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JUDGE ANDY BROWN CALLING TO ORDER THIS MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
THE DATE IS SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2021.
WE'RE MEETING HERE AT 700 LAVACA AND WE'VE GOT COMMISSIONERS GOMEZ, SHEA, AND HOWARD HERE PRESENT.
AND I AM GOING TO HAND IT OFF TO MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, HARPER MEDICINES.
YOU CALLED ORDER THE CITY COUNCIL.
UH, GOOD MORNING AS THE JUDGE STATED IT IS SEPTEMBER 21ST.
I'M NATASHA ARBOR, MADISON MAYOR, PRETEND CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE HAVE A QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT.
WE ARE DOING A LITTLE HYBRID DANCE.
SOME OF US ARE VIRTUAL, SOME OF US ARE IN PERSON, AND I'M GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 9:09 AM.
SO, UH, GOING TO CALL THE ORDER OF THE
[1. Update on Covid-19 related matters.]
MEETING AT THE JOINT MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.FIRST, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE UP ITEM ONE TO RECEIVE BRIEFINGS ON COVID-19 AND RELATED MATTERS.
WHEN A CHECK DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE HAVE ANY CALLERS, MORGAN, CAN YOU OR ADAM AND YOU VERIFY WE ARE VERIFYING JUDGE.
WE HAVE NO COLORS AT THIS TIME.
SO TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE BRIEFED ON COVID-19 RELATED MATTERS.
UM, AND I WILL PASS IT ON OVER TO DR.
WE, UH, HAVE A JOINT STATEMENT THAT'S GOING TO BE RELEASED TODAY.
IF WE GO TO THE FIRST SLIDE, PLEASE, UM, THAT'S GOING TO, UM, BE RELEASED BY MYSELF, UH, REPRESENTING APH AND THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICERS OF OUR, UM, HOSPITAL SYSTEMS. AND, UH, IN BRIEF IT SAYS THE CAPACITY CHALLENGES THAT ARE IMPACTING ALL OF THE HOSPITALS ACROSS THE CENTRAL TEXAS REGION.
AND WE WANT TO BRING THIS TO THE PUBLIC'S ATTENTION.
WE'LL WANT TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE LIFESAVING CARE FOR PATIENTS WHO HAVE A HEART ATTACK, A STROKE, OR INJURED IN A CAR WRECK THAT DO NEED OUR HELP AND TO MAKE SURE OUR HOSPITALS HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO CARE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, UM, INCLUDING YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES, UM, WHO MAY UNEXPECTEDLY NEED HOSPITAL CARE.
WE ARE URGING OUR RESIDENTS TO GET THEIR COVID VACCINE, WEAR A MASK AND PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING WHEN POSSIBLE.
UM, WE ASK THAT EVERYONE DO THEIR PART TO CUT DOWN ON THE NUMBER OF COVID CASES IN OUR COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN HELP CARE FOR THEM.
AND SO, UM, I WANTED TO BRING THAT TO THIS BODY'S ATTENTION SO THAT YOU WOULD HAVE THAT INFORMATION AHEAD OF TIME.
AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO THIS IS THE CURVE THAT WE'VE BEEN MONITORING OVER THE LAST, UM, 18 MONTHS.
AND IT SHOWS THAT OUR CASES ARE STARTING TO DECLINE.
UM, WE'VE HAD 531 CASES REPORTED TO APH YESTERDAY.
OUR POSITIVITY RATE IS GOING DOWN.
UM, WE'RE NOT SURE WHETHER THAT IS BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING, UM, A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF POSITIVE CASES TRULY, OR IF SOME PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO USE MORE OF THE ANTIGEN TESTING, BECAUSE WHEN WE REPORT THESE TEST NUMBERS, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PCR TEST, THE CONFIRMATORY TEST NUMBERS, BUT, UM, OVERALL IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THIS IS HOLDING TRUE.
WE'VE HAD REPORTS FROM UT WHERE THEY'VE BEEN DOING, UM, LARGE QUANTITIES OF TESTING, UM, 7,000 REPORTED OVER THE LAST WEEK.
UM, AND THEIR POSITIVITY RIGHTS ARE ALSO GOING DOWN.
SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THIS IS TRULY A DECREASE IN THE POSITIVITY RATE THAT IS ACTUALLY OCCURRING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, THE SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE IS ALSO DECLINING.
IT'S DOWN TO 52, WE HAVE A HUNDRED, 505 PATIENTS WHO ARE COVID POSITIVE IN OUR HOSPITALS.
208 OF THEM ARE IN ICU, 143 ARE ON VENTILATORS, 45, UM, ADMISSIONS AND 46 DISCHARGES IN THE 24 HOURS.
UH, PRIOR TO THAT, UNFORTUNATELY WE'VE HAD, UM, 1055 DEATHS DURING THIS ENTIRE PANDEMIC.
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SEEING, UM, THAT DURING THIS PHASE OF THE PANDEMIC, UM, THAT'S BEEN CAUSED BY THE DELTA VARIANT OF SARS COV TWO THAT WE'RE SEEING, UH, LONGER STAYS IN ICU, MORE PEOPLE IN ICU, MORE PEOPLE REQUIRING VENTILATORS AS YOU SEE ON THE ORANGE AND PURPLE CURVES ON THIS GRAPH.UM, SO I'LL GET INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT THAT.
AND, UM, SUBSEQUENT SLIDES YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THIS SLIDE IS LOOKING AT THE PROJECTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE BY THE UT MODELING GROUP, AND WE SEE A CONTINUED, SLOW DECLINE, UM, WITH THE PROJECTED LINE, THE BLUE LINE, UM, CONTINUING TO GO DOWNWARD OVER TIME.
AND AS WE'VE ALL BEEN, UM, CAUTIOUSLY LOOKING AT THIS, UM, OPTIMISTICALLY, UH, THEY AFTER EFFECTS OF THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY AND SCHOOL REOPENING SEEM TO, UM, HAVE NOT IMPACTED THIS, UH, TOO MUCH.
AND WE'RE STILL SEEING THAT DOWNWARD CLIMB.
SO THAT IS, UM, REALLY GOOD NEWS.
THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, I SHOWED THIS, UM, WEEKLY, JUST TO SHOW THAT WE ARE MONITORING FOR WHAT VARIANTS ARE IN THE OFFING.
AND RIGHT NOW, 99% OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE DELTA VARIANT.
UM, AND THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO PROVIDE STRONG PROTECTION AGAINST COVID-19.
UM, IT HELPS, UM, PROTECT FROM INFECTION FIVE TIMES MORE.
IF YOU'RE VACCINATED, YOU HAVE THAT MUCH MORE PROTECTION.
YOU HAVE MUCH MORE PROTECTION AGAINST HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS.
SO VACCINES ARE STILL THE ANSWER.
UM, WE STILL ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GET OUT THERE AND GET VACCINATED.
UM, IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN YOUR SECOND SHOT, PLEASE GO AND GET YOUR SECOND SHOT.
THIS IS AN INTERESTING, UM, SLIDE IN THAT OUR SCHOOL CASES SEEMED TO HAVE GONE DOWN THIS LAST WEEK.
UM, YOU REMEMBER LAST WEEK I WAS SAYING THAT I WASN'T SURE WHETHER THAT DECREASE WAS BECAUSE WE WERE, UM, LOOKING AT A PARTIAL WEEK WITH THAT LABOR DAY HALL HOLIDAY.
UM, BUT AGAIN, THIS WEEK, UM, WE'RE DOWN TO 659 CASES, 499 STUDENT CASES, 77 STAFF CASES.
UM, MASKING HAS, UM, BEEN, UM, EMPLOYED IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
UM, WE ARE NOW SEEING A DEPLOYMENT OF TESTING RESOURCES FROM THE TEXAS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AGENCY.
UM, SO THAT'S GOING TO BE USED BY OUR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND, UM, THEY WILL BE, UM, ABLE TO MONITOR, UM, THEIR STUDENTS AND STAFF IN A MUCH MORE, UM, ROBUST WAY.
SO WE'RE, WE'VE BEEN IN, IN CONVERSATION WITH OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS ON THE DEPLOYMENT OF THOSE TESTS.
AND, UM, THERE'LL BE MORE TO COME ON THAT IN THE WEEKS TO COME, BUT, UM, IT'S ENCOURAGING THAT WE'RE SEEING, UH, SOME DECREASE IN THE NUMBERS OF SCHOOL CASES.
UM, THERE'S STILL, HOWEVER, A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THESE CASES THAT ARE OCCURRING IN CLASSROOM SETTINGS.
THAT'S THE GOLD PART OF THE BARS, UH, REPRESENTED HERE WITH A LESSER AMOUNT HAPPENING IN ATHLETICS AND IN AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.
AND THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, THIS SLIDE IS LOOKING HOSPITAL.
IT MENTIONED ADMISSIONS, UM, BASED ON AGE AND OVER TIME, WE'VE BEEN SEEING AN INCREASE IN THE 30 TO 49 YEAR OLD AGE GROUP.
UM, HOWEVER, THERE'S BEEN A, UH, SLOW DEGREE DECREASE IN THE NUMBERS OF CASES AS WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE AND SO ON.
UM, THERE IS STILL SOME CONCERN AS YOU WOULD IMAGINE WITH THE NUMBER OF PEDIATRIC ADMISSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD IN THIS SEARCH.
UM, LIKE MOSTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE DO NOT HAVE CONSISTENT MASKING IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS.
UM, AND WE HAVE A SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION OF THE LESS THAN 12 YEAR OLD POPULATION, UNABLE TO BE VACCINATED.
CURRENTLY WE HAVE 12 PEDIATRICS ADMISSIONS IN OUR HOSPITAL SYSTEMS, UM, TO AN ICU TWO ON VENTS.
NONE OF THE PEDIATRIC CASES THAT ARE ADMITTED CURRENTLY ARE VACCINATED OVER
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THE COURSE OF THIS PEN, DEMIC SEARCH, UH, CAUSED BY THE DELTA VARIANT, STARTING IN THE FIRST PART OF JULY TO PRESENT.THERE'VE BEEN 139 ADMISSIONS TOTAL WITH 45 IN ICU AND FOUR THAT HAVE BEEN ON VENTS.
THIS IS A SLIDE THAT GIVES SOME COMPARISONS FOR US TO LOOK AT, UM, LOOKING AT THE, UH, PREVIOUS SEARCH EARLIER IN THE YEAR, JUST AS VACCINE WAS BEING, UM, DEPLOYED.
AND AS YOU'LL REMEMBER, UM, AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WE WERE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT THE OLDER POPULATION, UM, 70 PLUS POPULATION AND THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19, UM, AS THEY WERE ON AND HAVE BEEN ON THAT POPULATION, UM, AS THEY'RE MORE AT RISK BECAUSE OF THEIR COMORBIDITIES AND THEIR DECLINE IN RESPONSIVENESS, UM, PARTICULARLY, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM AN IMMUNE STANDPOINT AND EARLY ON, THEY WERE BEING VACCINATED AS WELL AS THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.
