY, UH, BROKEN DOWN BY, UH, SCHOOL AGE GROUPS, UH, WE CAN SEE THAT OUR HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL, UH, STUDENTS, THE POSITIVITY IS HIGHER THAN THE, THE COMMUNITY AVERAGE AT 4.8% FOR EACH OF THEM ARE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND PRESCHOOL ARE LOWER 3.1%.
AND 1.6% RESPECTIVELY, UH, AGAIN, MASKING IS STILL REQUIRED IN ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND OUR PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE THAT EFFORT.
WE CONTINUE THAT EFFORT THROUGH SUMMER SCHOOL UNTIL WE CAN GET A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF INDIVIDUALS, UH, WHO ARE SCHOOL AGED VACCINATED.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR POSITIVITY OR OUR CORRECTION, OUR, UH, OUR NURSING HOME AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY DASHBOARD.
UH, WE CAN SEE THAT, UH, WE'RE SEEING SOME DISEASE TRANSMISSION IN THESE FACILITIES, UH, BUT CERTAINLY MUCH, MUCH LOWER THAN WE WERE SEEING IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.
NOT 10 CASES IN THE PAST 14 DAYS, 24 CASES IN THE PAST 28 DAYS, THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES HAD ZERO CASES.
AND AGAIN, AN INDICATION OF THE, UH, THE EFFICACY OF THE EFFORT OF VACCINATING THESE GROUPS IN PARTICULAR, EARLY ON, IT'S AN UPDATE OF OUR ORIGINAL INFUSION CENTER.
AGAIN, TINA, UM, UH, OPENNESS ON JANUARY THE SIXTH, SINCE THEN 1,071 INDIVIDUALS HAVE RECEIVED THAT MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY, UH, WHICH HAS BEEN SHOWN TO DECREASE THE RISK OF HOSPITALIZATION FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE.
UH, THE STATE HAS BEEN IN THE PROCESS OF DEMOBILIZING THIS FACILITY NOW, BECAUSE THE USE HAS DROPPED OFF SIGNIFICANTLY WITH LESS THAN 10 INDIVIDUALS ON AVERAGE, UH, RECEIVING THAT MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY ON A DAILY BASIS.
NOW WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS AND ESSENTIALLY SETON, AS WELL AS BAYLOR SCOTT AND WHITE HAVE VOICED THEIR INTENTION TO CONTINUE OFFERING MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY.
AND WE WILL PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION TO OUR CLINICAL COMMUNITY ON THE REFERRAL PROCESS, UH, TO THOSE SITES.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE APPRECIATE THE STATE'S EFFORTS, UH, UH, PROVIDING THE SERVICE THERAPY FREE OF CHARGE FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I THINK CERTAINLY IT CONTRIBUTED TO OUR DECREASE IN, UH, IN MORTALITY AND HOSPITALIZATIONS THAT WE HAVE BEEN SAYING, UM, QUICK UPDATE ON INFLUENZA.
UH, THERE WERE NO CASES REPORTED FOR WEEK 16.
UH, SO 169 TESTS, ZERO CASES, 0% POSITIVITY AGAIN, UH, HISTORICALLY LO UH, THE FLU SEASON FOR US WITH A POSITIVITY OF 1.18%.
UH, AGAIN, WE'VE GOT A FEW MORE WEEKS TO GO IN FLU SEASON, BUT, UH, IT CERTAINLY HAS BEEN A SUCCESS STORY FOR, FOR FLU THIS YEAR.
NOW OUR PROVIDE A FEW UPDATES, UH, IN THESE NEXT THREE, UH, THESE NEXT TWO SLIDES WERE PROVIDED BY, UH, THE UT VOLUME CONSORTIUM, UH, AND, UH, AND TOOK OUR DATA, UH, RELATED HOSPITALIZATIONS TO DETERMINE, UH, CHANGES IN LENGTH OF STAY.
AND WE'VE, I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, UH, BUT HERE IT IS GRAPHICALLY WHEN YOU'RE SEEING AT THE BOTTOM IS, IS THE HOSPITALIZATIONS OVERALL, UH, THROUGHOUT OUR TWO SURGES ALL THE TOP, YOU'RE SAYING THE LENGTH OF STAY.
SO THE 95TH PERCENTILE, UH, SO WHEN DOES 95% OF PEOPLE, WHEN ARE THEY DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL IN THREE DIFFERENT AGE BRACKETS, 50 TO 64 65, PLUS IN THAT 17 TO 49 YEAR OLD AGE VERB.
AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE LENGTH OF STAY IN THAT 15 TO 64 AGE GROUP.
WE'VE HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THAT 65 PLUS AGE GROUP.
UH, BUT YOU CAN ALSO SAY THAT LENGTH OF STAY INCREASES OR HAS HISTORICALLY INCREASED WHEN, UH, WHEN WE SEE THAT THAT PEAK IN HOSPITALIZATIONS.
BUT AGAIN, OVERALL NOW WE'RE SEEING DECREASED LENGTH OF STAY, UH, SINCE MARCH OF THIS YEAR, AS COMPARED TO THE LENGTH OF STAY PREVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS, AND IT CERTAINLY INDICATES TO US THAT WE NEED TO RETHINK AND RE LOOK AT OUR TRIGGERS FOR TRANSITION OF STAGING.
AGAIN, THERE, UH, RISK-BASED GUIDELINES STAGING WAS BASED UPON THE THREAT TO AN OVERWHELMED, UH, UH, OF AN OVERWHELMING SURGE TO OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS. UH, SO BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE, IT NECESSITATED A LOOK AT THOSE TRIGGERS.
UH, SIMILARLY WE'VE HAD A DECREASE IN THE MORTALITY RATE FOR, UH, FOR OUR AGE
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GROUPS IN PARTICULAR THAT 65 PLUS AGE GROUP IN THAT 50 TO 64 AGE GROUP.UM, AGAIN, WE CAN SEE THAT AS SURGE HAPPENS, AS THOSE HOSPITALIZATIONS GO UP, THE MORTALITY RATE GOES UP, UH, IN MIRRORS, THOSE, THOSE SURGES, WE HAD SAW THAT AS FAR BACK AS THE INITIAL OUTBREAK AND MOVE ON, WE SAW IN ITALY, WE SAW IN OTHER COUNTRIES, AND WE CERTAINLY ANTICIPATED THAT AS THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS ARE STRESSED, THAT IT'S GOING TO BE CHALLENGING TO MAINTAIN, UH, THAT, UH, THAT SAME EFFICACY, UH, IN TERMS OF THE THERAPY THAT'S PROVIDED.
NOW, IN ADDITION TO THAT, ALONG THE WAY, WE'VE GOT OTHER THINGS, HELPING US, THE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY, UH, THE, THE DRUGS, THE, UH, THE ANTIVIRALS, UH, THAT ARE IN PLACE NOW, AS WELL AS NOW, SIGNIFICANT VACCINATION EFFORT THAT WE KNOW ALSO IMPACTS THE SEVERITY OF DISEASE, UH, IMPACTS THE, THE MORTALITY OF DISEASE, EVEN BY THOSE AT HIGHER RISK.
UH, SO WE ARE CERTAINLY IN A BETTER PLACE NOW, IN TERMS OF THE, THE RATES OF MORTALITY, PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE OLDER TWO AGE GROUPS, THE 65 PLUS IN THE 50 TO 64.
SO AS A RESULT OF, OF THESE TWO THINGS, UH, WE FEEL COMFORTABLE IN, UH, RE-ASSESSING THE STAGES IN THE TRANSITION OF THOSE STAGES.
UH, SO YOU'LL SEE, ON THE LEFT HAND COLUMN, WE HAVE DROPPED THE TRIGGER FOR TRANSITION TO STAGE TWO TO BELOW 15.
SO THAT FIVE TO 15 IS THE RANGE THAT WE WOULD TRANSITION TO, UH, TO STAGE TWO OF RISK.
ADDITIONALLY, WE MODIFIED THE TRIGGER OR GOING DOWN TO STAGE ONE FROM ZERO TO FIVE.
THE REASON FOR THAT IS, IS THAT WE EXPECT THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A LONG TAIL IN TERMS OF ACHIEVING HERD IMMUNITY OR, OR, UH, YOU KNOW, GETTING, UH, COVID-19 OUT OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, SO WE EXPECT THAT WE MAY SEE A PROGRESSIVELY DROPPING PLATEAU OF CASES.
SO AGAIN, AS THAT, UH, VACCINATION RATE IMPROVES IN THE COMMUNITY, THEY'LL BE EXPECT.
I SAID, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HIT 70 TO 90% IS PROBABLY ABOUT THE TIME THAT WE'D BE LOOKING AT TRANSITIONING TO STAGE ONE, UM, THAT, UH, WE CAN DO THAT SAFELY.
UH, THE OTHER BIG CHANGE THAT YOU'LL SEE IS THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE FORMAT.
SO IN THE PAST, WE HAD HIGH RISK PATIENTS, VISUALS, AND GUIDELINES FOR THEM, AND LOW-RISK INDIVIDUALS, UH, THIS NOW BREAKS IN BETWEEN VACCINATED IN PARTIALLY OR UN-VACCINATED AND PROVIDES GUIDANCE CONSISTENT WITH CDC GUIDELINES, UH, THAT PROVIDES A VISUAL CUE TO, UH, HOW PEOPLE CAN AND SHOULD PROTECT THEMSELVES.
UH, IF THEY'RE VACCINATED OR NOT VACCINATED, AGAIN, WE WANT PEOPLE TO GET BACK VACCINATED, UH, AND YOU'LL FIND THAT, UH, NOW, AND CERTAINLY IN THE FUTURE AS THE VACCINATION IMPROVES, THE FREEDOM ASSOCIATED WITH VACCINATION IN TERMS OF, OF MASKING, UH, IN THE, IN THE PRECAUTIONS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE.
AGAIN, WE REMAIN IN THE STAGE THREE FOR NOW, UH, AND IN STAGE THREE, WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT FOR INDOOR GATHERINGS, EVERYBODY MASKS, UH, FOR OUTDOOR GATHERINGS, UM, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THESE ARE PRIVATE GATHERINGS, UH, IF YOU'RE WITH OTHER VACCINATED PEOPLE OR HAVE APPROPRIATE DISTANCING VACCINATED, PEOPLE NOT CAN DO IT WITHOUT THE MASK.
IF THEY'RE UN-VACCINATED OUTDOOR, THEY SHOULD HAVE THAT, UH, THAT MASK ON IF THEY'RE HIGH RISK.
SO THEY HAVE, UH, UNDERLYING CONDITIONS OR OTHER CONCERNS, WHICH MAY BE A HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE.
THEY SHOULD REALLY STILL AVOID THOSE SITUATIONS.
UH, THOSE INDIVIDUALS SHOULD AVOID, UH, INDOOR AND OUTDOOR GATHERINGS.
THEY SHOULD AVOID, UH, SHOPPING AND DINING.
THEY SHOULD AVOID TRAVEL UNLESS IT'S ESSENTIAL.
UM, OTHERWISE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, UM, WE'RE GOING TO SAY PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION OF THOSE GUIDANCE, UH, EVEN RELATED TO MASKING AS OUR SITUATION IMPROVES LOCALLY.
UM, AND AGAIN, THIS WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE WEBSITE TODAY SO THAT FOLKS CAN, CAN DOWNLOAD IT AND KEEP IT HANDY.
AND I DO WANT TO PROVIDE A BIT OF CAUTION AGAIN, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS PROGRESS TOWARDS HERD IMMUNITY AND SOME OF THE SUCCESSES THAT WE'VE SEEN AS AN OVERALL COMMUNITY, UH, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT EQUAL ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
UH, AND OUR, OUR CONCERN IS THAT EVEN AS WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF RELAXING SOONER AND HEADING TO STAGE TWO, THAT WE STILL NEED TO AVOID SURGE, UH, WE WON'T BE DONE WITH COVID-19.
THEN WHEN WE GET TO STAGE TWO, WE STILL NEED PEOPLE TO MASK.
