[COVID-19: Media Q & A (English)]
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GOOD MORNING, I'M MELISSA ARMSTRONG, AND I WILL BE YOUR MODERATOR FOR THIS MORNING'S PRESS CONFERENCE.
FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR SPEAKERS, STEPHANIE HAYDEN, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH, JANET PICHETTE, CHIEF EPIDEMIOLOGIST, AND DR.
MARK SCOTT IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY.
WE JUMP INTO THE Q AND A PORTION.
I WILL ASK IF ANY OF OUR APA REPRESENTATIVES HAVE ANY UPDATES.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
I AM STEPHANIE HAYDEN, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, THE DEPARTMENT IS WORKING ON A, UM, HOLISTIC ROADMAP, WHICH WILL BE A PLAN FOR US TO ADDRESS, TO ADDRESS OUR, UM, CONCERNED WITH HEALTH DISPARITIES, AS WELL AS THE, UM, DISPROPORTIONATE RATES OF PEOPLE OF COLOR IN OUR COVID-19 DATA, WE WILL BE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE COMMUNITY ON THIS PLAN TO RECEIVE THEIR FEEDBACK.
WE HAVE SCHEDULED A FORUM FOR JUNE 13TH, FROM 10 TO 12, AND SO MORE INFORMATION TO COME, BUT WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE FORUM.
WE'RE UNABLE TO HEAR YOU TALK TO ESCO.
I'M GOING TO SHARE SOME SLIDES WITH YOU THAT I FIRST PRESENTED AT COUNCIL YESTERDAY TO REALLY ILLUSTRATE SOME GOOD WORK THAT OUR TEAM IN AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH HAVE DONE, UH, RELATING TO OUR DATA, UH, IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, SO I'M GONNA EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, ABOUT WHAT THIS DATA AND HOW THIS DATA WAS COLLECTED.
SO THESE, UH, THESE GRAPHS REPRESENT INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD ONSET OF COVID-19 ILLNESS IN MARCH OR APRIL OF 2020.
THOSE INDIVIDUALS WERE THEN FOLLOWED FOR ANOTHER THREE WEEKS THROUGH MAY THE 21ST, UH, TO DETERMINE IF THEY RECOVERED, IF THEY HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED OR IF THEY HAD DIED.
AND WHAT WE FOUND OUT THAT, THROUGH THAT IS, IS THE INFORMATION I'M SHOWING YOU HERE.
SO THAT'S 1,984 INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE FOLLOWED.
AND, UH, WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, FOR COVID-19, WE HAVE A HOSPITALIZATION RATE OVERALL OF 16% AND A CASE FATALITY RATE OF 3.6%.
AS YOU CAN SEE THE RISK OF HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH INCREASES WITH AGE, GENERALLY SPEAKING WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THAT ZERO TO NINE AGE GROUP, BUT WE WENT A STEP FURTHER AND IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO GO A STEP FURTHER TO LOOK AT THE DETAILS OF THE DATA, BECAUSE THERE IS IMPORTANCE IN THAT, IN THOSE DETAILS.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU IS, UH, IS OUR LOOK SPECIFICALLY AT NURSING HOME RESIDENTS.
SO IT'S SEPARATED OUT NURSING HOME RESIDENTS ON THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY TO LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE IN IMPACT IN THOSE TWO SEPARATE DISTINCT COMMUNITIES.
AND WHAT WE FOUND IS A DRAMATICALLY HIGHER RATE OF DEATH AMONGST NURSING HOME RESIDENTS, 22.5% OVERALL, AND A 30% RATE OF, UH, OF HOSPITALIZATION.
SO ROUGHLY DOUBLE THE HOSPITALIZATION AND MANY TIMES THE RATE OF, OF DEATH FOR THESE RESIDENTS.
AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE, THE RATES OF DEATH INCREASED WITH AGE, WITH THE PEAK BEING AT THOSE INDIVIDUALS OVER THE AGE OF 80, UH, HAVING A 30% RATE OF DEATHS AND SUBSTANTIAL RATES OF HOSPITALIZATIONS FROM AGE 50 ON UP, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE HAD A FEW INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE YOUNGER, WHO HAVE BEEN RESIDENTS OF NURSING HOMES.
THAT SEEMED TO BE LESS SEVERELY IMPACTED BY THIS DISEASE.
AGAIN, REINFORCING WHAT WE EXPECTED THAT AGE IS A SUBSTANTIAL FACTOR ASSOCIATED WITH, UH, WITH COVID-19, UH, HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH, AS WELL AS THOSE UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS.
NOW, WHEN WE TAKE OUT THE NURSING HOME RESIDENTS AND WE JUST LOOK AT COMMUNITY MEMBERS LIVING OUTSIDE OF NURSING HOME, IT ALSO PAINTS AN IMPORTANT PICTURE FOR US THAT SHOWS US THAT THE CASE FATALITY RATE, WHEN WE TAKE OUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS IS HALF OF WHEN WE LOOK AT THOSE GROUPS TOGETHER.
SO 1.7% WITH A HOSPITALIZATION RATE OF 14.6%.
AGAIN, IN THE COMMUNITY SETTING, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE IS AN AGE RELATED, A CORRELATION BETWEEN HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATHS, BUT THOSE
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NUMBERS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN IN THE AGE GROUPS ASSOCIATED WITH NURSING HOME RESIDENTS.WHEN WE FURTHER CONSIDER WHAT, UH, WHAT OUR COLLEAGUES AT UT HAVE, UH, HAVE PUT TOGETHER FOR US IN THAT AS AN ESTIMATION OF DETECTION RATE.