UM, THIS SLIDE DEMONSTRATES TO US THAT THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE IN THAT PATTERN, UM, BECAUSE OF THE VACCINES OFFERING PROTECTION.
UM, THEY, THEY ARE NOT BEING AS IMPACTED BY THIS DELTA VARIANT.
UM, YOU'LL SAY THAT THEY WERE AT 35% ON THE 70 PLUS AGE GROUP FOR HOSPITALIZATIONS.
UM, AND I SEE ADMISSIONS AND THAT'S DROPPED DOWN INTO THE TWENTIES.
HOWEVER, THERE'S BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE IMPACT THAT'S BEING SEEN IN THE AGE GROUP OF 30 TO 49, UM, WHICH HAS INCREASED FROM 19% TO 30% FOR HOSPITALIZATIONS AND 17% TO 29% FOR ICU ADMISSIONS.
ALSO FROM THE SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S BEEN A SHIFT AS TRAVIS COUNTY'S VACCINE, UM, COALITION, UM, THAT'S COMPRISED OF THE COUNTY AND APH AND ALL OF THE OTHER PROVIDERS THAT WE'VE HAD AND ALL OF THE EFFORTS FROM OUR GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REACH THAT MILESTONE OF 70% OF OUR CITIZENS BEING FULLY VACCINATED.
SO TAKE A MINUTE TO GIVE AN INCREDIBLE CONGRATULATIONS TO THAT MAGNIFICENT WORK, UM, AND TO THE POWER OF OUR PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER.
UM, AS A RESULT OF THAT, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE A SHIFT IN THE OVERALL HOSPITALIZATIONS FROM TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, MADE UP 57% OF THE HOSPITALIZATIONS IN THE PREVIOUS SURGE.
AND DURING THE COURSE OF THIS SURGE, THAT'S DROPPED TO 51% WITH NON TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS.
UM, NOW RE GONE HAVE GONE FROM 43% TO 49%.
SO THE VACCINATIONS HAVE HAD A GOOD IMPACT TO PROTECT OUR SENIOR CITIZENS AND ALSO, UM, HAVE HELPED OUR COMMUNITY OVERALL AND OUR VACCINE TEAMS, UM, FROM ALL SECTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB OF GETTING US TO THE 70% FULLY VACCINATED MARK AND THAT'S FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINE, WE STILL HAVE A SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION.
THEY UNDER 12, WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINATIONS, SO WE NEED TO CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS TO VACCINATE THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE AND FOR THOSE EVERYONE TO WEAR MASKS, TO PROTECT THAT SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION.
WHEN WE LOOK AT BREAKTHROUGH CASES, WE'RE SAYING, UM, THE IMPACT OF A VACCINE BREAKTHROUGH CASES AT 1%, UM, HOWEVER VACCINES ARE, ARE GIVING US THAT LEVEL OF PROTECTION THAT, UM, PROVIDES LESS SEVERE DISEASE, LESS HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS.
UM, THE NUMBER OF BREAKTHROUGH CASES HERE REPRESENTS, UM, 666,680 BREAKTHROUGH CASES, UM, AFTER A TOTAL OF 765,319 FULLY VACCINATED PEOPLE.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S A LOT OF VACCINE
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AND A LOT OF PROTECTION ON THAT WE'RE SEEING FROM OUR VACCINES.WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES AND OUR NEXT SLIDE, THE, UM, THE NUMBER OF, UH, CASES IN OUR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES HAS DROPPED IN THE LAST 14 DAYS FROM 53 CASES REPORTED IN, UH, 11 FACILITIES DOWN TO 37 CASES.
UM, THEY 11, UH, THE CASES WERE IN RESIDENTS WHO WERE FULLY VACCINATED, HOWEVER, UM, THEY FULLY VACCINATED INDIVIDUALS, UM, DID NOT HAVE SEVERE DISEASE REQUIRING, UM, THE ADMISSION AND, UH, THE STAFF THAT WERE VACCINATED, UH, IN THIS COHORT WERE 11 OF 26.
UM, AND TWO OF THE STAFF MEMBERS WERE PARTIALLY VACCINATED.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE WE'LL LOOK AT THE FATALITY STATISTICS, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS THROUGHOUT THIS PANDEMIC.
UM, AS 1055, THERE'VE BEEN 482 DEATHS SINCE JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, UM, OF THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED 7.9% OF THEM WERE FULLY VACCINATED.
AND THE RACIAL, UM, IMPACT AND ETHNIC GRANDKID IMPACT FROM DEATHS, UH, SITS AT 50.5% HISPANIC.
AND THAT SHOULD BE ON THE SLIDE.
AND THE IMPACT FROM HIS SEX, UM, STANDPOINT, UM, 58.5% OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WERE MALES.
UM, THE QUESTION CAME UP LAST WEEK AS TO WHETHER ANYONE WHO HAD RECEIVED THEIR THIRD DOSE, UM, BECAUSE THEY WERE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, UM, WHETHER OR NOT ANY OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAD DIED AND FROM OUR REPORTING, AND THEN THE BEST INVESTIGATION BY THE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, NO DEATHS WERE REPORTED IN ANYONE WHO HAD SAVED THAT THIRD DOES.
THIS LOOKS AT OUR, UM, AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY ADMISSIONS BY MSA.
AND I PUT THE SLIDE IN FROM LAST WEEK AND FOR THIS WEEK TO SHOW AGAIN THAT BECAUSE OF THE EXCELLENT WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE BY OUR VACCINATION TEAMS, THEY, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY NUMBERS ARE FOR INPATIENT ADMISSIONS ARE DECREASING.
UM, WE HAD 52%, UM, LAST TIME AROUND THAT WERE TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS WITH THE, UH, REMAINING, UM, ADMISSIONS BEING, UM, COMING IN FROM, UM, OTHER COUNTIES OUTSIDE THE MSA.
UM, WITH 53% OF THE PATIENTS COMING IN FROM OUTSIDE OF THE MSA.
UM, LAST WEEK WE CONVENED A MEETING, UM, OF OUR VACCINE COLLABORATIVE AND, UM, WE INVITED, UM, THE, UH, HEALTH AUTHORITIES AND, UM, EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND VACCINE PROVIDERS, UM, FROM AROUND, UM, THE MSA AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, AND ALSO FROM SURROUNDING COUNTIES, SO THAT WE CAN COLLECTIVELY ADDRESS THE ISSUES REGARDING VACCINATIONS AND VACCINE HESITANCY, UM, SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THIS ISSUE OF, UM, UH, SOME OF OUR, UM, SURROUNDING COUNTIES AND THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY'RE HAVING WITH VACCINATIONS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE THAT, UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR ICU ADMISSION RATES IN THE, UM, ON THIS HEAT MAP, UM, THE, THE, THE MUCH MORE, UM, PREVALENT ICU ADMISSION RIGHTS ARE HAPPENING IN THOSE AREAS WHERE THERE'S LOWER VACCINE RATES.
AND, UM, THAT MAGENTA IS WHERE WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF ADMISSIONS, UM, COMING TO OUR, OUR COUNTIES.
SO WE'RE SEEING, UM, THAT WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT THIS AS A COLLECTIVE AND, UM, AND BE MINDFUL OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTIES WITH REGARDS TO VACCINATIONS AS WELL.
AND IF WE LOOK AT THE SUBSEQUENT SLIDE, I WANT TO THANK AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS.
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OF ELIGIBLE PEOPLE BEING FULLY VACCINATED, WHICH IS A MILESTONE THAT WE'VE BEEN STRIVING FOR.AND, AND IT IT'S A TESTAMENT TO HOW THIS COMMUNITY HAS WORKED TOGETHER TO HELP, UH, RESPOND TO THIS PANDEMIC.
OUR DAILY NUMBERS OF CASES AND HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE DECLINING AGAIN, DUE TO THE EFFORT OF THIS COMMUNITY AND OUR POSITIVITY RATE HAS DROPPED.
AND OUR NEXT SLIDE, UM, THE CALL TO ACTION TODAY, OR US AS TO, UM, HELP US GET EVERYONE ELSE VACCINATED, UM, FOR NOT ONLY COVID-19, BUT THE FLU, UM, AS YOU SAW IN THAT FIRST SLIDE WITH OUR CURVE, WE ARE HAVING SUSTAINED, UH, UM, IMPACTS AND STRAIN ON STRESS.
WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE ADMITTED FOR ICU CARE THAN WE HAVE ICU BEDS.
WE HAVE PEOPLE IN NON-TRADITIONAL ICU SPACES IN OUR HOSPITALS BEING CARED FOR BY NON ICU, UM, NURSES AT TIMES.
UM, SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS TO DO THIS, OUR CASE NUMBERS EVEN FURTHER, AND WE CAN DO IT, WE'VE DONE IT.
AND, UM, I ASKED FOR YOUR CONTINUED EFFORTS IN THAT REGARD, INFLUENZA CAN CAUSE AN IMPACT ON OUR HOSPITAL SYSTEMS. AS WE KNOW WHERE WE HAVE EQUAL AMOUNT OF STRAIN.
SO EVERYONE GETTING THEIR FLU VACCINE IS GOING TO BE HELPING TO DECREASE THOSE CASE NUMBERS.
AND EVERYONE WEARING MASKS IS NOT ONLY GOING TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19, BUT THE FLU WE SAW THAT LAST YEAR, OUR IMPACT FROM THE FLU WAS MUCH LESS BECAUSE WE WERE MASKING.
WE ASK THAT WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT BUSINESSES THAT ARE HELPING US TO REACH OUR GOALS.
WE HAVE MANY BUSINESS PEOPLE WHO ARE MASKING AND ENCOURAGING, UM, SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND DOING WHAT IT TAKES TO HELP US KEEP OUR, OUR ECONOMY OPEN.
SO WE WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF THE FACT THAT THAT'S HAPPENING AND, AND, AND WE ASK EVERYBODY TO SUPPORT OUR BUSINESSES THAT ARE DOING THAT.
WE ASK THAT PEOPLE CONTINUE TO WEAR A MASK INDOORS, AND IN PLACES WHERE YOU CAN'T SAFELY SOCIAL DISTANCE, AND SOMETIMES THAT'S HAPPENING OUTDOORS, WHERE YOU HAVE TO, UM, QUEUE OR LINEUP FOR TICKETS AND OR WHATEVER.
SO PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'RE, YOU'RE PROTECTING YOURSELVES AND YOUR LOVED ONES WITH MASKING.
AND FINALLY, I'D ASK THAT YOU STAY HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK, GET TESTED.
IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS, SEE A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER TO SEE IF YOU'RE ELIGIBLE FOR TREATMENT FOR COVID-19.
AND IF YOU ARE, THEY CAN REFER YOU TO OUR REGIONAL INFUSION CENTER FOR MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY, WHICH, UM, HAS REALLY BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN DECREASING OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS WE'VE DEPLOYED AND GIVEN OVER 1800 DOSES OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY SINCE THE OPENING OF THE WRECK ON AUGUST THE 16TH.