WE STILL NEED PEOPLE TO DISTANCE.
UH, WE STILL NEED PEOPLE TO GET VACCINATED.
UH, UH, THIS IS, UH, AGAIN PROVIDED BY THE UT MODELING
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CONSORTIUM, WHICH SHOWS THE RATES OF IN-HOSPITAL DEATHS PER A HUNDRED THOUSAND POPULATION BY ZIP CODE.UH, AND AGAIN, I WANT TO POINT OUT, TEXAS IS AROUND AVERAGE FOR THE STATE IS AROUND 169 DEATHS PER A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
UH, THE TOTAL FOR AUSTIN, UH, FOR TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY IS ABOUT 78.
SO LESS THAN HALF OF THE STATE'S DEATH RATE, LESS THAN HALF OF A NATIONAL DEATH RATE.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE SOME PORTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE APPROACHING OR EQUAL TO THAT STATE DEATH RATE.
UH, AND THIS IS WHY WE CONTINUE TO, TO REALLY FOCUS ON THOSE COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE BEEN HIT HARD BY COVID-19.
UH, WE NEED THOSE COMMUNITIES IN PARTICULAR TO GET VACCINATED, UH, AND TO, UH, TO DRIVE DOWN DISEASE TRANSMISSION IN THOSE GROUPS.
UM, AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT DONE WITH COVID YET, BUT WE NEED TO, UH, CONTINUE TO, TO PUSH THE VACCINATIONS, TO PUT OURSELVES IN A BETTER PLACE, UH, TO, TO RELAX THINGS, GET PEOPLE, MORE PEOPLE BACK TO WORK, GET CHILDREN BACK IN THE CLASSROOM AND DO SO SAFELY WITH THAT.
I WILL TRANSITION BACK OVER TO DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD.
THIS IS A SNAPSHOT FROM OUR APH VACCINE, UM, DASHBOARD, UM, SHOWS 373,704 VACCINES.
UM, THIS DOES ALSO INCLUDE THE, UM, THE, THE DATA FROM THE, UM, FROM A COTA SITE AS WELL.
UM, ACCORDING TO, UM, OUR DEMOGRAPHIC, UM, ASIAN, UM, POPULATION HAS RECEIVED ABOUT 9%, UM, AFRICAN-AMERICAN IS, UM, 7.2%.
UM, HISPANIC IS 18.99% OF VACCINATED, UM, BY, UM, EITHER AT COTA BY APH OR BY COMMUNITY NEXT LINE.
THIS IS JUST A SUMMARY OF THE VACCINE FOR CHILDREN EDUCATION AND OUR SENIOR POPULATION.
UM, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS PROVIDED, UM, 287,663 VACCINES.
AND, UM, LAST WEEK, UM, WE PROVIDED 14,464 VACCINES.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE HAD SOME SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES WITH THE WEATHER LAST WEEK.
UM, WE HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL LOCATIONS AND INCLUDING A CODA SITE, UM, WHEREVER SATURDAY OPERATIONS, UM, WHERE COUNCIL AND, UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HAD A COUPLE OF DAYS WHERE WE NEEDED TO CLOSE THE BERGER CENTER EARLY, UM, WITH CHILDCARE, THIS SHOWS, UM, 13,107.
UM, YOU SEE THE SENIOR POPULATION AND THEN THE DATA, UM, THAT WE HAVE, UM, FROM DISHES OF FOLKS THAT ARE 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER SLIDE.
UM, WE WANTED TO JUST, UM, KIND OF ALERT EVERYONE, UM, THAT KIND OF, THESE ARE THE WAYS THAT, UM, INDIVIDUALS CAN GET THEIR VACCINE THROUGH APH.
UM, YOU CAN GO ONLINE AND SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE.
YOU CAN ALSO, UM, CALL THREE, ONE, ONE, UM, LEAVE YOUR NAME AND NUMBER, AND OUR STAFF WILL GIVE YOU A CALL BACK TO SCHEDULE.
UM, AND THEN, UM, WE'RE CONTINUING TO DO OUR HOME VISITS, UM, THAT MOBILE TEAM, UM, PROVIDED, UM, ABOUT, UM, 2000 VACCINES LAST WEEK.
AND, UM, THEY, UM, WE'RE FOCUSING A LITTLE BIT MORE ON, UM, UM, FOUNDATION COMMUNITY PROPERTIES, BUT THEY ALSO, UM, ARE DOING SOME WORK WITH OUR SUBSTANCE MISUSE FACILITIES, UM, LIKE AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, AND, UM, UM, ALSO MAKING SURE THAT, UM, AND, AND WITH, WITH THE, UM, WITH THE BOARDING CARE FACILITIES, ET CETERA.
UM, THERE'S ALSO, UM, A TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, SUBSTANCE MISUSE FACILITY THAT THEY ARE FOCUSING IN ON.
WE, UM, THE TEAM IS, UM, MEETING WITH THE AUSTIN HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION, UM, LOOKING TO SEE HOW WE CAN PARTNER WITH THEM AND BRING THE VACCINES TO, UM, TO THEIR LOCATIONS.
SO WE CAN PROVIDE THAT FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT WORK AT HOTELS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, OUR STAFF ARE, UM, HAVING MEETINGS WITH THREE APARTMENT COMPLEXES, UM, AND, UM, WORKING ON THE LOGISTICS WITH THAT NEXT SLIDE.
[00:30:05]
UM, IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR, UM, WE OPENED A COMMUNITY WIDE WELLNESS AND PREPAREDNESS SURVEY.AND, UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE DID ASK THE PUBLIC WAS, UM, ABOUT, UM, ABOUT GETTING THE VACCINE AND WE HAD ABOUT 500 PEOPLE RESPOND, THERE WERE SEVEN LANGUAGES AVAILABLE.
UM, AND THE MAJORITY OF FOLKS THAT RESPONDED AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, DID AGREE THAT THEY WOULD, UM, EITHER DEFINITELY POSSIBLY, OR PROBABLY RECEIVE THE VACCINE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WE DID NOTICE, UM, THAT THERE WAS ABOUT A LITTLE OVER 12%, UM, THAT SAID THAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY NOT, OR DEFINITELY NOT RECEIVE THE VACCINE, UM, WHEN TAKING THAT SURVEY, UM, INDIVIDUALS DID HAVE THE ABILITY TO LET US KNOW IF THEY WANTED TO BE CONTACTED AND FOLLOWED UP, UM, WITH STAFF.
UM, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE VERY MANY FOLKS TO, TO DO THAT.
THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, SHOWS YOU A, UM, FROM SANDERO HEALTH PLANS, THEY DID A QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE, UM, STUDY WITH THIS ONE, THE, THIS IS THE RESULTS OF A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION, UM, THAT THEY HAD.
AND, UM, BASICALLY THE RESULTS OF THIS JUST BASICALLY SHOWS THAT, UM, FOLKS THAT ARE LESS LIKELY THAT THEY WOULD NOT TAKE THE VACCINE IS WOMEN ARE 19% LESS LIKELY TO SAY THEY PLAN TO GET THE VACCINES THAN MALES.
UM, AND THE, UM, AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE 47% LESS LIKELY SAY THEY PLAN TO GET THE VACCINE, UM, THEY'RE MALES.
AND THEN THIS, UM, 15% OF THE, UM, HISPANIC, UM, FOLKS SAID THAT, UM, IN THE, UM, LATIN, HISPANIC ORIGIN STATED THAT THEY WOULD RECEIVE THE VACCINE.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE OTHER CORRELATION IS, UM, IS FOLKS THAT HAD HIGH HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR LESS, THEY WERE 20%, 21% LESS LIKELY TO GET THE VACCINES.
AND THEN I LOOKED AT, UM, INCOME AS WELL, AND FOLKS THAT, UM, MADE LESS THAN $30,000 A YEAR.
UM, AND SO, UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, THEY WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE, UH, THE, THE AGENTS, UH, ACROSS AND, UM, AND TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THE AREAS WHERE PEOPLE WERE SAYING THAT THEY WERE LESS LIKELY TO, UM, TO TAKE THE VACCINE NEXT LIE.
UM, AND SO THIS IS JUST, UM, ANOTHER, UM, SURVEY THAT THEY DID EARLIER, UM, UH, DECEMBER 31ST THROUGH 31ST, DECEMBER 24TH THROUGH 31ST, UM, WITH 737 PEOPLE.
AND, UM, JUST BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TAKING A SNAPSHOT AS WELL.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, THAT THEY REALLY WANTED TO KNOW INITIALLY IS TO GET THE THOUGHTS ABOUT WHERE PEOPLE WERE STANDING AND THEN THEY WANTED TO COME BACK AND DO SOMETHING MORE, UM, WHERE THEY WERE ABLE TO INTERVIEW AND HAVE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS.
THE NEXT ONE SLIDE, UM, IS FROM EL GWANE.
ROSA, MARIA, MARIA, UH, PROVIDED THIS INFORMATION FOR US.
AND, UM, THEY WERE ABLE TO DO A SURVEY IN JANUARY OF JUST THE FOLKS THAT WERE UTILIZING THEIR PANTRY.
UM, THEY WERE ABLE TO TALK TO 126 PEOPLE AND, UM, AND ABLE TO, TO, YOU KNOW, SHOW THE ZIP CODES OF KIND OF WHERE THEY WERE COMING FROM.
AND, UM, AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT AS YOU CAN SEE NEXT SLIDE IS THAT, UM, THEY WERE ABLE TO KIND OF PUT THE RESPONSES, YOU KNOW, INTO CATEGORIES, UM, INFORMATION, TRUST, REACTION, AND HEALTH.
AND SO, UM, AND SO BASED UP ON, UM, THE RESULTS AND INFORMATION THAT THEY RECEIVED FROM THE FOLKS THAT WERE, UM, THAT THEY SURVEY, THEY, UM, UM, MAKE SURE TO IMPLEMENT SOME, SOME INFORMATION THAT THEY COULD PROVIDE TO FOLKS COMING BACK THROUGH.
THEY ARE GOING TO REPEAT THEIR SURVEY ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF MAY TO DETERMINE, UM, ONE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE FOLKS THAT WERE A PART OF THE FIRST SURVEY, BUT THEN THEY WANT TO EXPAND IT AND TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION.
AND SO BASED UP ON, UM, THESE THINGS THAT,
[00:35:01]
YOU KNOW, WE HAD RECEIVED, UM, ALONG THE WAY, UM, WE HAVE SHARED THE, UM, THE INFORMATION FROM THE SANDERO, UM, STUDY WITH OUR, UH, VACCINE PROVIDERS AS WELL TO CREATE THAT AWARENESS.UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BE FLEXIBLE AND MAKING CHANGES, UM, THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE'VE CONTINUED TO DO AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO IN ORDER TO ADDRESS, UM, HESITANCY TRUST, UM, AND THEN MAKING SURE FOLKS HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED MICS LIVE.
ONE OF THE THINGS AS WE SHARED, UM, WE HAVE OUR PARTNERSHIPS, UM, THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE HAVE OUR, UM, SEVEN MINI GRANTS THAT WE HAVE, UM, WE MET WITH, UM, UNITED WAY LAST WEEK.
AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, UM, THEY PROVIDED, UM, SOME, UM, SOME GRANTS TO PARTNERS AND, UM, IN OUR CONVERSATION WITH UNITED WAY, UM, MOVING FORWARD, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS, IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO, UM, HAVE OUR PROVIDERS AS WELL AS THEIR PROVIDERS, UM, REALLY BE ABLE TO MEET, UM, AND KIND OF TALK ABOUT, UM, STRATEGIES FOR OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT.
UM, THIS WILL BE A WAY FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PROVIDERS, UM, THAT ARE WORKING ACROSS, UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY ARE NOT WORKING, YOU KNOW, IN A SILO THAT THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER, UM, DEVELOPING TOOLS TOGETHER, SHARING TOOLS THAT THEY'RE ALREADY USING, UM, ET CETERA.