AND AGAIN, I THINK OUR COMMUNITY IN PARTICULAR, OUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, DOCTORS, AND NURSES, AND NURSE PRACTITIONERS, WHO'VE BEEN SENDING PEOPLE OVER FOR TREATMENT WITH MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES.
THE, THE THERAPY ITSELF IS FOR THOSE WHO ARE AT SEVERE AT RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE, HOSPITALIZATION, ICU ADMISSIONS, AND IT WHEN GIVEN WITHIN 10 DAYS OF SYMPTOM ONSET DECREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF SEVERE DISEASE, HOSPITALIZATIONS, AND ICU ADMISSIONS.
SO WITH THE USE OF THAT THERAPY AND WITH OUR COMMUNITIES, AMAZING CORPORATION AND, UM, BOOTS ON THE GROUND, UH, VOLUNTEERISM, UM, COMMUNITY ADVOCACY AND THE WORK OF THIS BODY, UM, CITY COUNCIL AND, AND COMMISSIONERS, WE'VE REACHED OUR 70% GOAL OF THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE BEING FULLY VACCINATED.
AND I THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK AND WITH THAT, I'LL END MY REPORT.
AND I GOING TO PROCEED TO GIVE YOU ALL AN UPDATE ON COVID-19 OPERATIONS.
WE'LL START OFF WITH TESTING OVER THE LAST OPERATIONAL PERIOD.
UM, WE ADMINISTERED JUST OVER 2000 TESTS TESTS, AND AGAIN, TO REITERATE
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WHAT DR.IF YOU ARE SICK, PLEASE GET TESTED.
IF YOU'RE EXPOSED TO SOMEONE WHO TESTED POSITIVE, PLEASE GET TESTED.
WHEN IN DOUBT, PLEASE GET TESTED.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES, UM, SPONSORED BY APH.
UM, WE'RE AT THE GEORGE MIRALIS STUFFED SPRINGS REC WHERE AT ST.
JOHN'S WE OFFER IN-HOME TESTING THAT ANYONE CAN ACCESS BY CALLING 3, 1, 1, WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING TESTING TO SENIOR CENTERS, HOMELESS SHELTERS, AND OTHER CONGREGATE FACILITIES.
AND WE ALSO HAVE MOBILE TESTING AVAILABLE FROM MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY EIGHT TO FOUR, AND THOSE APPOINTMENTS CAN BE MADE, UM, BY CALLING 5 1 2 9 7 2 5 5 6 0.
AND IN A PINCH, YOU CAN GET AN AT-HOME TEST AT HEB.
UM, MY SON WAS NERVOUS THE OTHER DAY.
HE HAS ALLERGIES, BUT I GUESS LIVING WITH THIS WOMAN HERE, HE'S LIKE, MOM, I NEED TO KNOW FOR SURE.
AND WE ADMINISTERED THE TEST OVER THE WEEKEND AND HE WAS FINE AND, AND GOOD TO GO.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS TO JUST KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES SAFE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT, UM, OUR VACCINE OPERATIONS ACROSS THE STATE, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, KUDOS TO THIS COMMUNITY, UM, WE ARE AT 80% FIRST DOSE AND 70% FULLY VACCINATED STATEWIDE.
UM, TEXAS IS AT 70% FIRST DOSE AND 60% FULLY VACCINATED.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT US COMPARED TO THE OTHER MAJOR METROS, UM, EL PASO IS, IS JUST KNOCKING IT OUT THE BOX.
BUT AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE REALLY DOING A GOOD JOB AS A, TO, UM, GET FOLKS VACCINATED WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR OWN VACCINATIONS IN TRAVIS COUNTY WEEK OVER WEEK, UM, WHERE FOR A TOTAL COUNTY WE'VE ADMINISTERED.
AND I THINK THIS NUMBER IS ACTUALLY A LITTLE HIGHER, BUT I'M GOING TO READ IT ANYWAY.
UM, WE'VE ADMINISTERED OVER A MILLION AND A HALF DOSES, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAD THAT UPTICK IN AUGUST, PROBABLY SPURRED ON BY EVERYONE TRYING TO GET THEIR KIDDOS VACCINATED.
UM, BEFORE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL LAST WEEK, THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS WHO HAD NOT RECEIVED OR SECOND DOSE.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THIS PIE CHART HERE AGAIN, THIS, THIS BIG BLUE AREA, THAT'S JUST MAKING ME SMILE.
THIS BLUE PAC-MAN REPRESENTS, UM, OUR 70% MARK.
UM, THERE STILL IS ROOM TO GROW.
WE SEE THE UNVACCINATED POPULATION IS RESTING RIGHT AT 20%.
AND THAT NUMBER IS A LITTLE OVER 215,000 PEOPLE.
SO THAT'S DOWN A COUPLE OF WEEKS BACK.
I REPORTED THAT NUMBER TO BE UPWARDS OF 250,000.
UM, AND SO THEN THE POPULATION THAT, UM, JUST HAS ONE DOSE MAKES UP ABOUT 10%, SLIGHTLY OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
SO, YOU KNOW, KUDOS AGAIN TO THE FOLKS AT THE COUNTY, THE COLLABORATIVE, AND OF COURSE AT APH AND THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE WORKING TO GET OUR RESIDENTS VACCINATED FOR AWESOME PUBLIC HEALTH AND COMMUNITY CARE, WE ADMINISTERED OVER 1300 DOSES, UH, LAST WEEK, THAT'S UP, UM, FROM PREVIOUS WEEKS.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S ALWAYS GOOD NEWS WHEN WE CAN SEE THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE GETTING VACCINATED.
WHEN WE LOOK AT, UM, DISH DISTRIBUTION BY PROVIDER, WE STILL SEE THAT, UM, THE NUMBER OF DOSES ADMINISTERED BY PHARMACY IS THE LION'S SHARE.
AND THIS NUMBER IS ACTUALLY UP ABOUT 105,000 DOSES FROM LAST WEEK WHEN, UM, RE REPORTED OUT PUBLIC HEALTH IS AT A CLOSE SECOND DOING ITS THING IN HOSPITALS AT A THIRD.
SO, UM, PEOPLE ARE ACCESSING, UM, VACCINES WERE AVAILABLE AND THAT'S GOOD TO SEE, THIS IS A SLIDE THAT WE HAVEN'T SHOWN IN A FEW WEEKS, AND IT, IT, IT BREAKS OUT THE DATA FOR TRAVIS COUNTY BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, AS, AS EXCITED AS I AM ABOUT US REACHING THE 70% FULLY VACCINATED AND THE 80%, UM, FIRST DOSE MARK, UM, THE STATS THAT GIVE ME PAUSE ON THIS SLIDE ARE THE, UM, RATES THAT ARE LAGGING FOR OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND HISPANIC COMMUNITIES.
AND SO, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS ACROSS THE COUNTY, UM, INVESTING IN GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS, UH, THINKING ABOUT OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND OUR FOCUS OUTREACH, SO THAT WE CAN CLOSE THE GAP IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, TAKING A LOOK AT IT BY ZIP CODE.
THIS MAP HASN'T CHANGED TOO MUCH FROM LAST WEEK.
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UM, BUT IT JUST POINTS OUT THE AREAS OF CONTINUED FOCUS FOR BOTH THE COLLABORATIVE AND THE APH TEAMS. UM, AND SO THIS PAST, UH, SUNDAY, WE ACTUALLY HAD, UH, AN EXCITING EVENT AT COTA WHERE WE DELIVERED OVER 128 VACCINATIONS.THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WERE FIRST DOSE, THERE WERE A FEW THIRDS, THIRD DOSE, UM, SHOTS GIVEN.
UM, BUT THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE OF IDEAS AND WAYS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH COMMUNITY.
THERE WAS FERRIS WHEELS, THERE WAS FRIED DOUGH OR FUNNEL CAKES.
I'M SORRY, I'M FROM THE EAST COAST.
WE CALL IT FRIED DOUGH UP THERE AND, AND VACCINES.
AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR SECOND DOSE, AGAIN, THOSE SAME AREAS THAT ARE POPPING UP BLUE FOR THE FIRST DOSE ARE STILL YELLOW ON OUR SCREEN, BUT I AM ENCOURAGED THAT THERE IS NO RED.
AND IF YOU REMEMBER, THE RED WERE, UM, AREAS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WERE UNDERNEATH THE 49% MARK.
AND SO VACCINE OPERATIONS FOR THIS WEEK WILL BE AT OUR REGULAR LOCATION, SOUTHEAST BRANCH LITTLE WALNUT CREEK, THE ANALYTIC CENTER, AND IN THE PFLUGERVILLE LIBRARY, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, STOOD UP DELCO THEY'RE OPEN TODAY, FIRST DAY BACK IN BUSINESS, AND WE'LL BE AT THE DEL VALLEY OPPORTUNITY CENTER.
AND IN ADDITION TO THESE, UM, BRICK AND MORTAR LOCATIONS, WE'LL BE IN OVER 15 PLACES THIS WEEK, INCLUDING CIRCUIT OF AMERICAS.
UM, WE WERE THERE ON SUNDAY AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF AUSTIN AND THE NORTH AUSTIN MUSLIM COMMUNITY CENTER.
UM, WE WERE READY ON THE 20TH, BUT IT SEEMS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE WAITING FOR THE INDUSTRY TO CATCH UP WITH US.
SO WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR IS THAT THE FDA HAS APPROVED OR REC A BOOSTER FOR FOLKS WHO ARE 65 YEARS AND OLDER AT HIGHER RISK OF SEVERE COVID AND AT HIGH RISK DUE TO OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE.
AND SO, SO NOW THE NEXT STEPS THAT, UM, AFTER RECEIVING THE FDA AUTHORIZATION, WE'RE WAITING FOR THIS CDCS, UM, ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES TO, UM, GIVE FURTHER GUIDELINES.
UM, THE MEETING IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE TOMORROW.
AND SO THEN ONCE THOSE, UM, GUIDELINES ARE ESTABLISHED, IT'LL PASS ON TO THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THEY'LL GIVE US, UM, ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE FOR LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION.
AND THEN WE CAN BEGIN DISTRIBUTING BOOSTER VACCINE.
THERE'S STILL SOME OTHER STEPS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN IN THE APPROVAL PROCESS, BUT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH STANDS AT THE READY.
AND PART OF THAT BEING READY IS WORKING ON OUR RESPONSE TO A RECENT, UM, RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED.
UM, AND IT CALLS FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO REALLY LOOK ON LESSONS LEARNED AROUND COMMUNICATIONS EQUITY AND, UM, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.
AND SO, UM, THE FIRST STEP IN THAT WORK WAS FOR US TO CONVENE THE VACCINE COALITION PLANNING GROUP THAT DR WACHS MENTIONED, UM, LAST WEEK, FRIDAY, WHERE WE GAVE THE COMMUNITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, HEAR WHAT WE KNEW SO FAR ABOUT BOOSTERS, AND THEN SHARE WITH US SOME OF THE PAIN POINTS, UM, THAT THE COMMUNITY EXPERIENCED IN THE INITIAL ROLLOUT PROCESS.
WE DO KNOW THAT THE LANDSCAPE IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FOR THE BOOSTERS ONE.
WE'RE NOT A HUB PROVIDER, TWO, THERE'S NOT A LIMITED SUPPLY AND THREE, UM, PHARMACIES AND DOCTOR'S OFFICES ARE ONLINE AND, AND GIVING OUT SHOTS BACK IN DECEMBER AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH WAS THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN FOR A MUCH BROADER COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT THAT BEING SAID, UM, WE TOOK ALL THAT FEEDBACK INTO CONSIDERATION.
THERE'LL BE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOLKS TO, UM, GIVE FEEDBACK THROUGH SOME COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS, BEING HOSTED BY OUR CPI OFFICE.
UM, THERE ALSO BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMMUNITY TO GIVE WRITTEN FEEDBACK.
AND SO, UM, THE PLAN IS NEVER FINISHED.
IT'S TRULY A LIVING DOCUMENT AS, UM, THE GUIDANCE CHANGES AND AS THE NEEDS AND THE LANDSCAPE IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY CHANGES, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THOSE PLANS.
WE'VE ALREADY STARTED THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE PEDIATRIC, UM, ROLLOUT WILL BE WHEN THOSE VACCINES FOR KIDDOS 12 AND UNDER FINALLY COME ONLINE.
AND NOW JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME UPDATES ON COMMUNITY OUTREACH, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE STAFF, BUT THE GOAL OF OUR OUTREACH UP THERE, OF COURSE, IT'S TO CREATE A SAFE, COMFORTABLE SPACE THROUGH TRUSTED COMMUNITY SOURCES TO DISCUSS COVID-19 AND ENCOURAGE VACCINATIONS.
AND SO OUR HEALTH EQUITY STREET OUTREACH TEAM, AS WELL AS THE IMMUNIZATIONS EDUCATION TEAM, UM, CONDUCT OUTREACH WEEKLY, THEY REACH OUT TO LOCAL BUSINESSES.
THEY'RE INVOLVED WITH CHURCHES, THEY'RE INVOLVED WITH SCHOOLS AND, UM, REALLY JUST DOING
[00:35:01]
THAT GOOD WORK OF ANSWERING QUESTIONS, POINTING PEOPLE TO RESOURCES.UM, AND IF YOU SEE THAT PICTURE THERE, THEY STAND AT THE READY, UM, TO, TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY GET WHATEVER INFORMATION THEY NEED TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN MAKE A GOOD DECISION FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILY.
THE OUTREACH TEAM IS, UM, FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS COMPRISED COMPRISED OF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, CERTIFIED HEALTH EDUCATION SPECIALISTS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATORS.
SO THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO LIKE THAT'S THEIR WHOLE JOB IS TO INTERACT WITH COMMUNITY AND, UM, PROMOTE HEALTH.
AND WHEN WE LOOK ABOUT OUR, UM, IMPACT WITH, UM, MEDIA, THESE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES OF THE DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS, UM, THAT WE'VE UNDERTAKEN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS, ALL OF OUR CAMPAIGNS ARE AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF LANGUAGES.
AND, UM, OUR ASSOCIATE MEDIA READS IS AN AVERAGE OF, UM, 600 IMPRESSIONS PER CAMPAIGN POST.
AND SO YOU SEE THE STRONG ARM, THERE'S THE LET'S STICK TOGETHER CAMPAIGN THAT WE DID.
AND, UM, COLLABORATION WITH CENTRAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY CARE.
UM, OUR VAX FACTS ARE UP AND READY, YOU KNOW, CAN I GET VACCINATED WHILE I'M PREGNANT? ARE THERE METALS IN THE VACCINE? AND THEN HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FDA APPROVAL AND FDA EMERGENCY USE, BECAUSE THERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DO THOSE THINGS MEAN? CAN I GET THE SHOT OR NOT? AND SOMETHING THAT I NEGLECTED TO MENTION, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT AT THE POINT WHERE WE'RE GIVING OUT BOOSTERS, WE ARE ADMINISTERING THIRD DOSES, THE PROCESSES THE SAME FOR ANY OF THE OTHER VACCINES THAT YOU MAY HAVE RECEIVED FROM US.
THERE'S NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
UM, THE THIRD DOSE IS AVAILABLE AT ANY OF THE SITES THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY GIVING OUT COVID-19 VACCINES.
AND THAT THIRD DOSE IS FOR SOMEONE WHO'S IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.
UM, YOU MAY BE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY.
YOU MAY HAVE, UM, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.
UM, YOU MAY HAVE RECEIVED A TRANSPLANT.
SO ALL OF THOSE CONDITIONS THAT MIGHT MAKE YOUR BODY IMMUNE SYSTEM, UM, NEED A LITTLE HELP.
THOSE THIRD DOSES ARE FOR YOU.
AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST JUST TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, ACTIVITIES.
UM, WE WERE AT TURNER ROBERTS AGAIN, AND WE SERVED OVER 415 FAMILIES.
UM, WE GAVE OUT FOOD, WE GAVE OUT PPE, WE GAVE OUT RESOURCE BAGS, UM, AND S AND SOME OF THAT INCLUDED LIKE HOUSEHOLD STUFF LIKE DIAPERS, BABY FORMULA, BECAUSE COVID-19 ALSO HAS AN IMPACT ON OUR OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLNESS.
AND WE KNOW THAT OUR MANY POCKETS OF OUR COMMUNITY HAVE SUFFERED FROM LOSS OF WAGES OR LOSS OF A JOB.
AND SO TO BE ABLE TO COUPLE THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER, SUPPORTING YOUR FAMILY AS A WHOLE, THOSE, THOSE BASIC THINGS THAT YOU NEED, UM, TO KEEP YOUR HELP YOURSELF SAFE, AS WELL AS PROVIDING YOU INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, COVID-19 AND VACCINES, WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WHENEVER WE CAN.
WE WERE AT, UM, THE MEXICANO SUPERMERCADO, MY MOTHER WOULD BE UPSET ABOUT MY PRONUNCIATION.
WE WERE AT THE GENERAL DOLLAR STORE.
UM, AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE IN THOSE SPACES IN PLACES WHERE WE ARE TRYING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY IN TOTALITY, UM, THAT BASIC NEEDS SUPPORT, AND THAT SUPPORT TO, UM, BE PROTECTED FROM COVID-19.
AND WITH THAT, UM, I WILL END MY REPORT.
THESE ARE OUR TEAMS OUT AT THE EAST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER.
AND JUST LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THESE EVERYDAY HEROES.
UM, THERE WASN'T A ROYAL SIGN THAT SAYS EVERY SUPERHERO DOESN'T WEAR A CAPE, UM, BUT THEY DO WEAR A MASK AND A LOT OF THEM WEAR AN APH SHIRT.
SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
AND THAT IS THE END OF MY REPORT.
THANKS DIRECTOR, STIRRUP, UH, CHUCK BROTHERTON.
GOOD MORNING, JUDGE COMMISSIONERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, CHUCK BROTHERTON COUNTY EXECUTIVE EMERGENCY SERVICES.
I HEAR TODAY WITH CONSTABLE GEORGE MORALES FROM PRECINCT FORM WOULD JUST LIKE TO GIVE Y'ALL AN UPDATE, QUICK UPDATE ON GOINGS OF THE COUNTY COLLABORATIVE.
SO I WILL QUICKLY SHARE MY SCREEN, UH, AND, UH, GIVE YOU A SUMMARY OF OUR STRIKE TEAM EFFORTS OVER THE PAST WEEK AND SEE ON THIS FIRST SLIDE, UH, THAT, UH, TOTAL TRAVIS COUNTY DOSES ARE 30,536.
THAT'S FROM INCEPTION TO DATE, UH, INCEPTION BEING, UH, BACK IN, UH, LATE FEBRUARY, TOTAL DOSES
[00:40:01]
IN THE PAST WEEK DOWN HERE, TOTAL DOSES OF SEPTEMBER 13TH THROUGH THE 19TH, WE DID 1005.YOU CAN SEE BY LOOKING AT PAST WEEK ACTIVITIES THAT WE ARE HOLDING FAIRLY STEADY SINCE OUR, OUR HIGH OF, UH, AUGUST 23 THROUGH 29.
UH, SO THAT'S ENCOURAGING, UH, AND OUR NUMBERS ARE SHOWING MORE SECOND DOSES, UH, THAN FIRST DOSES AT THIS POINT, JUST A VERY SMALL HANDFUL OF THIRD DOSES GIVEN OUT STRIKE TEAM EVENTS.
WE DID 126 SO FAR IN SEPTEMBER 115 TOTAL THROUGH THE MONTH OF AUGUST.
SO OUR STRIKE TEAM EFFORT CONTINUES, CONTINUES GROWING AND CONTINUES BEING A SUCCESS.
SO JUST TO SHOW YOU, UH, WHERE WE HAVE BEEN OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS ON SEPTEMBER 13.
SO WE WERE IN 7 8, 7 2 4, THAT'S A MONDAY 1 21.
AND YOU CAN SEE AS WE GO THROUGH THE WEEK THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO, UH, BE PRESENT IN THOSE, UH, HIGHLY IMPACTED, UH, AND UNDER VACCINATED ZIP CODES, IT'S WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, RIGHT? EY, AND THEN SATURDAY, AND THEN SUNDAY, JUST AT THE COUNTY EXPO CENTER, WHERE WE CONTINUED DOING DRIVE THROUGH VACCINATIONS ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, LIKE TO QUICKLY SHOW YOU AS I, AS I DO, UH, HOW, UH, AND PROVIDE HOW, HOW OUR RESIDENTS CAN QUICKLY ACCESS VACCINE INFORMATION, VACCINE LOCATION, INFORMATION, WHERE TO OBTAIN A VACCINE, UH, WHETHER FROM OUR COUNTY COLLABORATIVE FROM AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, OR FROM A PRIVATE PROVIDER, UH, ON THE COUNTY'S WEBSITE ON OUR LANDING PAGE, UH, YOU GET A QUICK LINK THAT TAKES YOU TO A CALENDAR SHOWS WHERE ALL OF OUR STRIKE TEAM ACTIVITIES ARE HAPPENING DAY BY DAY TODAY'S TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21.
AND AS YOU GO THROUGH THE WEEK, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 AND SO ON, AND ALL ANYONE NEEDS TO DO IS LOOK ON ONE OF THESE LINKS AND YOU'LL SEE THE LOCATION, THE SCHEDULE IT'S NOT SHOWING IT'S NOT SHOWING UP.
SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THAT ON AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH WEBSITE, AND PLEASE CONFIRM THAT YOU CAN SEE, YEAH, WE CAN SEE IT.
WE HAVE AUSTIN, UH, LANDING PAGE IT, SAME INFORMATION HERE, FIND LOCATIONS.
AND THEN FOR THOSE, UH, WHO WERE LOOKING FOR A PRIVATE PROVIDER@VACCINES.GOV, AND THIS IS INSTRUCTIVE, ACTUALLY, I WANTED TO SHOW YOU ALL THIS FIND COVID VACCINES NEAR YOU, AND YOU CLICK THAT LINK.