THE OTHER THING IS, IS THE GOAL IS, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS NOT A GAP IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE WE DON'T HAVE SOMEONE, UM, COVERING THAT AREA.
AND SO, UM, SO THOSE GROUPS ARE GOING TO CONTINUOUSLY WORK ON THAT, UM, WITH OUR OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT, UM, JUST MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S THE MESSAGING THAT IS COMING FROM, UM, OUR PARTNERS THAT WE CONTRACT WITH ARE INTERNALLY MAKING SURE WE HAVE, UM, CULTURAL, RELEVANT MESSAGING, UM, AND CONTINUING WITH OUR, UM, OUR TV, RADIO, DIGITAL SOCIAL MEDIA, AND PSA'S, UM, YOU KNOW, STILL WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, OUR HEALTH EQUITY TEAM AS WELL AS TRAVIS COUNTY CALL CENTER.
UM, BECAUSE THEY HAVE REALLY BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF HOW WE'RE ABLE TO REACH SO MANY PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, UM, AND NOT ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO USE THE PLATFORM.
UM, AND THEN CONTINUING WITH OUR EQUITABLE ACCESS THROUGH OUR MOBILE VACCINE PROGRAM, UM, PARTNERING WITH, UM, CAPITAL METRO AND ENSURING FROM A LANGUAGE ACCESS, UM, THAT WE HAVE LANGUAGE AVAILABLE, UM, IN ALL OF OUR MATERIALS AND, UH, ADDRESSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.
UM, WE, WE WOULD LIKE TO, UM, WE'D LIKE TO SHARE, UH, A PSA THAT WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER, AND THIS IS THE FIRST OF THE PSA'S, UM, THIS ONE, UH, FEATURES, UM, AFRICAN-AMERICAN, UH, POPULATION AND, UM, AND OUR, OUR NEXT STEP IS, IS, UM, WE WE'RE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE, UM, UM, HISPANIC AND, UM, LATIN X, UM, PARTNERS, SO WE CAN IDENTIFY AND WORK WITH THEM.
UM, WE'RE, WE'VE REACHED OUT TO THE ASIAN COMMUNITY SO WE CAN GET LEADERS FROM, FROM THAT SPACE, UM, AS WELL AS, UM, LGBTQ I, UM, FOLKS, SO WE CAN CREATE PSA.
AND THE GOAL IS, IS THAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO, UM, BE REFLECTIVE OF THE POPULATIONS THAT WE REALLY NEED TO MEET AND SERVE.
UM, AND FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO RELATE TO THE FOLKS THAT THEY POSSIBLY MAY SEE IN THE PSA.
AND THAT MAY ENCOURAGE FOLKS THAT MAY BE, UM, HESITANT AT THIS POINT.
UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS JUST REALLY A PERSON THAT THEY MAY EVEN LOOK UP TO.
SO I'M GOING TO PAUSE AND YOU GOT IT AS GOT, SHE DIDN'T SEND IT TO YOU.
WELL, IN OUR COMMUNICATIONS, WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL SEND IT OVER TO YOU, UM, AND A LINK FROM OUR COMMUNICATIONS
[00:40:01]
OFFICE.SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION.
AND I THINK THE ONLY UPDATE FROM TRAVIS COUNTY WOULD BE THAT WE'RE MOVING, STARTING THIS WEEKEND TO THE EXPO CENTER FOR THE, FOR THE SORT OF PHARMACY THAT MIXES THE PFIZER VACCINE, AS WELL AS UP DISTRIBUTIONS OF THE VACCINE.
AND WE'LL ANNOUNCE MORE DETAILS ABOUT THAT LATER.
WE'VE ALSO GOT A CONSTABLE PRECINCT FOR GEORGE MORALES AND ESD 11 AND CHIEF BAILEY THAT HAVE BEEN GIVING VACCINES OUT, UH, IN HOMES, IN APARTMENT COMPLEXES.
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
AND THEN WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, SOME FOLKS TO, UH, HAVE A STATIONARY SITE OR, OR POSSIBLY MULTIPLE STATIONARY SITES OR POSSIBLE ROTATING STATIONARY SITES TO WHERE IT WOULD BE ONE PLACE, ONE WEEKEND, ONE PLACE THAT THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND, UH, CHUCK BROTHERTON WILL GIVE A MORE IN-DEPTH UPDATE ABOUT THAT DURING OUR REGULAR MEETING, BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THE GENERAL EFFORTS OF THE COUNTY, UH, VACCINE COLLABORATIVE ARE GOING.
UM, WITH THAT, I WILL PASS IT OVER TO YOU, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, JUDGE, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
I THINK THE REPORTS HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD AND FULL, UH, WITH THE INFORMATION THAT, THAT WE NEED TO KNOW, UH, BASICALLY THAT IT'S NOT OVER FOR COVID, UM, WE NEED TO STILL TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES, USE THE MASKS, UH, WHEREVER APPROPRIATE AND, UH, AND REALLY TAKE THESE PRECAUTIONS.
BUT MOST OF ALL, TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET THE VACCINE, THAT'S A VERY GOOD MESSAGE TO GET THROUGH TO THE COMMUNITIES.
AND AS USUAL, THANKS TO ALL OF OUR PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS, WE REALLY APPRECIATE HOW MUCH YOU HAVE, UM, DEDICATED YOURSELVES TO TRYING TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY HEALTHY.
UM, I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY A QUESTION FOR DR.
S SCOTT, ALTHOUGH I'M NOT SURE, BUT, UM, CAN YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE HARM THAT COULD DEVELOP FROM US NOT REACHING HERD IMMUNITY? MY SENSE IS THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR MUTATIONS TO CONTINUE TO FESTER AND FOR THIS TO GET HARDER FOR US TO CONTAIN, BUT I DON'T HAVE A, I DON'T HAVE A DEEPER SENSE OF A LONG-TERM HARM.
UM, AND, UH, AND I'M GATHERING FROM WHAT YOU'RE SEEING AND WHAT I'M HEARING ON THE, ON THE NEWS THAT WE'RE REACHING SORT OF A PLATEAU WHEN WE MAY AS A COUNTRY, NOT, UH, AND MAYBE AS A WORLD, NOT GET TO THAT LEVEL OF HERD IMMUNITY AND, AND THERE WOULD BE LONG-TERM HEALTH CONSEQUENCES.
AND THEN THE OTHER PART OF IT IS ARE WE EXPLORING INCENTIVES TO TRY AND GET MORE HARD TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO, UM, TO GET VACCINATED? SURE.
YOU KNOW, THE PURSUIT OF HERD IMMUNITY IS GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE.
UM, I THINK WE'RE LIKELY TO FIND THAT, UH, SOME CITIES, SOME COUNTIES, SOME STATES MAY BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE IT, BUT ACHIEVING IT NATIONWIDE, ACHIEVING IT WORLDWIDE IS IT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE THAT THAT MAY BE TOO DIFFICULT, UM, BECAUSE OF THE VARIABILITY IN VACCINE AVAILABILITY, BECAUSE OF THE CHALLENGE OF, OF HAVING A, A WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC WITH MULTIPLE HOTSPOTS, WHICH SHIFT AROUND THE WORLD, IT'S GOING TO MAKE IT VERY CHALLENGING, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, TO TAKE RED US, TO ERADICATE COVID-19.
AND SO I THINK THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO IS THAT, UH, LIKE FLU, WE WILL PUT INTO REST, YOU KNOW, WE WILL END UP IN A STAGE WHERE WE LIVE WITH IT, UH, THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME CASES THAT FLUCTUATE UP AND DOWN TO LOW, LOW LEVEL.
BUT, UH, THE CONCERN LIKE WITH FLU IS THAT WE HAVE A VARIANT EMERGED THAT, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY INVADES VACCINATION EFFORTS THAT COULD CAUSE A SIMILAR KIND OF IMPACT AGAIN.
UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I THINK THE, THE PRIORITY FOR US AS, AS AN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE CENTRAL TEXAS COMMUNITY IS TO TRY TO GET THERE IS TO TRY TO ACHIEVE THAT HERD IMMUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, WHAT HAPPENS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE IN THE OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY IS UP TO THEM.
BUT I THINK THROUGHOUT THIS PANDEMIC, WE HAVE SHOWN THAT, THAT WE CAN DO IT BETTER, THAT WE CAN LISTEN TO THE ADVICE, LISTEN TO THE SCIENCE, WHERE OUR MASKS DISTANCE AND DO THINGS TO PROTECT ONE ANOTHER.
I THINK THE SAME IS TRUE FOR VACCINATIONS, AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT WITH OUR CONTINUED EFFORTS, WITH THAT COMMUNITY DIALOGUE, TO DISPEL SOME OF THE, THE MYTHS AND MISINFORMATION THAT WE'VE SEEN SHARED AROUND SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT WITH THE FACTS, PEOPLE WILL MAKE THE DECISION TO GET VACCINATED.
I THINK WE DO NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT INCENTIVES.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN,
[00:45:02]
UH, INCENTIVES AND COERCION, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT PEOPLE ARE, UH, UH, MAKING, UH, UH, A FREE CHOICE TO GET IT OR NOT GET IT.BUT I THINK THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE NOW THAT THAT INCENTIVES ARE HELPFUL TO PUSH PEOPLE OVER THE EDGE, TO GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE MOTIVATION, TO GO AND GET THE VACCINE.
AND SO I THINK IT'S WORTH A DISCUSSION.
I THINK WE'RE CERTAINLY SEEING EMPLOYERS HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
UH, SOME ARE OFFERING TIME OFF, SOME ARE OFFERING, UH, YOU KNOW, MONEY TO, TO GET VACCINATED.
I THINK WE'RE LIKELY TO SAY INSURANCE COMPANIES ALSO START TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT INCENTIVIZING VACCINATIONS FOR THEM.
IF THEY CAN GET SOMEBODY VACCINATED AND PROVIDED INCENTIVE, THEY SAVE A LOT OF MONEY ON THE BACK END FOR THE HOSPITALIZATION, UH, THAT CAN BE LONG AND EXPENSIVE FOR THE INSURANCE COMPANY.
SO I THINK THERE'S A, THERE'S A LOT TO BE SAID FOR THAT.
AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT DOES REQUIRE FURTHER DISCUSSION.
UH, COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER.
I WAS TRYING TO WORK WITH MY MUTE BUTTON.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE AGAIN TO THANK, UH, DR.
SCOTT AND DIRECTOR AND DIRECTOR HAYDEN, UH, HOWARD FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE, I'D ALSO LIKE TO PUBLICLY THANK HER FOR HER OR CONGRATULATE OR RATHER FOR HER ELEVATION TO ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
UH, I THINK THAT SHE'S DONE A LOT OF SIGNIFICANT THINGS, NOT JUST RECENTLY, UH, TO REALLY REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND GAIN THE CONFIDENCE OF THE COMMUNITY AND JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU FOR YOUR ASCENSION TO THAT POSITION.
UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, MY QUESTION IS GOING TO BE AROUND, UM, THE, BY BARRY AND ANALYSIS THAT WAS ON PAGE 28.
UH, I AM, I'M STILL VERY CONCERNED THAT, UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, UH, 47% OF THAT COMMUNITY, IT'S SUGGESTED THAT A VERY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THAT COMMUNITY, UH, IS CHOOSING NOT TO BE VACCINATED.
AND I THINK THAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE, UH, AN EFFORT OF WORKING THROUGH THE TRUSTED UNITY, A TRUSTED PART OF THE COMMUNITY, AN EXTENSION OF WHAT YOU'RE ALREADY DOING.
AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS DEVELOP A SPECIFIC PLAN FROM NOW THROUGH JUNE TEAM TO SPECIFICALLY TARGET, UH, SOME OF THE CHURCHES AND SOME OF THE COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT, THAT HAVE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY.