AND I WILL USE A 7 8, 6 1 7 FOR EXAMPLE.
UH, AND SO WITHIN FIVE MILES, LOOK FOR A VACCINE THAT I, IF I DON'T NEED AN APPOINTMENT SEARCH FOR VACCINES.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE THAT AGAIN, IN, IN OUR UNDERSERVED ZIP CODES, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE MAINTAIN OUR, OUR, OUR PUBLIC EFFORTS, BOTH AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE COLLABORATIVE, JUST BECAUSE THERE'S VERY LITTLE AVAILABLE, UH, AS FAR AS COMMERCIAL PHARMACIES TO RESIDENTS IN THOSE, IN THOSE AREAS.
AND SO, UH, WE DO PLAN TO CONTINUE WITH OUR STRIKE TEAM EFFORTS.
WE'RE SCALING UP, UH, WE'RE CONTINUING, UH, AT OUR, UH, EXPO CENTER OF FORCE, UH, AND, UH, WE'RE CONTINUING TO FIND NEW WAYS TO, UH, TO GET THE VACCINE, UH, INTO THE, INTO THE COMMUNITY.
SO AT THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO CONSTABLE MORALES FOR HIS UPDATED.
GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS, JUDGE, COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND MAYOR.
WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON OUR OUTREACH AND EDUCATION DOING THE WORK TO ENSURE THAT OUR STRIKE TEAMS ARE SUCCESSFUL.
OUR MOBILE VACCINE, UH, COLLABORATIVE TEAMS GAVE A COMBINED SHOT TOTAL OF A 1005 SHOTS THIS PAST WEEK, A TOTAL FOR MONTH OF 3040 SHOTS GIVEN, UM, WE HANDED OUT A TOTAL OF 3,100 FLYERS WITH AN ADDITIONAL 9,943 PHONE CALLS TO THE TARGETED AREAS.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS IN THOSE HIGH COVID ZIP CODES, WHICH ARE THE 7 8 7 5 8 5 4, UH, DEL VALLEY COMMUNITIES ALONG WITH AUSTIN COLONY AND THE 7 8 7 4 4 AND FOUR ONE AREAS.
UH, INTERESTING FACT ABOUT OUR OUTREACH IS THAT FOR EVERY THREE HOUSEHOLDS WE HIT, WE
[00:45:01]
USUALLY GET ONE SHOT OUT OF IT.UM, WE WERE WORKING WITH LSD TO CONTINUE TO SERVE HIGH COVID AREAS.
WE DO ABOUT TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS A WEEK.
UM, THIS WEEK WE'LL BE DOING A BED IS ELEMENTARY AND GUERRERO THOMPSON ELEMENTARY.
UH, WE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND THIS WEEKEND AT THE EXPO DID REALLY GOOD FOR US.
AND ALSO, UH, I GOT TO GO OUT TO CODA AND PARTICIPATE WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS, WENT DEZ AND COMMISSIONER GOMEZ AND, AND ALL THE, THE ELECTED OFFICIALS OUT THERE WITH, UH, THE TRUSTEES, UM, DEL VALLEY TRUSTEES, SUSANNA, WOODY, UH, DAMIEN PENTAHO AND, UH, RICHARD RENDON, ALONG WITH OUR EXCITING, UH, AND, AND VERY ACTIVE COUNTY JUDGE, ANDY BROWN.
UM, WE WERE OUT THERE, WE GOT TO GO OUT THERE AND HAVE A GREAT TIME AND SEE OUR COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER AND WORK OUT THERE TO GET THOSE SHOTS.
UM, IT'S EXCITING FOR US BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, 74 OF THOSE SHOTS THAT WERE GIVEN THERE, THE, THE NUMBERS WERE GIVEN EARLIER WE'RE FIRST-TIME DOSES.
SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PUSH IN THOSE AREAS.
AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHAT WE GOT GOING ON THIS WEEK.
AGAIN, YOU HEARD A BED IS ELEMENTARY AND GROW WITH THOMPSON.
UM, WE ARE WORKING WITH THE MEXICAN CONSULATE, UH, PIPE FITTERS, UNION ST.
MARY'S, UM, AUSTIN FC AND ACC.
UM, I GUESS THE EXCITEMENT IS BECAUSE WE ARE 70% AND 80% FIRST DOSES.
UM, ONE THING I WANT TO, I WANT TO REFLECT ON, AND I THINK, UH, DR.
WACHS MADE IT A VERY, UH, GESTURE EARLIER.
IT'S A LOT OF HARD WORK, OUR OUTREACH TEAMS ON MOBILE VACCINE TEAM, AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH, OUR, UH, ADDITIONAL PROVIDERS OUT THERE ALONG WITH TEAMS FROM HEB, WALGREENS, EVERYBODY'S DOING THEIR PART.
DO NOT SLOW DOWN, CONTINUE TO PUSH ON.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S MY REQUEST THIS WEEK.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU.
AND JUDGE, THAT CONCLUDES OUR REPORT.
WALKS AS WELL AND CONSTABLE MORALES.
SO, UH, WE'LL DO THE SAME THING WE DO EVERY WEEK.
GO THROUGH THE QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS AND THEN THE JUDGE AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND THEN THE, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM.
AND THE ONLY THING WE'VE GOT TODAY IS JESSICA RIO FROM OUR BUDGET DEPARTMENT HAS TOLD US IF WE DO NOT VOTE ON OUR TAX RATE AT PRECISELY 11 O'CLOCK, SHE'S GOING TO TACKLE US ALL.
SO WE REALLY DO IF, IF POSSIBLE, UH, KEEP IT TO ONE QUESTION TODAY THAT WOULD HELP US GET THROUGH OUR MEETING TODAY.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL SEE IF, UH, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION? UH, I DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, UH, HUGE QUESTIONS.
I DO WANT TO CONGRATULATE US ALL FOR REACHING THE 70%, UM, HERD IMMUNITY.
AND SO, UH, BUT THAT'S DUE TO ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT, THAT EVERYONE HAS, HAS DONE IN ORDER TO REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS, AS WE HAVE.
SO, UM, BUT, UH, CONSTABLE YOU'RE RIGHT, LET'S KEEP IT UP.
AND WE STILL HAVE A LITTLE WAYS TO GO, BUT, UM, I'M REALLY TRULY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS, THANKS TO SURE.
AND THANKS TO ALL OF THE, UH, HEALTH WORKERS AND, UH, ALL OF THE STAFF THAT CONTINUE TO DO REALLY HEROIC WORK.
UM, IT WAS NOT CLEAR TO ME BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT DATA AND I COULDN'T REALLY TEASE THIS OUT, BUT, UM, CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE US A, JUST A SPECIFIC UPDATE ON, UM, IF THE TRENDS OF, UM, THE SPREAD OF, OF COVID WITHIN THE SCHOOLS SEEMS TO BE TAPERING OFF AND, UH, WITH SOME, UH, EXPLANATION, IF THAT'S THE CASE, IT WASN'T CLEAR TO ME I'VE JUST BEEN SO ALARMING THAT SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE SCHOOLS HAVE GOTTEN COVID AND THEY'VE HAD THIS CHAOTIC SHUTDOWN AND THIS RIDICULOUS FIGHT WITH THE GOVERNOR AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OVER WHETHER OR NOT SCHOOLS COULD REQUIRE THAT MASKS BE WORN, BUT CAN YOU JUST HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT TREND? AND DO WE UNDERSTAND WHY WE DON'T HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE AS TO WHETHER IT IS ACTUALLY, UM, SLOWING DOWN? SORRY, TO, TO BE VAGUE ABOUT THAT.
UM, THERE THERE'S NO CONTACT TRACING THAT'S, UM, REALLY HAPPENING CONSISTENTLY.
UM, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE USED UTILIZING HOME TESTS THAT, UM, MAY OR MAY NOT BE REPORTING THEIR POSITIVE RESULTS.
UM, SO FOR THAT REASON, I CAN'T CONFIDENTLY TELL YOU THAT THAT DECLINE THAT WAS SHOWN ON THAT SLIDE IS ACTUAL, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT, THERE ARE A LOT OF UNKNOWNS, UM, AND IT'S FOR THE REASONS THAT YOU'VE JUST ARTICULATED ACTUALLY.
[00:50:01]
THANK YOU.UM, ONCE AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE TEAM FOR THEIR SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS.
I THINK THAT, UH, IT IS, IT IS CLEAR, UH, THAT PROGRESS IS BEING MADE AND THAT, UH, AND THAT, UH, A LOT OF THE RIGHT THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
UH, JUST WANNA, UH, JUST WANT TO CONTINUE TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE TO REDOUBLE OUR EFFORTS AND THOSE AREAS WHERE WE SEE LOW NUMBERS, THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY IS ONE OF THEM WHERE WE'RE STILL HOVERING AROUND THE 40% LEVEL.
UH, WE, WE REALLY HAVE TO TAKE, UH, WE REALLY HAVE TO WORK THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS AND THROUGH OUR TRUSTED COMMUNITIES TO MAKE PROGRESS.
SO I JUST WANT TO RECOMMEND ONE OF THOSE GROUPS THAT WORKED REALLY WELL AND ORGANIZING THE COMMUNITY, UH, THROUGH THE, UH, THROUGH NOT ONLY THE PANDEMIC, BUT ALSO THROUGH THE, THE WEATHER EXPERIENCE THAT WE HAD THROUGH, UH, URI, UH, AS THE BLACK LEADERS COLLECTED, IT SPEAKS TO A NUMBER OF INSTITUTIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL LEADERS.
IT HAS BEEN PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING THROUGH THEIR NETWORK, SO THAT, SO THAT THOSE PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, THAT ARE, THAT THEY ARE CONNECTED TO THAT ARE TRUSTED, WILL WORK WITH US SPECIFICALLY AND CONTINUOUSLY.
SO IF WE NEED INFORMATION TO REACH OUT TO THE BLACK LEADERS, COLLECTIVE I'LL PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION.
UM, MY PRIMARY KIND ROBINSON, UH, BUT MY QUESTION IS, UM, AS IT RELATES TO THE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, MENTORS IN, UH, UNDERSTANDING HAVING A DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF WHO'S BEEN SERVED, UH, BY, UH, BY THE TREATMENT KIND OF LOCATION AND, AND RACE, JUST TO GET AN IDEA OF WHO'S BEING SERVED, WHERE THEY'RE BEING SERVED AND HOW WE'RE COMMUNICATING TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, SO I KNOW THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ANSWERED RIGHT NOW, BUT IF I CAN GET THAT DEMOGRAPHIC SKETCH, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN, IN, IN EVALUATING THE SURE.
I'LL, I'LL GET THAT FOR NEXT WEEK.
AND IF I GET IT BEFORE, THEN I'LL SHARE IT WITH THE GROUP.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HOWARD.
UM, SO JUST WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT ON ABOUT THE EVENT ON SUNDAY.
I TOOK MY KIDS, UH, FIVE AND SIX YEARS OLD, GOT TO RIDE SOME CARNIVAL RIDES.
SO THANK YOU, VANESSA, FOR THE INVITE TO THAT, OR COUNCIL MEMBER FLINT DAYS, AND HOPE THAT WE CAN WORK ALL WORK TOGETHER TO DO MORE OF THOSE.
I THINK THAT REALLY WAS A GREAT SORT OF FAMILY EXPERIENCE AND THAT IT LOOKED LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT CAME OR THE PEOPLE THAT WERE TRYING TO GET TO COME TO GET VACCINES.
SO JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT ON THE, MY QUESTION, DR.
WACHS WOULD BE FOR YOU ON THE ALTERNATE CARE SIDE.
I KNOW MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE'VE ASKED THE STATE TO HELP FUND THE STAFFING AT THE ALTERNATE CARE SITE THAT WOULD IN TURN HELP RELIEVE PRESSURE AT OUR HOSPITALS.
AND IT'S FROM YOUR, THE, ONE OF THE CHARTS THAT YOU PUT UP.
IT LOOKS TO ME, I THINK YOU SAID THAT WE HAVE SOMEWHERE AROUND HALF OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ENTERING THE HOSPITALS OR WE'RE IN OUR WE'RE IN OUR ICU'S LOCALLY ARE ACTUALLY FROM OTHER COUNTIES.
AND SO MY, MY QUESTION IS HAVE WE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THE STATE TO HELP FUND THAT INCREASED STAFFING NEED TO HELP OUR HOSPITALS? UH, ARE THEY TRYING TO SAY THAT TRAVIS COUNTY SHOULD BE FUNDING, INCREASED STAFFING NEEDS, NOT JUST FOR OUR INCREASED NEEDS FROM TRAVIS COUNTY FOLKS, BUT ALSO FOR FOLKS FROM, I THINK THE 19 OR SO COUNTIES THAT ACTUALLY FEED INTO OUR HOSPITAL SYSTEM.
UM, SO THE WAY IT IS RIGHT NOW, SIR, IS THAT, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY STANDS ALONE IN THAT, UM, FUNDING.
AND, UM, AT THIS JUNCTURE THERE, HASN'T BEEN AN F UH, A POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM OUR REQUESTS FOR STAFFING.
UM, AND IT'S ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, CONSTRAINTS WITH MONEY.
SO, UM, WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO TRY TO, UM, A MASS COALITION OF SUPPORT FOR, UM, RACS THAT WE ARE, UM, EMBARKING ON SET, STANDING UP SO THAT WE CAN GET SOME FUNDING.
UM, WE REALIZED THAT RIGHT NOW, EVEN THOUGH OUR NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN AND THAT'S, AS I SAID, LARGELY DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE'RE STARTING TO, UM, GET THAT PROTECTION THAT WE NEED, UM, ADD IN OUR COMMUNITY.
[00:55:01]
QUOTE UNQUOTE HERD IMMUNITY, BECAUSE WHEN WE SAY 70% OF ELIGIBLE PEOPLE BEING VACCINATED, THAT JUST INCLUDES THOSE THAT ARE OVER 12, WHICH IS WHY WE CONTINUE TO SAY, WEAR YOUR MASK, PROTECT THOSE LITTLE KIDS.UM, HOWEVER, UM, WE'RE HOPING THAT WITH THE COALITION AND THE SUPPORT OF OUR SURROUNDING COUNTIES, THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, GET THE SUPPORT OF OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION WHO ARE NOW LOOKING AT APPROPRIATING ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT ARE COMING IN FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND THAT WITH THAT SUPPORT AND THE APPROPRIATE APPROPRIATION OF FUNDING, WE'LL BE ABLE TO, UM, MAKE A REQUEST AND, AND HAVE THE, AND THEN THE STATE WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEND THE STAFFING THAT WE NEED FOR ACS AND FOR OUR HOSPITALS AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES AND SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES THAT ARE ALL WORKING TO RESPOND.
UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE COVID, BUT WE'RE ALSO ANTICIPATING FOOD TO BUILD, UM, AND NUMBERS TO RISE UNLESS PEOPLE CONSISTENTLY WEAR THEIR MASKS AND DO GET THEIR FLU SHOTS, AS WELL AS THEIR COVID-19 SHOTS.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT OVER TO YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JUDGE BROWN.
I THINK, UH, THIS WEEK WE ARE GOING TO START WITH COUNCIL DISTRICT NUMBER 10.
SO COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, THANK YOU.
UM, CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE HERE ON REACHING THOSE MILESTONES.
UM, AND ALSO JUST, I KNOW WE'RE NOT POSTED FOR IT, BUT I WANTED TO THANK, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY FOR DECIDING TO DEVOTE 110 MILLION OF THEIR ART, BUT TO HELP THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND TO BUILD HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY, I THINK THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND THANK YOU, UM, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THAT.
UM, I WANTED TO BUILD ON WHAT, UM, JUDGE BROWN JUST BROUGHT UP AND, AND HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF, UM, THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE POSSIBILITIES EITHER FOR REGIONAL COLLABORATION OR HELP FROM THE STATE, UM, TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM WITH SO MUCH OF THE PRESSURE COMING FROM, UM, BEYOND TRAVIS COUNTY.
SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, ABOUT WHAT STEPS WE'RE TAKING AND, AND WHAT OPTIONS THERE ARE.
UM, AT APH WE ARE CONVENING, UM, AND WORKING WITH OUR COUNTY, UM, COUNTERPARTS TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHERE WE'RE SEEING THE STRESS POINTS AS IT WERE.
UM, THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT ARE SITTING IN OUR HOSPITALS WAITING FOR ADMISSION TO ICU, NOT ONLY FOR COVID, UM, BUT FOR THINGS LIKE HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES AND, UM, JUST GENERAL MEDICAL CARE.
UM, AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT ON AN ONGOING BASIS, UM, AND TRYING TO, UM, HAVE OUR COUNTERPARTS TALK TO THEIR POLICYMAKERS ABOUT THE SITUATION TO GARNER THEIR SUPPORT.
UM, AND AS FAR AS, UM, WHAT'S HAPPENING LEGISLATIVELY IN THIS THIRD SESSION, I'M TOLD THERE IS A LARGE SUM OF MONEY THAT'S GOING TO BE DISCUSSED AND, UM, UH, PORTIONED FOR COVID RESPONSE.
AND WE WOULD ASK THAT, UM, OUR POLICYMAKERS WOULD TAKE, UH, WHATEVER MEANS THEY NEED TO, UH, OR STEPS THEY NEED TO, TO MAKE THE CASE THAT WE NEED THAT HELP TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE STAFF FOR OUR HOSPITALS, UH, FOR OUR SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES THAT ARE TAKING ON, UH, DISCHARGED PATIENTS WHO STILL REQUIRE, UM, LENGTHY STAYS OF CARE FOR RECOVERY FROM COVID-19, AND ALSO FOR STAFFING AT OUR ACS WHERE, UM, LOOKING TO PROVIDE CARE FOR PEOPLE THAT STILL REQUIRE HIGH FLOW OXYGEN AND, UM, RECUPERATIVE TIME AFTER THEY'VE BEEN DISCHARGED OR TRANSFERRED FROM A HOSPITAL SETTING THAT WILL HELP OFFLOAD THE STRESS FROM THE HOSPITALS THEMSELVES OPEN UP MORE BEDS SO THAT WE CAN DO REGULAR MEDICAL CARE AND ICU CARE.
UM, AND WE ALSO ARE ANTICIPATING, AS I WAS MENTIONING THAT WHEN, IF THE FLU, UM, IS MORE PREVALENT THIS YEAR, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT CONSISTENTLY
[01:00:01]
MASKING AND OR BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING THEIR FLU SHOT, THAT WE MAY HAVE A CONCOMITANT SURGING, UM, OF, OF WHAT'S LEFT OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT VACCINATED GETTING COVID AND THOSE WHO ARE ALSO COMING TO THE FLOW.SO THAT'S THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE WE'RE PREPPING FOR, AND WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH IT, FRANKLY.
AND I APPRECIATE YOU BEING VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT THE CONCRETE WAYS THAT OUR STATE GOVERNMENT COULD BE SUPPORTING, UM, THE SITUATION THROUGH THE VARIOUS STAFFING EFFORTS.
UM, I WOULD ASK, UM, ACM HAYDEN HOWARD, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BE MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE FULLY MOBILIZING OUR INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS TEAM.
UM, AND IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT I, OR MY COLLEAGUES CAN, CAN SUPPORT THAT ADVOCACY, UM, PLEASE REACH OUT TO US TO ENGAGE US IN THAT PROCESS.
UM, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, UM, I DO HOPE THAT OUR GOVERNOR CHOOSES TO SPEND THE MONEY ON HELPING THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY RATHER THAN ON TAX RELIEF.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER TEVA.
UM, THANKS TO OUR, ALL OF OUR STAFF, UM, AT THE COUNTY AND THE CITY AND ALL OF OUR PARTNERS ACROSS THE REGION WHO ARE WORKING HARD TO GET VACCINES TO PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS AS THE HEADLINES CONTINUE TO SAY WE'RE INCHING TOWARDS STAGE FOUR AND APPROACHING STAGE FOUR.
IT IT'S, IT'S SO CRITICAL TO REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE FAMILIES WHOSE LIVES ARE BEING JUST IRREPARABLY AND HORRIBLY CHANGED BY THIS DISEASE.
SO I APPRECIATE THE CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON HOW SERIOUS THE DISEASES AND THE NECESSITY OF, OF BOTH MASKING AND VACCINES.
UM, AND I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION FOR TODAY.
I SEE THE MAYOR PRO TEM MOVING AROUND, UM, BUT YOU GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIRD DOSES AND BOOSTERS.
AND IF THERE IS ANY MORE INFORMATION YOU CAN SHARE ABOUT THE TIMELINE OF BEING AVAILABLE FOR FOLKS.
SO THIRD DOSES ARE FOR AGAIN, ANYONE WHO IS IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.
UM, SO YOU, YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION THAT IS SUPPRESSING YOUR IMMUNE RESPONSE.
WACHS HELPED ME OUT WITH THIS, I BELIEVE IT'S, UH, 28 DAYS AFTER YOU FINISH YOUR COURSE, YOU CAN GET THAT THIRD DOSE TO GIVE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM THAT BOOST THAT IT NEEDS TO, UM, PROTECT YOURSELF FROM.
AND SO THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED.
WE HAVE THE GUIDANCE FROM ACEP, WHICH IS THE ADVISORY COMMISSION ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES.
WE'RE ABLE TO GIVE FOLKS THOSE THAT THIRD DOSE.
IT DOESN'T REQUIRE, UM, A DOCTOR'S NOTE.
WE DO ASK THAT CLIENTS SELF ATTEST THAT THEY ARE IN FACT IMMUNOCOMPROMISED WHEN THEY SHOW UP TO ONE OF OUR LOCATIONS TO GET THAT DOSE.