I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN EVALUATING MOBILE SERVICES, WHAT SERVICES AND WE HAVE, WE USED, UH, ARE THERE OTHER MOBILE SERVICES THAT I HAVE GROWN THROUGH THE TRUSTED COMMUNITIES OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND OTHER ETHNIC COMMUNITIES THAT MIGHT REACH INTO THOSE COMMUNITIES AND, AND ASSIST US WITH THOSE NUMBERS.
AND I'D ALSO, UH, SPECIFICALLY LIKE TO WORK WITH THE LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD, UH, TO DEVELOP A TRAINING CAPACITY PLAN, UH, SO THAT WE ARE TARGETING, UH, SOME OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WANT TO WORK IN, UM, IN HEALTH RELATED FIELDS.
UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DOLLARS, NOT ONLY FOR TRAINING, BUT, UH, FOR CHILDCARE AND IN SOME, IN SOME INSTANCES, STIPENDS AS WELL, AND WANT TO MAKE SURE, UH, THAT WE ARE, UH, LOOKING AT THOSE RESOURCES AND, AND, UH, BUILDING UP CAPACITY IN THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ONLY GONNA RESPOND TO OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
I THINK THOSE ARE REALLY SIGNIFICANT AREAS THAT WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT ME IMMEDIATELY AND HOPEFULLY, UM, BUILD A PROCESS THAT WILL NOT ONLY GET US, UH, CLOSER TO, TO FULL VACCINATION AND HERD IMMUNITY, BUT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WILL BE IN PLACE WHEN WE LOOKED DOWN THE ROAD AND, UH, AND ADD A BOOSTER SHOTS AND WHATNOT.
SO I JUST WANT TO FOCUS ON EXISTING LOCAL SERVICES, LOOK AT THE DIVERSITY OF THOSE GROUPS AND TO ASSESS TRAINING CAPACITY AND HOW WE MIGHT INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING TRAINED TO PROVIDE SHOTS.
SO, UM, SO, UM, I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO SITTING DOWN WITH YOU AND WORKING WITH YOU AND, AND HOPEFULLY DESIGNING SOMETHING THAT CAN BE EFFECTIVE.
UM, TREVELYAN UM, I THINK IT'D BE GREAT IF, UM, A COUPLE OF FOLKS FROM OUR TEAM, UM, AS WELL AS MS. FLEMING, UH, SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND, UM, HAVE A CONVERSATION AND KIND OF TALK ABOUT THAT WORKFORCE
[00:50:01]
DEVELOPMENT PIECE.UM, SO WE CAN DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP WITH YOU.
UM, WE HAVE, UM, WE HAVE STARTED TO RECEIVE REQUESTS, UM, FOR, UM, JUNETEENTH, UM, YOU KNOW, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, UM, TIME PERIOD, UM, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE VACCINES.
UM, AND SO, UM, WE ALSO, UM, WORKING ON SCHEDULING SOME EVENTS WITH, WITH THE CHURCHES AROUND THAT TIME.
SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO PULL ALL OF THAT TOGETHER AND SHARE THAT WITH YOU AND THIS GROUP AS WELL.
UM, AS WE LOOK AT THOSE EFFORTS OF, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY BE ABLE TO REACH MORE AFRICAN-AMERICANS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND, AND THE EFFORTS THAT YOU MAKING IN OUTREACH.
COULD ONE OF YOU PLEASE CLARIFY FOR ME WHERE WE ARE WITH LIKE MEETINGS, INDOOR MEETINGS, UM, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE I THINK ON THE, THE CHART YOU SHARED THIS MORNING, DR.
S SCOTT, IT ADDRESSES VACCINATION AND MASKS.
UM, YOU KNOW, ARE WE STILL AT 10 OR LESS, OR IT'S A REALLY BIG ROOM.
CAN YOU HAVE 15? SO COMMISSIONER, UH, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING UP THIS QUESTION.
I WANT TO MAKE SOME CLARIFICATIONS, UH, BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT THERE'S SOME CONFUSION IN THE COMMUNITY.
UH, FIRST OFF, AS A REMINDER IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY MASKING IS MANDATED IN PUBLIC PLACES.
UH, THAT'S RESTAURANTS, THAT'S SHOPPING CENTERS, THAT'S GYMS, ALL THESE PLACES THEY'RE STILL REQUIRED TO REQUIRE MASKING OF THEIR PATRONS AND OF THEIR STAFF.
UM, HAVING SAID THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE, UH, THE HEALTH AUTHORITY RULES AND THOSE RULES ARE STILL, UH, RESTRICTING IT TO GROUPS OF 10 NOW, DOES THAT MEAN YOU CAN ONLY HAVE A MEETING OF 10 PEOPLE? NO.
WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT, UH, WITHIN THE MEETINGS, THEY, UH, THE COHORTS OR THE GROUPS OR TABLES SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE, UH, THAT DECREASES THE RISK OF, UH, OF, UH, SPREAD TO LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
UH, IN, IN PARTICULAR, IT'S IMPORTANT IF THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE MASKS ARE NOT WORN.
SO IF THAT MEETING INVOLVES A MEAL OR DRINKING WHERE THE MASTER COMING OFF, UH, IT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAT THOSE GROUPS STAY SMALL TO LIMIT THAT RISK AGAIN, BY AND LARGE WOULD CONTINUE TO SAY TRANSMISSION DISEASE WHEN PEOPLE AREN'T MASKED AND DISTANCED.
UH, SO IF WE CONTINUE THOSE PROTECTIONS A BIT LONGER UNTIL WE CAN DRIVE THINGS DOWN INTO, TO STAGE TWO, AND THEN STAGE ONE, WE CAN START TO RELAX SOME OF THAT GUIDANCE.
WE CAN START TO OPEN UP THE GROUP SIZE OF IT MORE NOW, BUT FOR NOW, THOSE GROUPS SHOULD BE 10 AND THOSE GROUPS SHOULD BE SEPARATED BY AT LEAST SIX FEET, UH, IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE, UH, THERE ARE MULTIPLE TABLES OF PEOPLE.
UM, DIRECTOR INHERIT, I GOT ONE UPDATE.
AND THEN A QUESTION THAT KIND OF RELATES TO THAT.
SO I GOT A MESSAGE THAT THIS, SO THIS PAST WEEKEND, UH, THE CONSTABLE PRECINCT FOUR SLASH ESD 11 TEAM GOT SEVERAL, I THINK, FIVE LOCATIONS IN THE EASTERN CRESTON, THE NORTH BLUFF, MOBILE HOME, UH, AREA MONTOPOLIS CENTER, GUERRERO THOMPSON ELEMENTARY, SAN JOSE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN DEL VALLEY ISD.
AND I THINK OVER THE PAST TWO AND ALSO ACC OR CAMPUS OF ACC OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS THROUGH THOSE METHODS, THEY'VE GIVEN ABOUT 6,000 SHOTS.
SO, UH, THOSE ARE ALL, AGAIN, THESE TEAMS THAT, THAT FIND PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, GO TO THEIR LOCATIONS AND GIVE SHOTS AND DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD WAS WONDERING IF, AS WE DO MORE OF THESE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS WEEKEND, AND, AND AS WE, SINCE WE'RE MOVING TO THE EXPO CENTER, AND ONCE WE GET SET ON WHICH OF THE SEMI-PERMANENT LOCATIONS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, IS THERE A WAY THAT WE COULD DO A JOINT CALENDAR WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH APH AND, AND TRAVIS COUNTY COLLECT, UH, COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A WAY SOMEHOW TO PULL IN LIKE WHAT, YOU KNOW, WALGREENS OR HEB OR OTHERS, IF THERE ARE POP-UPS, DO YOU SEE ANY WAY THAT WE COULD DO THAT TO WHERE WE CAN GIVE PEOPLE A WEEK OR TWO NOTICE? AND I KNOW IT'S VERY HARD TO DO THAT BECAUSE THINGS CHANGE SO OFTEN, BUT ANY MECHANISM THAT YOU THINK MIGHT WORK FOR THAT, THAT, THAT IS ACTUALLY IN THE WORKS.
UM, UM, WE, WE SEND OUT A SURVEY TO PARTNERS THAT THEY WERE TO RESPOND TO BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON YESTERDAY.
UM, AND SO THE GOAL IS, IS TO, UM, TO CREATE, UH, A MAP, BUT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, A CALENDAR BECAUSE I KNOW FOLKS ARE SOMETIMES MAPS JUST DON'T WORK WELL FOR FOLKS.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE BOTH OF THOSE.
UM, AND SO TO KIND OF CAPTURE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, FOR THE MONTH.
[00:55:01]
WILL BE ABLE TO GO IN, UM, WEEKLY, AS LONG AS WE RECEIVE THOSE UPDATES FROM OUR PARTNERS AND MAKE THOSE CHANGES, UM, TO REFLECT ANYTHING THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN KIND OF TWO WEEKS, KIND OF TWO WEEKS AT A TIME.AND SO THAT IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO STRATEGIZE AND BE ABLE TO GET THAT.
BUT, UM, BUT OUR STAFF ARE, UM, ARE WORKING ON THAT.
UM, I NEED TO DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'LL HAVE THAT, UM, POPULATED, BUT THE GOAL WAS TO GET THAT POPULATED THIS WEEK, UM, BECAUSE THE DEADLINE TO SEND EVERYTHING WAS YESTERDAY CLOSE OF BUSINESS.
AND I KNOW, I MEAN, THINGS CHANGE DAILY, OBVIOUSLY WITH ALL OF THIS, I KNOW THAT'S A CHALLENGE, BUT THANKS FOR DOING THAT MAYOR, I WILL PASS IT OVER TO YOU.
WE'LL GO THROUGH OUR COUNCIL AND I'VE BEEN REMINDED TO, TO, TO BE AFFIRMED THAT EVERYBODY GETS ONE QUESTION.
UH, SO THE MISSION SUPPORT, WE CAN GET BACK TO OUR SCHEDULES.
UH, WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO, UH, DISTRICTS ONE, UH, UH, AND UP, SO IT BEGIN WITH THE MAYOR PRO TEM.
UM, THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD PRESENTATION AND BUST OR WHATEVER ASKED WAS ALREADY ANSWERED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THAT.
WELL, I'LL SAY THIS AS A STATEMENT.
I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU INTRODUCED COMMISSIONER TREVELYAN CAUSE I REALLY DO THINK THAT'S THE NATURAL PROGRESSION OF THIS CONVERSATION IS HOW WE CAN GET MORE PEOPLE AS A PART OF THE SOLUTION AND WHERE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AS A CRITICAL SOLUTION.
SO THE QUESTION I HAD THOUGH, WAS THE RISE AND HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES.
I'M CURIOUS WHAT WE ATTRIBUTE THAT TO.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, I THINK IT'S A COMBINATION OF THINGS.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S CERTAINLY, UH, THE CHALLENGES WE'VE HAD WITH VACCINE ACCEPTANCE IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, UH, DUE TO, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORIC BARRIERS ASSOCIATED, BUT ALSO BECAUSE I THINK MEMBERS OF OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND OUR LATIN NEXT COMMUNITY ARE MORE LIKELY TO SERVE AS FRONTLINE ESSENTIAL WORKERS.
THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE EXPOSURE TO COVID-19, UH, BECAUSE THEY ARE IN SERVICE INDUSTRIES.
SO I THINK IT'S THIS COMBINATION OF THINGS THAT, UH, THAT'S IMPACTING THOSE NUMBERS RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO MY QUESTION, AND THEN I HAVE A FEW COMMENTS TO MAKE, UH, IS FOR DIRECTOR OF HIDDEN HOWARD.
I SEE HERE THAT WE HAVE WALK UP OR WALK UP OPPORTUNITIES LOCATED AT DELCO SOUTHEAST PUBLIC LIBRARY, THE WALNUT LITTLE WALNUT LIBRARY AND AT CODA.