THE BOOSTER SHOT IS, UM, WHAT THE, UH, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES ARE SAYING IS NECESSARY BECAUSE THE PROTECTION THAT, UM, ONE MIGHT RECEIVE FROM THE VACCINE WANES OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
AND SO PFIZER, FOR EXAMPLE, IS SAYING THAT THE PROTECTION OF, OF THEIR, THE TWO DOSES THAT YOU RECEIVE IS SHOWN TO WANE AFTER THAT SIX TO NINE MONTH PERIOD.
AND SO FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO, UM, OR FEEL THE NEED THAT THEY WANT TO KEEP THAT PROTECTION UP, YOU WOULD GET A BOOSTER SHOT.
AND THAT IS WHAT, UM, WAS RECENTLY APPROVED, BUT ONLY FOR FOLKS THAT FIT THOSE THREE CATEGORIES THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, YOU'RE 65 OR OLDER, UM, YOU'RE AT HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE FROM COVID OR YOU WORK IN A, UH, OCCUPATION THAT MAKES YOUR RISK FOR COVID HIGHER.
SO ANYONE THAT FALLS IN THAT CATEGORY WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR A BOOSTER SHOT.
WHAT WE'RE WAITING ON IS FOR THE, THE ACEP OR THE ADVISORY ON, UH, THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES TO GIVE OUT THE GUIDELINES FOR, UM, HOW THAT SHOT WILL BE GIVEN NOW THAT THE FDA HAS APPROVED PFIZER AND ONLY PFIZER FOR A BOOSTER SHOT.
ARE THERE, DID I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, ANY RESIDUAL OR NEW QUESTIONS? I THINK THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL.
I KNOW WE'VE JUST GOT SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT CLARIFYING THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION FOR FOLKS, UM, WHO MAYBE HAVEN'T TALKED TO THEIR DOCTOR YET, BUT STILL WANT TO KNOW THE INFORMATION.
[01:05:01]
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING.THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS FOR JUMPING RIGHT ON IN.
I WAS MOVING AROUND MY APOLOGIES.
UM, WE ARE AT DISTRICT SEVEN, UH, I BELIEVE, OH, SO COUNCIL MEMBER POOL HAD TO STEP AWAY.
UM, SHE HAD ANOTHER MEETING AND SHE WANTED TO EXPRESS HER GRATITUDE TO THE TEAM FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ALL PUT INTO PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION TO US, UM, DURING THE COURSE OF OUR JOINT MEETINGS.
UM, SO WE'LL MOVE TO COUNCIL DISTRICT SIX.
I DON'T SEE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY.
UM, IF YOU ARE PRESENT, I DON'T SEE ANYBODY ON THE PHONE AND WHICH CASE WE'LL MOVE TO COUNCIL DISTRICT NUMBER FIVE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
AND I, UH, ECHO WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID.
UM, AND AS, AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR FOR RECOGNIZING THE COUNTY FOR THEIR, UM, FOR THEIR ACTION RELATED TO, UM, UH, ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS.
UM, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND I, I THINK THAT, UH, WITH THE COUNTY HAS DONE IN THAT REGARD IS GOING TO, IS GOING TO BE, UM, UNIQUE AND VERY HELPFUL TO THIS EFFORT.
UM, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS, UM, UH, THAT, AND, AND AGAIN, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR ALL THE EFFORTS THAT YOU ARE PURSUING, PARTICULARLY TO TRY TO REACH, UH, FOLKS IN, IN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE LAGGING IN VACCINES.
UM, FIRST ONE IS, AND I'LL ASK THEM TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY'RE RELATED, BUT THE FIRST ONE IS, DO YOU, DO YOU SEE ANY CHANGES IN OUR APPROACH OR ANY, UM, ABILITY TO LEVERAGE THE RECENT ACTIONS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RELATED TO VACCINES? DO YOU SEE ANY ASPECTS OF THOSE ACTIONS THAT WILL HELP US LOCALLY OR ANY THAT ANY OF THOSE, UM, REQUIREMENTS OR INCENTIVES THAT WE CAN USE TO, TO LEVERAGE, TO INCREASE OUR, OUR VACCINATION RATES? SO THAT'S ONE QUESTION.
AND THEN THE SECOND QUESTION IS WE MENTIONED, UM, VACCINATION RATES IN NEIGHBORING COUNTIES.
UM, ARE WE TAKING ANY SPECIFIC ACTIONS TO, UH, ASSIST THOSE COUNTS? SO I'LL START.
UM, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYERS OF, SO, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE S AGAIN, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE THE PLAN IS LAID OUT AND WE'RE WAITING FOR THE DETAILS ON IMPLEMENTATION.
AND SO TO MY KNOWLEDGE, UM, WE ARE LOOKING FOR, UM, INFORMATION FROM OSHA ABOUT HOW THAT THOSE MANDATES WILL, UM, IMPACT EMPLOYERS, UM, FROM ALSO FROM MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE LANGUAGE KIND OF ROLLS BACK A LITTLE BIT AND, UM, THERE'S NO REQUIREMENTS, BUT A LOT OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND THOSE THINGS, UM, THAT WERE IN THAT PLAN ARE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN SAYING LOCALLY.
UM, AS A CITY THAT WE WILL MODEL THE WAY FOR OTHER EMPLOYERS, UM, THIS COUNCIL TOOK VERY DECISIVE ACTION TO OFFER BENEFITS TO ITS EMPLOYEES, WITH RESPECT, TO GETTING, UM, VACCINATION AND, UM, COVID LEAVE IF YOU'RE VACCINATED AND THEN HAPPENED TO CONTRACT COVID.
AND SO THOSE ARE ALL THE IDEAS THAT WE SHARE, UM, WITH OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS AND WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT ONCE WE GET AN IDEA OF, OF, YOU KNOW, THAT THE GRANULAR DETAILS OF THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE ROLLOUT, I'LL BE ABLE TO SPEAK ABOUT THAT MORE INTELLIGENTLY.
UM, AND, OH, MY MOM BRAIN FORGOT THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION, PLEASE REFRESH MY MEMORY.
I KNOW THAT WE, UH, WE WANT TO BE SUPPORTIVE TO OUR SURROUNDING COUNTIES WOULD WORK WITH THEM NOW ON MANY INITIATIVES.
AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, UH, IF THERE ARE WAYS AT THIS POINT WHERE WE CAN BE, OR HAVE BEEN HELPFUL TO THEM, UM, AS THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH THEIR EFFORTS EFFORTS TO RAISE THEIR VACCINATION RATES.
WACHS MOVER IN HER HAND TOWARDS THE MUTE BUTTON.
SO I'LL SAY A FEW WORDS AND THEN, UH, ALLOW HER TO SPEAK OR GIVE HER THE FLOOR RATHER.
UM, I THINK THIS CONVERSATION THAT SHE'S PULLING TOGETHER ABOUT THE, UH, COMBINED LEVERAGE THAT WE CAN HAVE ON OUR ELECTEDS FOR THE ADVOCACY, WITH THE STATE TO GET ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR THE ACS IS A FIRST STEP.
I KNOW THAT, UM, AS A PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WE'VE SHARED VACCINE WITH FOLKS, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO TRANSFER TO SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE IN NEED OF DOSES.
AND SO WHEN WE HAVE ADDITIONAL SUPPLY, LIKE WEEKLY DOCTOR WALKS AND I ARE ASSIGNING TRANSFER ORDERS TO, UM, SUPPORT AGENCIES AND GIVING OUT VACCINES.
AND SO IF THAT'S A THING, AS WE, AS THE CONVERSATIONS DEVELOPED
[01:10:01]
WITH OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTIES, UM, WE CAN CONTINUE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.BUT I THINK THIS CONVERSATION THAT SHE'S HAVING IS THE FIRST STEP OF HOW WE CAN LOOK AT THIS MORE COLLABORATIVELY.
WALKS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT THE JUDGE AND THE CONSTABLE AND CHILDCARE, UM, ALWAYS BEEN VERY MUCH ABOUT COLLABORATION.
AND SO WE'VE GOT THAT FIVE COUNTY COLLABORATIVE.
THAT'S BEEN DOING VACCINATIONS, AND THERE'S SURELY GOING TO BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND THAT AS WELL.
SO, UM, AND THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE DOING IS REACHING OUT WITH OUR PIO, UM, AND TALKING TO STAKEHOLDERS OUT IN OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES.
UM THE FIRST OF WHICH IS THE CATTLEMAN'S ASSOCIATION, JUST TO SEE ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN REACH OUT TO, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN OUR SURROUNDING COUNTIES AND ADDRESS SOME OF THE VACCINE HESITANCY THAT MIGHT BE OUT AND IN THOSE AREAS AS WELL.
SO IT'S KIND OF A MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH.
UM, AND WE'RE HOPEFUL IT'S GOING TO CAUSE IT WORKED HERE.
WE'VE, WE'VE DONE SOME GOOD THINGS HERE WITH JUST GETTING OUT THERE AND, AND, AND INCORPORATING THE THOUGHTS AND IDEAS AND, AND, AND WE'LL HAVE THE PEOPLE.
UM, IT LOOKS LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER CASA, UM, MAY HAVE STEPPED OFF IN WHICH CASE WE'LL MOVE OVER TO COUNCIL DISTRICT NUMBER THREE.
SO COUNCIL MEMBER
AND CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, SIR.
AND I ALSO WANT TO ECHO WHAT MY COLLEAGUE AND THE CUNY, UH, THAT'S BEEN SAYING, UH, COMMISSIONERS, UH, THANK, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL GUYS ARE REALLY HEROES OUT THERE, BUT WENT OUT THERE EVERY WEEKEND AND EVERY DAY, MAKING SURE THAT OUR POPULATION IS GETTING VACCINATED.
AND THEN, UH, I HAVE A MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE THAT OUT THERE THAT DON'T WANT TO GET VACCINATED.
I HAD FAMILY COUSINS, NOT IMMEDIATE FAMILY, BUT COUSINS AND, AND COMPILERS AND COMMODITIES THAT DIDN'T BELIEVE IN THAT AND THE SUFFERING THEY WENT THROUGH THERE.
IT'S JUST HORRIBLE ONE, UH, ONE PERSON THAT, UH, HER HUSBAND TOOK FOUR MONTHS TO RECOVER FROM THIS.
HE'D BEEN OUT OF WORK FOR FOUR MOONS.
AND IF YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT HOW IT'S GONNA AFFECT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, WHAT IF YOUR CHILD GETS SICK AND YOU SEE THEM SUFFERING THEY'RE IN THE HOSPITAL? IS SHE AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT? YOU DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT.
SO PLEASE, PLEASE GO OUT THERE AND GET BACK TO ME.
THEN I GOT MY THIRD BOOSTER BECAUSE I'M 71 AND I HAD A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION.
AND WHILE I WAS THERE, I ALSO GOT MY FLU SHOT.
IT'S UM, HERE SOON, UH, THE COLD WEATHER IT'S COMING, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE INSIDE AND IF YOU'RE NOT VACCINATED, YOU WILL CATCH THE FLU.