UM, CAN YOU SHARE, IS THAT QUESTION IS, UM, YOU KNOW, SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, IS THERE A WALKUP CLINIC AVAILABLE THAT APH IS HOSTING SOMEWHERE THROUGHOUT THE CITY EVERY SINGLE DAY? IS THAT BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THE AVAILABLE HOURS THAT EACH SO I WANTED TO SEE THAT'S THE KITCHEN AND IF IT'S NOT, THEN I REALLY WOULD LIKE US TO BE ABLE TO SAY HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY, REGARDLESS OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW, HERE ARE THE HOURS YOU CAN GO SOMEWHERE IN OUR COMMUNITY, HOPEFULLY MULTIPLE LOCATIONS TO GET, UH, TO GET A VACCINE, NO PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED.
UM, THAT'S NUMBER ONE SAYS, UM, THAT IS REALLY THE GOAL OF BEING ABLE TO HAVE THE MAP AND THE CALENDAR.
UM, SO FOLKS WILL KNOW THE DAYS, THE HOURS OF OPERATION, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT, UM, DEFINITELY I KNOW MOST FOLKS MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE INTERNET, ET CETERA.
UM, BUT BEING ABLE TO, UM, IF, IF THEY HAVE A QUESTION WE DO PROVIDE THAT SCHEDULE TO OUR THREE, ONE, ONE STAFF, THEY HAVE THAT SCHEDULE AVAILABLE AND THEN THAT WAY FOLKS CAN MAKE A CHOICE WHENEVER THEY'RE READY TO GO, THEY'LL GO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHERE THEY WILL NEED TO GO, WHAT TIME THEY'LL TO BE THERE, ET CETERA.
UM, AND THEN OUR STAFF ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO CONTINUOUSLY UPDATE THAT INFORMATION.
WE, WE, WE DON'T HAVE IT YET, BUT THAT IS IN THE WORKS.
UM, AND SO WHAT THAT IS WHAT THAT WEBSITE AND MAP WILL LOOK LIKE AND PROVIDE.
SO, YEAH, AND I THINK IT'S JUST WHEN WE HAVE THAT MAP UP, UM, AND WHEN WE HAVE THAT SCHEDULE AVAILABLE, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE SHARE IT OUT WITH ALL OF OUR OFFICES, BECAUSE OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU'RE GETTING TEXTS AND MESSAGES AT ALL HOURS OF THE DAY, ASKING WHERE DO I GO TO GET MY SECOND
[01:00:01]
DOSE? WHERE CAN I GO TO GET A DOSE RIGHT NOW? AND SO JUST HAVING THAT INFORMATION AS QUICKLY AND TIMELY AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE I HAVE MYSELF, I'VE HAD TO CALL THREE, ONE, ONE TO ASK, OKAY, TELL ME, WHERE ARE THE VACCINE CLINICS IN, IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW THAT ARE OPEN TO OUR COMMUNITY.SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION SHARING AND THEN A COUPLE OF COMMENTS ON WHY TO MAKE, THANK YOU.
S SCOTT ABOUT MENTIONING INCENTIVES.
I THINK THAT IS AN IMPORTANT AND CRITICAL STRATEGY THAT WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE A ROBUST CONVERSATION.
AND I HOPE THAT THE NEXT TIME WE COME TOGETHER AND MEET JOINTLY THAT WE CAN HAVE AN UPDATE ON WHAT THOSE INCENTIVES LOOK LIKE.
YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS SIGNIFICANT HESITANCY IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY AND IN ORDER FOR US TO REALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE ON VACCINATING, PARTICULARLY LATINO COMMUNITY, UH, I THINK INCENTIVES HAS TO BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION.
AND WE NEED TO, I FEEL A SENSE OF URGENCY AND US HAVING THAT CONVERSATION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, AND THEN PROVIDING, UM, YOU KNOW, PUBLICIZING AND PROMOTING IT TO THE COMMUNITY.
I DO, UM, WOULD LIKE TO, TO SPANK CENTRAL HEALTH, I BELIEVE THEY HAVE PROVIDED INCENTIVE TO PROVIDERS, UH, AND THEIR VACCINATION STRATEGY.
AND SO IF WE CAN REALLY, UM, MOVE THAT LEVER OR TACTIC AND GETTING OUR COMMUNITY VACCINATED, I THINK THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAY.
AND THEN, UM, AND THEN SIMILARLY TO THE, TO THE COMMENTS, UH, SHARED BY COMMISSIONER TOURBILLION, YOU, I REALLY WOULD LIKE FOR US TO HAVE, UM, A PLAN IN PLACE THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO THESE, ESPECIALLY FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
UM, AND WE'RE DOING GREAT WORK AND THERE'S A LOT OF WORK BEING DONE, BUT IT'S NOT GETTING OUT THERE TO THE COMMUNITY.
I'M STILL WORRIED THAT WE'RE NOT PRESENTING OUR INFORMATION AS COUNTY AND CITY TOGETHER.
AND I APPRECIATE JUDGE BROWN, THE EFFORTS THAT WERE THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE DOING WITH THE POP-UP VACCINE CLINICS, BUT THAT INFORMATION, I THINK, NEEDS TO BE ROLLED INTO THE UPDATE, BEING PRESENTED BY AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND SO THAT WE REALLY SHOW THAT WE ARE COORDINATED AND THAT THE EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE JOINTLY IN VACCINATING OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE THOSE ARE REALLY GREAT STRATEGIES AND THE WORK IS THERE.
I JUST DON'T THINK IT'S GETTING OUT THERE AS SUCH.
AND SO JUST WANTED TO, TO SHARE SUPPORT FOR US IN OUR COORDINATION EFFORTS IN PROMOTING IT.
AND I WANT TO THANK ALL THE STAFF THAT'S BEEN OUT THERE.
ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN OUT THERE THAT ARE ADMINISTERED THE VACCINE, YOU KNOW, UM, MY MESSAGE IT LINE.
MY QUESTION IS NOT A QUESTION.
WE TELL PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO, I GOT TO MY GREAT GRANDKIDS THAT WERE BORN IN MAY, AND HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO TOUCH IT WITH A CIGARETTE.
AND I HAD, WE, UH, ALL THE WHOLE, ALL MY FAMILY HAD BEEN VACCINATED WITH BOTH SCOTS.
SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT BECAUSE NOW I'VE GOT TO GO OUT THERE AND HAVE MY GREAT GRANDKIDS AND MY GRANDDAUGHTERS AND GRANDSONS AND MY SONS AND THEIR WIVES.
SO THAT'S WHAT VACCINATION, THAT'S ALL ABOUT.
BEING ABLE TO GET BACK WITH YOUR FAMILY SAFELY, KNOWING THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET BY WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF DYING.
AND I ENCOURAGE YOU, EVERYBODY OUT THERE THAT A TICKER HESITATING RIGHT NOW, NOT GETTING A BAG VACCINE TO GO OUT THERE.
I MEAN, NOT ONLY FOR YOU, THE HAPPINESS OF YOUR FAMILY, BUT ALSO TALKED TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS THAT GET TO COME OVER AND SOCIALIZE AGAIN.
AND, AND THAT'S WHY I HAVE RECURS ALL MY FAMILIES TO GET VACCINATED, YOU KNOW, WITH EVEN TAKING THEM OUT TO, TO GET THE BACKS IN THE MACHINE.
SO THIS IS WHAT I'M TELLING MY PEOPLE TO GO OUT THERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THE VILLAGE, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR GRANDFATHERS, YOUR GRANDDAUGHTERS, AND ALL THE FAMILY MEMBERS.
SO DON'T BE THE ONES THAT HAVE TO HESITATE.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE, I, I, I SEEN TOO MANY FUNERALS ALREADY ON THAT FRIENDS THAT SHE HAD IN THE SEVENTIES, YEARS FROM SIXTIES THAT HAD PASSED AWAY.
AND IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S A NICE, IT'S SAD THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT THERE AND GET VACCINATED.
AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR WHOLE FAMILY IN DANGER, SO DON'T HESITATE.
GO OUT THERE AND GET THE VACCINE.
UM, I DO WE, ARE WE ABLE, IS THERE A PRIVACY ISSUE OR BE ABLE TO HAVE DATA THAT WE COULD SHOW THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE HOSPITALIZED,
[01:05:01]
WHICH PERCENTAGE WERE FULLY VACCINATED WHEN, WHEN THEY WERE HOSPITALIZED COUNCIL MEMBER? UM, I CAN SEE IF WE CAN PUT TOGETHER THAT DATA.UH, CERTAINLY THAT THAT'S, IT'S DE-IDENTIFIED WE COULD SHARE THAT.
UH, I CAN TELL YOU THAT LAST CHECK, WE HAD 15 CASES, UH, OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY VACCINATED THAT WERE BREAKTHROUGH.
SO IT'S VERY, VERY SMALL NUMBER OUT OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
WE HAD 15 CASES, UH, THAT'S JUST DIAGNOSIS, NOT HOSPITALIZATIONS.
RIGHT? MY ASSUMPTION WOULD BE THAT WE MIGHT FIND THAT ZERO OF THE PEOPLE IN THE HOSPITAL WOULD BE, WOULD HAVE GOTTEN BOTH SHOTS OR A VERY, VERY SMALL NUMBER.
AND SO, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, THAT INFORMATION MIGHT BE REALLY POTENTIALLY, I MEAN, IT MIGHT POTENTIALLY BE HELPFUL FOR FOLKS TO, UNDER TO BE ABLE TO, UH, TO LOCALIZE THE DATA AND SHOW PEOPLE OF, YOU KNOW, X NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE REALLY UNFORTUNATELY, HAD TO BE HOSPITALIZED AND OF THOSE CURRENTLY IN THE HOSPITAL, THIS NUMBER, OR DID NOT HAVE THEIR VACCINE.
AND THE OTHER NUMBER DID, UM, UH, AFTER GO, YOU KNOW, MAKING PHONE CALLS THROUGH TO CONSTITUENTS AND FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES.
UH, SOMETIMES I FOUND THAT REALLY GIVING PEOPLE THAT REALLY LOCAL, UM, INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCE COULD BE HELPFUL.
SO THAT MIGHT BE, IT MIGHT BE A USEFUL DATA POINT.
I THINK THAT'S CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE, UH, SUBSTANTIAL DECREASE IN LENGTH OF STAY, UH, ABOUT A 40% DECREASE ACROSS THE BOARD AND LENGTH OF STAY.
SO, UH, AND, UH, I THINK THAT, UH, THE IMPACT ON MORTALITY, UH, HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE OF, OF THAT IMPACT ON, ON VACCINATIONS.
UH, WE'RE JUST, WE'RE DOING IT BETTER.
AND IN VACCINATIONS ARE A DECREASE IN THE RISK OF BOTH HOSPITALIZATION AND EVEN MORE PROFOUNDLY THE RISK OF DEATH FROM COVID-19.
AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION, UM, IT MIGHT JUST BE TO KICK THIS OVER TO SENDERO BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE IT IN THE SLIDE, BUT OFFHAND, DO WE KNOW IF THERE WAS, UM, IF THEY BROKE DOWN WITHIN THE LATINO COMMUNITY, THOSE THAT ARE PRIMARILY ENGLISH SPEAKERS VERSUS THOSE WHO ARE PRIMARILY SPANISH SPEAKERS, AND IF THERE WAS ANY DIFFERENCE THERE, JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE, UM, BECAUSE I'VE OFTEN FOUND THAT THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE CAN BE A GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCE.
UH, THERE CAN BE INCOME DIFFERENCES, BUT SOMETIMES JUST TRACKING WHETHER YOU'RE PRIMARILY AN ENGLISH SPEAKER OR PRIMARILY SPANISH SPEAKER, YOU MIGHT FIND DIFFERENT ANSWERS OR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF HESITANCY.
DO WE KNOW WHETHER SENDERO TOOK A LOOK AT THAT I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH NOW? UM, AND THE INFORMATION THAT I HAVE, UH, I'M NOT AWARE OF.
SO I WOULD FOLLOW UP WITH THEM.
THANK YOU, PLEASE, PLEASE DO THAT.
JUST BECAUSE WE MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT MESSAGING STRATEGIES AND OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT MEDIA TO GET TO HOST DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE.
UH, BUT THANK YOU FOR, FOR LOOKING INTO BOTH OF THOSE TOPICS.