AND I'VE HAD IT TWICE IN MY LIFETIME AND EITHER WANT TO GO THROUGH IT.
IT'S HORRIBLE FOR 10 DAYS HERE AT HOME, IF NOT LONGER, LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO DIE ANY MINUTE.
SO PLEASE JUST EMAIL COMMON SENSE, GO OUT THERE AND GET BACK IN THERE.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, COUNCIL, WOMAN FLINT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT MESSAGE CONTENT ALREADY.
AND ECHO THE SENTIMENTS THAT YOU ARE SHARING.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, IT'S GOOD NEWS TODAY TO SEE THAT WE ARE AT 70% FULLY VACCINATED IN TRAVIS COUNTY, BUT THE REALITY IS THAT THERE ARE SO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE STILL, WHO ARE UNVACCINATED AND ARE STILL WAITING TO GET THEIR FIRST DOSE.
AND WE SAW THAT JUST YESTERDAY AT THE EVENT THAT WE HOSTED AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS, WHERE A MAJORITY OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO GOT THE VACCINE WERE FIRST DOSE VACCINES, AND PREDOMINANTLY MANY OF THEM WERE SPANISH SPEAKERS.
AND SO KNOWING THAT THE PERCENTAGE CHANGE OF VACCINATION RATES BETWEEN OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND HISPANIC COMMUNITIES ARE, ARE LAGGING, UH, AND VERY SLOW.
I WANT TO ASK, YOU KNOW, WHAT MORE CAN WE BE DOING? WHAT MORE ARE WE DOING, UM, TO HAVE BI-CULTURAL EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH
[01:15:01]
TO HELP VACCINATE OUR VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES? I'LL START.I MEAN, AND I LAUGHED BECAUSE, UH, THIS IS PROBABLY THE, THE WORK THAT REQUIRES THE MOST EFFORT ON OUR PARTS, BUT IT IS GOING TO HAVE HUGE REWARD.
AND IT TAKES A LOT OF STAMINA WHEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH POPULATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED, UM, BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO BASICALLY SLAP A BAND-AID ON A CUT TO YOUR CAROTID ARTERY.
UM, SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED IN THE SLIDE ABOUT THE OUTREACH, UM, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, HAVING THINGS AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.
UM, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SPENDING MONEY IN THE RIGHT PLACES, ESPECIALLY FOR SPANISH SPEAKING MEDIA, UM, WHERE WE'RE CONTRACTING OUT SOME OF OUR COMMUNICATION SERVICES SO THAT WE CAN GET SOME OF THAT, UM, SPECIALIZED, UH, UH, COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING THAT'S BASED IN BEHAVIOR CHANGE THEORY TO HELP US, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE'VE IDENTIFIED, WHETHER THE BARRIERS THAT PEOPLE, UM, THE BARRIERS THAT ARE ROOTED IN THAT IDEOLOGY THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
AND SO ONCE WE'VE FINISHED THAT PROCUREMENT PROCESS, WE HOPE TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO SPECIALIZES IN THAT WORK THAT CAN HELP US CRAFT, UM, MORE FOCUSED, UM, EFFORTS.
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE SEE THAT ARE WORKING, BUT JUST NOT AT THE PACE THAT WE WOULD LIKE, UM, MORE EVENTS LIKE YOU SPONSORED THIS WEEKEND.
I MEAN, PEOPLE USING THEIR, THEIR PERSONAL, UH, CAPITAL TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DO SOMETHING IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT.
I MEAN, AN AND EACH OF YOU HAVE A PLATFORM AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, BOUND TO THE AREA THAT YOU REPRESENT.
WE COULD ALL LOCK ARMS. AND BECAUSE WE CARE ABOUT THE CITY AS A WHOLE, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING THOSE EFFORTS IN THE PARTS OF OUR COUNTY THAT ARE STILL STRUGGLING.
UM, AND SO IT WILL BE, YOU KNOW, AND I, I, I FEEL LIKE I A BROKEN RECORD, BUT IT IS A TRUTH WHEN I TALKED TO MY COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE STATE WHO ARE, WERE IN THE REGION WHO ARE DOING THIS WORK, THIS, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE.
IT'S THE SLOW AND PAINFUL PROCESS OF TRYING TO INTERJECT SOME GOOD INTO SYSTEMS AND COMMUNITIES THAT WERE ALREADY BROKEN.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M GLAD THAT YOU GAVE THE CAVEAT.
I TOO AM GLAD THAT WE ARE AT THE 70%.
AND I WON'T SAY, BUT I'LL SAY, AND BECAUSE SOMEONE TOLD ME WHAT YOU SAY, BUT YOU NEGATE WHAT YOU JUST SAID, SO THAT 70% IS GOOD AND WE HAVE TO KEEP GOING UNTIL ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES REACH THAT GOAL.
IT'S NOT ENOUGH THAT, YOU KNOW, WE REACHED THE OVERALL GOAL AND WE PAT OURSELVES ON THE BACK AND HIGH FIVE AND GO HOME.
UM, AND I, I KNOW THAT THE COUNTY AND THE COLLABORATIVE IN AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH ARE COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT WE EMPLOY WHATEVER METHODS THAT WE CAN TO GET TO THAT POINT.
SO IT'S, IT'S A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AND THEN BRINGING NEW, UM, NEW, NEW MINDS AND NEW IDEAS TO THE PROCESS AS WELL THROUGH THAT CONTRACT.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT WHAT ELSE WE CAN BE DOING AND EMPLOYING, AND I, I AGREE WITH YOU ON THAT FRONT, THAT JUST KEEPING, UM, YOU KNOW, THE FOCUS AND, AND THE DEDICATION OF EFFORTS TOWARDS GETTING OUR UNVACCINATED VACCINATED, UM, IS STILL, UM, VERY TIMELY AND NEEDED AND SHOULD REMAIN OUR FOCUS.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO, UM, GIVE MY, EXTEND MY GRATITUDE TO APH FOR BEING OUT THERE ON SUNDAY AT CODA, TO DO THE VACCINES, UM, AND ALSO WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO MY TEAM, JESSICA CHRISTIAN, JESSE, AND ELISIA FOR ALL OF THEIR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION AND HELPING HOST THAT COMMUNITY EVENT FOR OUR DEL VALLEY COMMUNITY.
IT LOOKS LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER CASADA HAS REJOINED US.
UM, SO WE'LL GO TO YOU AND THEN WE'LL GO OVER TO, UM, UH, COME TO ME, CAN'T REMEMBER, CAUSE THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM.
UH, I WANT TO, UH, REEMPHASIZE WHAT I HAD MENTIONED LAST WEEK AND WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN MENTIONED THAT I THINK ONE REAL WE'RE AT THE POINT WHERE I THINK ALSO THESE REQUIREMENTS GOING INTO EFFECT WILL BE REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND I JUST WANT OUR CITY TO BE AS, AND COUNTED THE, AS PREPARED AS POSSIBLE THAT IF WE CAN HELP OSHA ENFORCE THAT REQUIREMENT, UH, I WANT US TO BE READY ON DAY ONE TO DO THAT.
UM, BECAUSE I KNOW THEIR RESOURCES ARE ALWAYS SPREAD THIN AND IF THERE'S ANY ABILITY FOR US TO LOCALLY MAKE SURE OUR EMPLOYERS ARE, ARE FOLLOWING THOSE RULES.
WACHS, UM, AND EACH OF THE SURGEONS WE'VE SEEN SORT OF A SIMILAR SHAPE OF THE, UH, OF THE CASES GOING UP AND COMING DOWN IN A CERTAIN SHAPE, HOSPITALIZATIONS GOING UP AND COMING DOWN IN A CERTAIN SHAPE.
[01:20:01]
LOOKING AT THIS, UH, CHART FROM TODAY, IT LOOKS LIKE THE DOWNWARD SLOPE IS KIND OF BUMPY.ARE WE, IS THERE ANYTHING TO UNDERSTAND OR DRAW FROM THAT, OR WE'RE JUST STILL LEARNING ABOUT IT.
IT JUST LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER TWO SURGEONS THAT'S BECAUSE IT HAS, UH, THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL REOPENING AND THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND CASES THAT WE NORMALLY SAY WHEN WE'VE HAD EVENTS THAT CAUSE, UM, MORE CONGREGATED, UM, UH, SCENARIOS AND THE IMPACT OF HAVING THAT MIX OF PEOPLE IN CLOSE CONTACT AND THE INCREASE IN CASES THAT WE SEE AFTER THAT, UM, THE SURGE IS DIFFERENT ALSO IN THAT THE OTHER, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATE RANGE ON THE, WHEN I DID THE COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EARLIEST SURGE OF THIS BEER AND THIS ONE AT WHAT TOOK 10 WEEKS TO EVOLVE, UM, IN THE PREVIOUS SEARCH TOOK ABOUT TWO AND A HALF TO THREE WEEKS TO, FOR US TO SURGE UP IN THE NUMBER OF CASES BECAUSE OF THE, THEIR ISLANDS, THE INCREASED TRANSMISSIBILITY AND SEVERITY OF DISEASE FROM THIS DELTA VARIANT.
SO THE SEARCH, UM, THE SURGE IS DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF THE ENTITY, THE VARIANT OF COVID-19 THAT'S CAUSING THE DISEASE.
AND I ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
THE TWO THAT I DID HAVE MY COLLEAGUES, UH, DEFINITELY ADDRESSED.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO JUST SAY, UM, WELL REPEAT THE SENTIMENT OF MY COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE THE DEEPEST APPRECIATION FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT AND TRUE DEDICATION THAT GOES INTO DOING THIS WORK.
I RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS MULTIFACETED AND COMPLEX AND NUANCED, AND THERE'S SO MUCH TO IT.
UM, AND JUST REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORT THAT GOES INTO, UH, ALL THE WORK THAT GETS DONE.
UM, I DON'T, UM, I'M NOT A SAUSAGE MAKER MYSELF, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW IT HAPPENS, BUT I KNOW THAT Y'ALL GET IT DONE AND WE JUST REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THE END RESULT.
UH, AND THAT SAID, JUDGE BROWN, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY FOR THE CONTINUING EFFORTS ON THIS.
UM, CLEARLY IT'S NOT OVER SOUNDS LIKE TOUGH TIMES COULD BE COMING AGAIN WITH, WITH THE SEASONAL FLU AND IF WE HAVE ANOTHER SURGE OF COVID IN DECEMBER, SO DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE, FRANKLY, KEEP GETTING VACCINES AND TOGETHER WE'LL ALL GET THROUGH THIS.
UM, I WILL GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN THE MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT.
UH, AND WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK ABOUT, UH, 10, UH, WHAT 40 WE'LL COME BACK.
UM, AND THEN I'LL PASS IT RIGHT NOW OVER TO YOU MAYOR PRO TIM TO ADJOURN YOUR MEETING AS WELL.
HOPEFULLY Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD REST OF YOUR DAY.
UM, WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO ADJOURN THE JOINT COUNCIL MEETING WITH THE TRAVIS COUNTY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST AT 10:31 AM HAVE A GREAT DAY.