AND, AND, UH, I, YOU KNOW, I, I JOINED WITH MY COLLEAGUES HERE IN WANTING TO HELP GET THE MESSAGE OUT, UM, SO THAT WE, SO THAT WE REALLY STAY ON TRACK TOWARDS GETTING PEOPLE VACCINATED IT, CAUSE IT'S A TOP PRIORITY.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UM, SHARING THE INFORMATION TODAY.
I APPRECIATE, UM, UH, SEEING THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SURVEYS FROM THE OTHER LOCATIONS.
THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE HAD ASKED ABOUT THAT ASK ABOUT LAST TIME.
SO I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THAT PICK IT CONFIRMS, UH, WHAT WE'RE HEARING, UH, FROM PEOPLE.
AND, UM, FROM WHAT I'M HEARING FROM YOU IS THAT IT'S HELPING US DIRECT, UH, OUR GENE, WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
THERE'S ONE OTHER ITEM I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON FROM OUR PREVIOUS DISCUSSION TO SEE IF YOU ALL HAD HAD A CHANCE TO, TO, UM, THINK, AND THAT WAS RELATED TO THEM THAT WE HAD SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT REVERSE NINE 11 AND OR SOME OTHER KIND OF METHOD LIKE THAT, UH, TO GET INFORMATION OUT TO PEOPLE PERHAPS THAT COULD BE USED TO GET THE KIND OF MESSAGING OUT THAT WE SEE, UH, IS IMPORTANT.
SO, UM, UH, HAVE YOU ALL MADE ANY PROGRESS ON THINKING THROUGH, UH, THAT KIND OF APPROACH? UM, WE, THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM HAS A CONTRACT WITH A VENDOR THAT IS ABLE TO SEND TEXT MESSAGES, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO A CERTAIN GROUP OF FOLKS.
UM, SO WHAT THAT TEAM IS, IS KIND OF WORKING THROUGH IS, IS GETTING THE PHONE NUMBERS.
[01:10:01]
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE TO BE ABLE TO REACH OUT, TO BE REACHING OUT TO FOLKS THAT, UM, ARE NOT VACCINATED, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE SOME LEVEL OF HESITANCY.AND, UM, AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, OUR FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE POSING TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE DOING OUTREACH, UM, IS THAT AN AREA WHERE THEY COULD BE ABLE TO ASSIST US WITH GETTING THOSE PHONE NUMBERS? SO, SO THAT'S KIND OF THE, THE PIECE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED ARE THE PHONE NUMBERS.
UM, OUR TEAM IS READY TO CREATE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE MESSAGE TO SEND, ET CETERA.
UM, AND SO THEY ARE WORKING ON THAT, UM, ON THAT PROCESS.
WHAT IS THE TIMELINE I'D HAVE TO GET BACK WITH YOU.
THEY'VE NOT GIVEN ME A TIMELINE, UM, ON GETTING THAT DONE.
YES, I WOULD APPRECIATE I MEASURE MY COLLEAGUES, BUT ALSO IF YOU COULD SHARE THE TIME ON THIS, ONCE YOU, ONCE YOU WERE ABLE TO GET THAT FROM YOUR STAFF, UM, MY THOUGHT IS JUST THAT, UH, WE, WE REALLY NEED TO DO VERY TARGETED MESSAGING THE BEST WAY THAT WE CAN.
I KNOW AS DR S TODD SAID, IT'S, IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR COMMUNITIES TO GET TO HERD IMMUNITY, BUT, UM, UH, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO GET OUR VERY, VERY, VERY BEST SHOT IN THIS COMMUNITY.
I WAS WELCOMED TO THE MEXICAN CONSULATE ON SATURDAY, AND I WAS HONORED TO HAVE BEEN PART OF A VACCINE EFFORT THAT THEY HOSTED THAT MORNING.
AND I WANT TO THANK FRANK FUND HAS FROM THE U S HISPANIC CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION.
AND OF COURSE THE CONSUL GENERAL OF MEXICO AND HIS STAFF WOULD NOT, THEY WOULD HAVE, THEY COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE HOSPITABLE.
IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE TO MEET THE CONSOLE GENERAL OF MEXICO AND HIS STAFF.
WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE OUR HISPANIC NEIGHBORS AND THE MANY THOUSANDS OF AUSTIN NEIGHBORS OF MEXICAN DESCENT WHO LIVE HERE WHILE I WAS AT THE MEXICAN CONSULATE SATURDAY MORNING, I WAS ALSO ABLE TO GET MY OWN SECOND VACCINE DOSE AND ENCOURAGED AND THANKED OTHERS WHO WERE THERE.
THE LINE WAS WRAPPED AROUND THE BUILDING.
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF HESITANCY AND THE COMMUNITY REGARDING GETTING YOUR SECOND VACCINE SHOT.
AND ONCE AGAIN, THIS WEEK, I WANT TO OFFER ANYONE WHO MIGHT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT TO REACH OUT TO ME, MY OFFICE.
I HAD LOTS OF GREAT CONVERSATIONS OVER THE LAST WEEK ABOUT WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO GO OUT AND GET YOUR VACCINE.
AND THANK YOU ALSO TO AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, DR.
SCOTT DIRECTOR, STEPHANIE HAYDEN, HOWARD, AND ALL OF YOUR STAFF FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE.
AND MY, THANKS TO EVERYBODY FOR THE WORK THAT THEY CONTINUE TO DO A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, MAYBE THREE WEEKS AGO, TIMES A WEIRD MY HEAD RAISED THE QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, UH, THOSE RESIDENTS WHO HAD BEEN VACCINATED, MAYBE EVEN TWICE VACCINATED HEATHER, FULL IMMUNIZATION, BUT HAD, UH, COME DOWN WITH COVID AGAIN.
IT WAS LIKE A RECAP, WHAT WAS THE BREAKTHROUGH BREAKTHROUGH? AND, AND THE QUESTION THAT I ASKED WAS CAN WE PUT THAT DATA, ASSUMING THAT IT'S REALLY LOW ONTO OUR DASHBOARDS, WHO WE CAN POINT TO THAT AND SAY, HERE'S YET MORE CONCRETE EVIDENCE OF WHY THAT VACCINE IS SO KEY, BECAUSE I THINK AT THIS POINT, AS FAR AS LIKE GETTING THE CLUMP OF THE HESITANCY AND THAT PERCENTAGE THAT IS KEEPING US FROM THE NORMALITY THAT WE ALL SEEK, WE ALSO, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT WE CAN POINT TO AND SAY, HERE'S, HERE'S WHY HAVING THAT VACCINE IS SO IMPORTANT.
WE HAVE BEEN SAYING IT, WE'VE BEEN SAYING IT REPEATEDLY.
WE SHOW THE TREND LINES GOING DOWN AND THE VACCINATION AND IMMUNIZATION LINES GOING UP.
BUT, UM, AT THE TIME I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A USEFUL, A LITTLE BIT OF DATA TO OFFER UP.
AND THAT WOULD BE THE BREAKTHROUGH IS, DO YOU THINK THERE'S AN, UM, UNFORTUNATELY I DIDN'T EVER GET ANY, UM, WASN'T ABLE TO FOLLOW UP ON IT AT THE TIME, BUT SINCE IT'S ALREADY COME UP AGAIN HERE THIS MORNING, I WANTED TO REVISIT THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I BROUGHT TO THE GROUP ABOUT A MONTH AGO, THREE WEEKS AGO, AND WANTED TO KNOW IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THERE'S ROOM FOR ON THE, UH, ON, WITH THE MANY STATS THAT ARE ALREADY ON OUR, UH, DASHBOARD COUNCIL MEMBER.
UH, AND, UH, I HAVE DISCUSSED WITH THE TEAM, UH, I'LL VISIT WITH HIM AGAIN THIS WEEK.
UH, BUT I, I AGREE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO DEMONSTRATE, UH, KNOW NUMBER OF VACCINATIONS AND NUMBER OF PEOPLE FULLY VACCINATED, WHO, UH, WHO HAD A POSITIVE CASE.
[01:15:01]
YOU KNOW, TH THERE'S A LARGER NUMBER.IT'S STILL A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER, AROUND 150 INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD THEIR FIRST DOSE AND THEN GOT COVID SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
UH, BUT AGAIN, VERY, VERY SMALL NUMBERS, UH, FROM THOSE WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED.
UH, SO YES, WE'LL, WE'LL WORK WITH THEM AGAIN THIS WEEKEND AND SEE IF WE CAN GET THAT UP IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
AND THEN JUST ANECDOTALLY THE SEVERITY OF THE, IF THEY WERE WITH THE BREAKTHROUGH THAT THEY DO HAVE, WHAT THE SEVERITY OF IT IS, IF THAT IS DIMINISHED BY THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE SOME ANTIBODIES.
THANKS SO MUCH AGAIN, FOR ALL THE WORK EVERYONE IS SO CONSISTENTLY DOING AND BRING IT TO THE TABLE.
S SCOTT, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THAT OUTBREAK WE'RE SEEING IN INDIA RIGHT NOW? I KNOW A LOT OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS MAY HAVE FRIENDS OR FAMILY OR KNOW SOME AS IN, IN INDIA AND HOW, WHAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO THAT OUTBREAK AND HOW COULD AUSTINITES HELP COUNCIL MEMBER? I THINK THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FACTORS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SEEN OTHER SIGNIFICANT OUTBREAKS IN COUNTRIES AS THE VACCINATION EFFORT, UH, STARTED PRIMARILY, THAT'S BEEN WHEN THE VACCINATION RATES WERE VERY LOW.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE WERE LOOKING AT PLACES LIKE ISRAEL THAT, THAT HAD A SURGE BACK IN JANUARY.
UH, THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN 25% OF THE POPULATION HAD BEEN VACCINATED.
UM, SO YOU HAVE THAT ISSUE OF A SMALL PORTION OF THE POPULATION BEING VACCINATED.
UH, SO WHAT, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THAT IMPACTFUL IN THE OVERALL SPREAD OF DISEASE, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE, UH, ISSUES SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAVE IN PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
YOU HAVE SOCIAL VULNERABILITY, YOU HAVE LACK OF HEALTH CARE, YOU HAVE LACK OF, UH, YOU KNOW, FRESH FOOD ACCESS TO, UH, TO MEDICINES AND OTHER THINGS THAT IMPACT YOU HAVE HIGHER RATES OF DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION AND THOSE THINGS WHICH INCREASE THE RISK FOR DISEASE OR SEVERE DISEASE.
UH, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE SIGNIFICANT POPULATION DENSITY.
UH, AND WE KNOW FOR VIRUSES THAT ARE SPREAD, UH, VIA RESPIRATORY ROUTE, THAT POPULATION DENSITY IS GOING TO HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE SPREAD OF DISEASE.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE STRUGGLES IN PLACES LIKE INDIA, MEXICO CITY, UH, SAL PALO, AND IN OTHER PARTS OF BRAZIL, WHERE WE HAVE THESE VERY LARGE POPULATIONS IN A VERY SMALL SPACE, THOSE ARE GOING TO BE THE ONES THAT ARE, ARE THOSE GOING TO BE THE WHOLE HOUSE IN TERMS OF GETTING TO HERD IMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THE PLACES THAT ARE MOST LIKELY TO GENERATE NEW VARIANTS, BECAUSE ONCE THEY AGGRESSIVENESS OF TRANSMISSION, UH, IT SORT OF MAKES THE CIRCUMSTANCES RIGHT FOR EMERGENCE OF, OF NEW AND COMPETITIVE, UH, VARIANTS OF DISEASE.
THE THING RIGHT NOW, UH, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO, TO HELP, UH, INDIA AND OTHER PLACES.
BUT THE FIRST STEP IS TO GET THEMSELVES VACCINATED AND TO ADVOCATE FOR VACCINATIONS LOCALLY, SO THAT WE CAN GET TO HERD IMMUNITY, AND WE CAN START FOCUSING ON OTHER COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE IN THEIR EFFORTS OF VACCINATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER, UH, INTERNATIONALLY, UH, FOR THOSE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, WHICH RIGHT NOW, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES IN, UH, THE HEALTHCARE PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE.
UH, THERE IS A DEFICIENCY IN OXYGEN SUPPLY.
UH, SO WE'RE GOING TO SEE A, A, A CONTINUING CATASTROPHIC EVENT UNFOLDING IN INDIA AND CERTAINLY IN OTHER PLACES TO FOLLOW INDIA.
THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION.
I KNOW OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THOSE WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR LOVED ONES.
I HAVE AN OBSERVATION AND THEN A, A QUESTION.
UM, I WANTED TO SAY, YOU KNOW, AND, AND TO SOME EXTENT, I KNOW THAT PUBLIC HEALTH AND OUR CITY AND OTHER ENTITIES ARE GETTING OUT, UH, ARE GETTING OUT, UM, THROUGH VARIOUS MEANS COMPELLING INFORMATION AND ABOUT WHY INDIVIDUALS SHOULD GET, UH, SHOULD GET THE VACCINE.
I JUST WANTED TO SUGGEST MANAGER THAT, THAT YOU AND YOUR PUBLIC INFORMATION STAFF ALSO CONSIDER OTHER OPPORTUNITIES IF THESE ARE NOT ALREADY UNDERWAY.
AND I APOLOGIZE IF I'VE MISSED THEM, BUT TO DO PSA'S, UM, TO DO VIDEOS, TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND AS YOU WERE SPEAKING ABOUT HOW IT HAD PERSONALLY, UM, IMPACTED YOUR FAMILY IN SUCH A POSITIVE WAY, I WAS JUST REALLY CAPTURED BY, BY HOW POWERFUL THAT TESTIMONY IS.
AND THAT THAT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE SHIFT THAT WE NEED TO MAKE AS A COMMUNITY NOW TO DOING, UH, TO DOING THOSE KINDS OF INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL TESTIMONIES ABOUT,
[01:20:01]
ABOUT HOW LIFE HAD CHANGED FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN VACCINATED.SO JUST, UM, JUST AN IDEA, AND THANK, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER THAT WAS, THAT I THINK WAS, UM, SUCH AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, BUT THE MESSAGE AND, AND THE, UM, PERSONAL STORY YOU SHARED, MY QUESTION IS ABOUT WHAT INFORMATION WE HAVE WITH REGARD TO THE VACCINATION SUCCESS OR THE VACCINATION RATE AT THIS POINT, AMONG INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS OR WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, BOTH IN OUR SHELTERS, BUT ALSO, UM, UNSHELTERED.
I KNOW THAT THOSE EFFORTS HAVE BEEN UNDERWAY NOW FOR A WHILE, BUT WANTED TO GET JUST ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE ABOUT, UM, STATISTICS OR EXTENT OF, OF, UM, VACCINATION RATE AMONG INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
UM, UH, ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION, UM, THAT STAFF HAS SHARED WITH ME, UM, THE MAJORITY OF FOLKS AT THE PROTECTIVE LODGES, UM, HAVE RECEIVED, UM, AT LEAST ONE DOSE, UM, AT, UM, THREE OVER-PROTECTIVE LODGES, UM, FOLKS HAVE RECEIVED THEIR FIRST AND SECOND DOSE.
UM, THE OTHER THING TOO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF KEEP IN MIND IS THAT, UM, WE DO, UH, ARE ASKING FOLKS, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE WANTING US TO PROVIDE THE, UM, JANSSEN J AND J VACCINE, AND SEVERAL OF THEM ARE SAYING, YES, THEY ONLY WANT THE ONE, UM, VACCINE.
AND SO, UM, SO STAFF WERE KIND OF ROLLING THAT INTO THE PROCESS THAT WE HAVE.
UM, WE, UM, SALVATION ARMY, UM, ARE, UH, AS WELL AS, UM, COMMUNITY FIRST VILLAGE.
UM, THEY'VE PROVIDED VACCINES IN THAT SPACE.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, OUR STAFF ARE ALSO, UM, GOING TO BE WORKING, UM, IN THE ENCAMPMENTS AS WELL, TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF HAVE A PROCESS WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE VACCINES IN THAT SPACE, AND THAT WILL BE DONE BY OUR, BETWEEN OUR, UM, THE THREE ENTITIES THAT'S WORKING ON.
THIS IS, UM, UM, IT'S A JOINT COLLABORATION BETWEEN APH, UM, THE, UM, UT DALE HEALTH, AS WELL AS COMMUNITY CARE.
BUT WE ALSO INCLUDED OUR, UM, OUTREACH FOLKS THAT ARE PART OF THE EMS TEAM THAT HAS TYPICALLY KIND OF GONE OUT TO PROVIDE THOSE VACCINES.
SO THEY ARE CONTINUING TO, UM, TO BE ABLE TO WORK IN THAT SPACE.
UM, WE'VE NOT HAD LIKE A HUNDRED PERCENT SUCCESS RATE BECAUSE FOLKS, SOME FOLKS HAVE TOLD US THAT THEY WOULD NOT LIKE TO HAVE THE VACCINE.
SO OUR FOLKS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
UM, AS YOU ARE AWARE, THERE'S OTHER, UM, SHELTER THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, LOOKING AT, UH, KESSELMAN OR NELLA, UM, WORKING WITH SAFE, UH, AND, UM, A COUPLE OF MORE, UH, LOCATIONS THAT THE STAFF HAVE TALKED WITH ME ABOUT, BUT THOSE ARE ALL KIND OF IN THE PLANS OF, AS WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING HER WAY TO PROVIDE THOSE VACCINES.
AND MAYBE AT OUR PUBLIC HEALTH MEETING, IF, IF THERE ARE ANY NUMBERS THAT WOULD HELP US UNDERSTAND KIND OF THE SCOPE AND SCALE OF THAT OUTREACH.
I WANTED TO FIRST THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS AND DR.
ASCOT FOR YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THE SITUATION IN INDIA.
UM, FOLLOWING THAT VERY CLOSELY, WE HAVE RELATIVES THERE WHO ARE HER, UM, DEALING WITH COVID, UM, AND IT'S A REALLY VERY DIRE, UM, SITUATION.
UM, MY QUESTION THOUGH HAS TO DO WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF AND VACCINES.
UM, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHO THE BEST PERSON IS TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION.
UM, BUT I WANTED TO GET GREATER CLARITY ON WHAT OUR POLICY IS.
VIS-A-VIS OUR STAFF, UM, ESPECIALLY FRONTLINE PUBLIC SAFETY STAFF WITH RESPECT TO VACCINATION, UM, AND HEARING VERY MIXED LEVELS OF VACCINATION RATES, PARTICULARLY ACROSS OUR PUBLIC SAFETY ENTITIES AND WANTED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
AND, UM, JUST MORE BROADLY KIND OF WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE LEVELS OF VACCINATION AMONG OUR STAFF? AND AGAIN, I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED ACROSS OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, YOU IT'S, UM, BUT MORE BROADLY.
SO KIND OF WHAT IS OUR POLICY AND WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT OUR VACCINATION LEVELS? AND THEN IF THEY ARE NOT HIGH, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS, UM, WITHIN OUR, OUR SYSTEM TO GET, UM, VACCINATED BOTH FOR THEIR HEALTH AND FOR THE COMMUNITY'S HEALTH WHO
[01:25:01]
MAY COME IN CONTACT WITH THEM? UM, WELL BASICALLY IN GENERAL, KIND OF INITIALLY, UM, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS BEEN WORKING WITH, UM, HRD.UM, WE'VE BEEN USING THE, THE WELLNESS LOCATION, UH, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE VACCINES, UM, FOR CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEES.
IN ADDITION TO THAT HRD, UM, HAS BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH RANDALLS, UM, AND RANDALL'S, UM, HAS, UM, BEEN ABLE TO COME IN AND PROVIDE SOME, UM, SOME VACCINE CLINICS AT THE LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER.
UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IN MY CONVERSATION WITH STAFF, UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UM, AND THIS IS AN ESTIMATE BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE AN HR PERSON WITH ME CURRENTLY, BUT I BELIEVE THERE WAS, UM, CLOSE TO 4,000, UM, STAFF HAVE RECEIVED KIND OF THROUGHOUT THE CITY, UM, HAVE RECEIVED THOSE VACCINES.
THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THOSE EFFORTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH IS DOING THIS WEEK IS, IS, UM, WE ARE GOING OUT TO, UM, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, PROVIDE VACCINES.
WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO IS THIS, THEY WERE ABLE TO DO A SURVEY OF THE STAFF WORKING THERE, UM, TO SEE IF WE ACTUALLY HAD, UM, THE LOCATION RIGHT THERE, WOULD THEY BE WILLING TO RECEIVE THE VACCINE? AND, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE ABOUT 60 OF THEM HAVE COMMITTED TO DO SO.
SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THOSE TYPES OF EFFORTS, UM, WITH THEM.
UH, BUT THOSE GOALS WAS, IS THAT RANDALL'S WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, MORE VACCINES, HOW WE HAVE WITH THE FLU CLINICS.
AND SO JUST KIND OF STANDING IN THE GAP UNTIL RANDALL'S IS ABLE TO KIND OF FULFILL THAT OBLIGATION IN THE MEANTIME, UM, I'LL PUNT IT OVER TO SCOTT BECAUSE HE MAY HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC SAFETY FOLKS.
UM, AND TO ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, UNFORTUNATELY GETTING THE EXACT NUMBERS, VERY CHALLENGING, UH, BECAUSE IT'S NOT A REQUIRED VACCINE AND PUBLIC SAFETY OR FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES.
NOW, WHAT WE KNOW IS HOW MANY THAT PUBLIC SAFETY WELLNESS AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAVE PROVIDED.
WE DON'T KNOW THE NUMBER THAT THAT FOLKS MAY HAVE RECEIVED FROM OTHER PROVIDERS AT THIS STAGE.
UM, THERE, THERE IS A PROCESS TO GET THAT INFORMATION, UH, THAT, UH, THAT EMPLOYERS HAVE USED IN THE PAST BASICALLY REQUIRING A, UH, AN ANSWER ON, DO YOU WANT THE VACCINE, DID YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE VACCINE, OR I WANT TO OPT OUT OF PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION, OR I DON'T WANT THE VACCINE THAT TO REALLY GATHER MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VACCINATION RATE, UH, FOR INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS AND FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, WE CERTAINLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO GET IT, UH, BUT SIMILAR TO, YOU KNOW, TO OTHER EMPLOYERS, WE DO NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO GET PAST THAT, THAT PLATEAU OF, OF FOLKS, UH, IN, IN THEIR INTEREST, IN GETTING THE VACCINE AND LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO INCENTIVIZE REASONABLY FOLKS, UH, TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND TO GET THE VACCINE.
BUT WE DO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE, UH, INTERESTED IN GETTING THE VACCINE, BUT DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE FIRST GROUP OF FOLKS TO GET IT.
UH, THEY WANT TO WAIT AND SEE AND, AND SEE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE'S REACTIONS ARE, WHAT SOME OF THE LONGER TERM, UM, UH, REACTIONS MAY BE, OR, OR CONCERNS, IF ANY.
I THINK THOSE FOLKS, UH, WILL BE REASSURED THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN A DRAMATIC SIDE EFFECTS FROM, FROM ANY OF THE COVID-19 VACCINES.
WE'VE SEEN VERY, VERY SMALL NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS WITH THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON, THE VACCINE, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RISK OF ACTUAL DISEASE, UH, THE RISK OF HOSPITALIZATION AND THE RISK OF DEATH FROM ACTUAL DISEASE FAR OUTWEIGHS ANY RISK OF THE VACCINE, EVEN THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON ONE.
SO MY HOPE IS THAT THAT WILL IN PRO, BUT WE'LL CERTAINLY, UH, CONTINUE THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH HR TO SEE IF WE CAN WORK ON A SYSTEM TO BETTER ASSESS WHERE WE ARE IN TERMS OF VACCINATIONS.
SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT INFORMATION AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THE 4,000 NUMBER IS JUST THOSE THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT AND THAT NOT EVERYONE WENT THROUGH THE CITY.
UM, BUT IF 4,000 WERE THE NUMBER OUT OF 13,000, THAT WOULD BE KIND OF PATHETIC, UM, GIVEN WHAT THE AVERAGE IS IN THE CITY AS A WHOLE, UM, AND WHERE THE CITY AND WE HAVE ALL THE DOSES, SO,
[01:30:01]
UM, OR HAVE A LOT OF DOSES.SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE CITY TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE IT EASY AND ACCESSIBLE FOR OUR STAFF.
UM, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR STAFF ARE COMING IN CONTACT WITH THE PUBLIC, AND I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WANT PEOPLE TO GO BACK TO THE LIBRARY.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO GO TO OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS. WE WANT, YOU KNOW, OUR SERVICES TO BE WIDELY AVAILABLE AND WE DON'T WANT TO BE A SOURCE OF SPREAD.
UM, SO I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US MAYBE NEXT WEEK, YOU CAN REPORT BACK ON SOME OF THE STEPS YOU'RE TAKING.
I APPRECIATE THE EXAMPLE OF ARR, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW WE'RE SHARING BEST PRACTICES, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND HOW WE'RE GOING OUT AND ENCOURAGING THAT, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND, UM, FROM EMS THAT THEY HAVE A VERY HIGH VACCINATION RATE, BUT A LOT OF EFFORTS, UM, AND LEADERSHIP WENT INTO CONVEYING THAT, UM, TO THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE, THEY'RE ALSO VERY ATTUNED TO THE COST OF COVID ET CETERA, AND THAT HELPS.
UM, BUT I THINK, UM, WE REALLY DO NEED OUR DIRECTORS AND OUR UNION LEADERSHIP WHERE WE'RE APPROPRIATE, UM, TO LEAN INTO THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND IF WE, AS COUNCIL CAN HELP IN ANY WAY, WE'D BE HAPPY TO, UM, BE INVOLVED WITH THAT.
UM, BUT I, BUT I THINK THAT'S A POPULATION THAT WE HAVE, UM, MORE DIRECT INTERACTION WITH AND WE CAN MAKE IT EASIER, YOU KNOW, BY BEING ABLE TO TAKE TIME OFF OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY NEED.
AND I THINK THERE IS A POLICY TO DO THAT, BUT MAYBE THAT NEEDS TO BE UNDERSCORED BECAUSE THAT IS A POPULATION THAT, THAT, THAT SHOULD, UM, HAVE THE INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO BE VACCINATED.
AND THAT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY AS EMPLOYERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE IT EASY AND THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, FOLKS ARE GETTING THOSE VACCINES WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER JUST, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED SUPPORT THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS FOR ENSURING THAT OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR CITY EMPLOYEES HAVE ACCESS AND THAT ARE ENCOURAGED TO GET THE VACCINE, BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
I MEAN, WE'VE OFFERED IT FOR A NUMBER OF WEEKS NOW FOR ALL EMPLOYEES AND WE'RE PIVOTING OUR EFFORTS TO THOSE MORE LOCALIZED EFFORTS WITH SPECIFIC DEPARTMENTS.
AND SO WE SPENT TIME AT THE LAST DIRECTORS MEETING LAST WEEK, TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THOSE STRATEGIES THAT WOULD BE USING, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING SOME OF THOSE ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES IN THE DAYS AHEAD.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT COUNCIL MEMBER AS OVERHAUL STAR.
THANK YOU, UH, SCOTT AND GOOD TO HAYDEN THE, UH, THE COMPARISON CHART SHOWING REALLY WHERE AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY WITH RESPECT TO MORTALITY AND, AND CASES, UM, IS AGAIN, A REAL TESTAMENT TO YOUR WORK, UH, AS WELL AS TO A COMMUNITY THAT HAS GOTTEN REALLY ENGAGED, UH, IN THIS.
UM, AND, UH, THE MORTALITY RATE THAT WE HAVE HERE IS RELATIVE TO CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE STRONGEST.
UH, WE NOW ARE MOVING TO A MUCH MORE DECENTRALIZED PLACE.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS JUST OVER A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND THREE YEARS AGO THAT THE BIG ISSUE IS TRYING TO GET BACK SEAT AND SUPPLIED.
UH, AND WE'VE GOT THE BALL KEEPS MOVING.
IT'S GREAT TO HEAR THAT HEB NOW IS HAVING WALK-UP, UH, VACCINATIONS AS WELL.
UH, AND CVS UNRAVELS COMING ON BOARD.
UM, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO, UH, ONE OF THOSE JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, UH, DECENTRALIZED WITH THE HAM OF A HAWAIIAN ALKALINE IT'S ABOUT MUSICIANS AS THEY WERE HAVING A LOT OF THEIR SECOND DOSES OF THE PROGRAM.
AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHATEVER THE CENTRALIZED WAYS THAT HAPPENED, UH, WHICH GETS ME TO, I THINK, BRUSHING HER STUPID THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SAID, AND, AND, UH, THEN THE JUDGE BEGAN THE, THE BEAUTY, YOU'RE NOT GETTING CREDIT FOR EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING HERE, UH, THAT THE RESPECT TO THE DECENTRALIZED WORK.
AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO FOR SEVERAL REASONS.
ONE IS THE MORE PEOPLE THAT KNOW ABOUT IT, THE MORE PEOPLE I THINK THAT CAN FIND IT, AND WE NEED TO MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO FIND THESE, BUT ALSO JUST TO KNOW THAT THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING ARE THE RESISTANCE THAT I, THAT I, WHO DID YOU READ ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF THE BEST PRACTICES TO DEAL WITH BENDER GUMS? I GOT SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY WHERE PEOPLE HAVE FRIENDS THAT ARE NOT GETTING THE MAGAZINES, BUT LESS THAN LIKELY THEY'RE ALREADY GET THE BACK SEAT.
THE MORE PEOPLE ALL AROUND THAT THEY'RE GETTING THE VACCINE, THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO.
SO, SO BEING ABLE TO PUBLICIZE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DEALING IN, ALL THE DIFFERENT PLACES THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND I COULD USE JUST CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF A CALENDAR FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO GO TO
[01:35:01]
AND SEE WHERE THEY ALL ARE AND TO BE ABLE TO SIGN UP FOR AND PLAN FOR THEM.I REALLY APPRECIATE THE PAGE THAT YOU SET UP, UH, BY DAN HOWARD ON THE CREDIT AND EQUITY STUFF.
AND I THINK THAT YOU ARE ATTACHING THAT.
AND THEN I GOT THAT IF HE COULD, THAT BIRD IS IMPORTANT, BUT I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO FIND IT ON THE WEBSITE.
WHEN I GO TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN WEBSITE AND I GO TO THE, THE COVID PAGE, UH, AND I LOOKED AT THE FEATURE OF RESOURCES AND THE BLOCKS.
SO I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW SOMEBODY WOULD FIND IT.
THAT WAS JUST GOING TO THE PAGES.
SO YEAH, IF YOU COULD LET ME AND OUR COLLEAGUES KNOW HERE, BOTH ON THE COUNCIL AND IN THAT, UH, BOARD, UH, HOW TO FIRE GOD.
I THINK THAT MIGHT BE THE ANSWER TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT KATHERINE COMPASS.
I ASKED HER TO GOOGLE OR CALLING THEM AND SAYING, WHERE DO I FIND THIS INFORMATION IS TARGETED TO THE SECRETARY EFFORTS? UH, JUST AN EASY WAY TO BE ON SET PEOPLE SO THEY CAN SEE THE BREADTH OF THEIR MENU AND CLICK OUR BAND TO BE ABLE TO FIND THAT RIGHT ACCESS TO THAT I THINK WOULD BE REALLY AWESOME.
BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK AND THE NUMBERS ARE IMPRESSIVE.
ULTIMATELY, YOU ASKED ME TO GET JUDGED BY THE ONLY NUMBERS THAT DON'T LOOK GOOD ARE THE SAME NUMBERS THAT ARE NOT LOOKING GOOD EVERYWHERE.
UH, BUT I THINK THAT AS I TALKED TO OTHER PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY, WE'RE DOING AS MUCH OF OUR, MORE THAN OTHER PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS IN BAD, YOU CENTRALIZED, UH, PROGRAMS. UH, AND AS
AND, UH, JUDGE, UH, I THINK THAT DOES IT FOR OUR, MY, UH, COLLEAGUES ON THE COUNCIL.
SO WHEN YOU'RE A LEAD WE'LL, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL ADJOURN OUR MEETING HERE AT 10 42 MERIT.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE GOT THAT PSA VIDEO LOADED UP.
I KNOW THEY WANTED TO SHOW IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE HAS THAT TO SHOW, OH, YOU HAVEN'T, ARE YOU READY TO SHOW IT? OKAY.
SO THE YIELDS, PSA, GETTING THE VACCINATION FOR MY KIDS, AS WE ALL KNOW, COVID AFFECTS THE BODY DIFFERENTLY.
AND SO FOR ME, I WANT TO PROTECT MYSELF SO I CAN LIVE LONGER FOR MY CHILDREN.
I AM GETTING THE VACCINE BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT MY FAMILY AND MY COMMUNITY.
MY FAMILY IS ONE OF HALF A MILLION FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST PEOPLE TO THE VIRUS.
MY MOM IS TURNING 80 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR, AND I MISS HER SO MUCH.
I'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO SEE HER.
I AM GETTING THE VACCINE FOR MYSELF.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I AM PROTESTED FROM THE VIRUS.
AND I WANT TO SET THE EXAMPLE FOR THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT AND FOR THE COMMUNITY.
I AM GETTING THE VACCINE FOR MY WIFE, MY KIDS, AND MY COWORKERS.
I'M IN THE SERVICE STATION AND ALSO SUPERVISE ORGANIZATION PRESIDENT.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AIRSPACE AGAIN, THE VACCINE, BECAUSE I WANT TO PROTECT MY COMMUNITY AND SETTING EXAMPLE AS WELL.
IT'S BEEN SO TOUGH OVER THE LAST YEAR.
AND I KNOW THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS TO GETTING BACK TO NORMALCY.
ONCE I GOT THE VACCINE, THE FIRST THING I WANTED TO DO WAS SPEND TIME WITH MY FRIENDS, MY FAMILY, THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SEE IN A WHILE, BREAK SOME BREAD, HAVE A MEAL, GET SOME HUGS, HUGS, TAKE THE SHOT, TAKE THE SHOT, TAKE THE SHOT, TAKE THE SHOT, MADE THE SHOT, TAKE THE SHOT, TAKE THE SHOT.
WELL, YOUR FAMILY OR YOUR FRIENDS OR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, OKAY, SO MAYOR, SORRY, I INTERRUPTED YOU.
IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO THE TOURNAMENTS, THAT WAS A GOOD INTERRUPTION.
ARE YOU GOING TO GET THAT LINKED OUT TO ALL OF US? SO AGAIN, WE CAN PROMOTE THAT AND GET IT AROUND.
UM, AND AS I STATED EARLIER, WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH THE VARIOUS COMMUNITY GROUPS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE, UM, MULTIPLE OTHER PSA'S.
SO THOSE ARE DEFINITELY IN THE WORKS.
UM, BRYCE, WE'LL SEND THAT OUT TO YOU ALL IN THE COMMUNITY LATER ON TONIGHT.
THEN AT 10 45, WE'RE GOING TO, UH, UH, UH, JARED, OUR PORTION OF THE JOINT MEETING, UH, HERE ON MAY FOUR, UH, COLLEAGUES WILL GATHER TOGETHER FOR OUR REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING IN FIVE MINUTES.
UH, LET'S SEE YOU GUYS THERE, REGULAR SUPPORT.
AND WE WILL DO THE SAME THING.