SO THIS IS THE PERCENTAGE OF CASES, OVERALL CASES THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY DETECTING.
THEY ESTIMATE THAT THERE ARE SEVEN TO EIGHT TIMES THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES, UH, THEN WE HAVE DISPLAYED HERE, UH, BUT WE'RE VERY CONFIDENT IN THE NUMBERS OF HOSPITALIZATIONS AND THE NUMBERS OF DEATHS, BECAUSE WE'RE DOING EXTENSIVE TESTING FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN HOSPITALIZED AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS, IF THOSE NUMBERS ARE ACCURATE AND WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO FIND OUT THE, YOU KNOW, MORE EXACT NUMBERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INFECTION RATE, IF THAT INFECTION RATE IS TRUE, THEN OUR INFECTION FATALITY RATE DROPS FROM 1.7% OVERALL TO ABOUT 0.2 TO 0.3%.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT AGE GROUPS, PARTICULARLY AGE, LESS THAN 50 OR 60, THOSE NUMBERS DROPPED SUBSTANTIALLY.
SO INDIVIDUALS LIKE MYSELF IN THE 40 TO 49 AGE GROUP WOULD HAVE ABOUT THE 0.1% CHANCE OF DEATH FROM COVID-19.
THIS IS REASSURING INFORMATION, BUT WE ALSO MUST BE VERY CAUTIOUS BECAUSE THIS DOES NOT PAINT A PICTURE OF RISK FOR EVERYBODY IN THIS AGE GROUP, INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE A HIGHER RATE OF UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS, SUCH AS HYPERTENSION, DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, ARE GOING TO HAVE A MORE COMPLICATED RISK OF BOTH HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
NOW WE'LL GO BACK TO HER, SEE IF SHE HAS ANY UPDATES.
UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES.
UM, I WAS JUST GOING TO GIVE, UM, AN UPDATE RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE PAST EIGHT DAYS.
WE HAVE HAD AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEW COVID CASES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, UH, AGAIN, WE'VE HAD ROUGHLY 500 NEW CASES IN THE PAST EIGHT DAYS.
AND AGAIN, AS DR S SCOTT HAS MENTIONED, WE'VE ALSO SEEN AN INCREASE IN HOSPITALIZATION RATE THAT TENDS TO OCCUR ABOUT A WEEK AFTER THOSE CASES ARE REPORTED.
UM, MANY OF THESE CASES HAVE HAD SYMPTOM ONSET AND THAT COINCIDES WITH THE REOPENING OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND ALSO WITH MOTHER'S DAY AND MEMORIAL DAY.
UM, THE OTHER UPDATE I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE IS THAT OUR PUBLIC FACING DASHBOARD WILL BE REPORTING THE NEW RECOVERY NUMBER THAT IS IN SYNC WITH THE WAY THE, UH, UH, RECOVERY RATE IS, UH, REPORTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES, SO THAT WE'RE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THEM.
UH, THE CURRENT NUMBER THAT WE REPORT OUT IS BASED ON WHETHER A PERSON HAS RECOVERED AT THE TIME THAT THEY ARE INTERVIEWED BY OUR EPIDEMIOLOGY STAFF.
UM, AND THIS RECOVERY ESTIMATE, UH, WILL ALSO INCLUDE, UM, UM, THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT, UH, WE FEEL HAVE, UH, RECOVERED FROM THEIR ILLNESS AND WHATNOT OVER THE, UH, SINCE THEY'VE BEEN INTERVIEWED.
SO IT'LL PROVIDE A MUCH BETTER IDEA OF HOW MANY, UH, CASES HAVE RECOVERED IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AT THIS TIME WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR POOR PORTER WHO WILL ASK QUESTIONS OF OUR SPEAKERS.
HEY GUYS, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES.
THIS IS BRIDGET SPENCER WITH BOX SEVEN.
UM, SO OUR FIRST QUESTION WILL COME FROM US.
ARE WE EXPECTING A SURGEON CASES IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, JUST DUE TO ALL THE PROTESTS GOING ON? OKAY.
UH, SO WE ARE EXPECTING AN INCREASE IN CASES, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, DISEASES TRANSMITTED BY PERSON TO PERSON INTERACTIONS.
UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS PLEASED TO SEE MANY, UH, PEOPLE PARTICIPATING IN PEACEFUL PROTESTS OR WEARING MASKS AND, AND THAT SHOULD HELP TO MITIGATE THAT RISK, BUT SOCIAL DISTANCING WAS IMPOSSIBLE AND IN MANY OF THOSE LOCATIONS.
AND SO WE, WE ARE CONCERNED THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE AN UPTICK IN CASES RELATED TO THAT, AS WELL AS TO RELATED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE OPENING CONTINUED, UH, OPENING, UH, BUSINESSES, UH, TO, TO A FURTHER EXTENT.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE WATCH FOR THAT OUR, OUR HOSPITAL CAPACITY, UH, IN CERTAINLY IN A GOOD SITUATION RIGHT NOW, SO WE CAN HANDLE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY.
UH, BUT I'LL, I'LL PASS IT OVER TO STEPHANIE FOR S FIRST, SOME ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE PROTESTS,
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UH, YOU KNOW, IF, UH, IF THEY WANT TO GET TESTED.ASCOT, WE ARE ENCOURAGING INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROTESTS.
PLEASE GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND TAKE THE ASSESSMENT AND, UM, AND SIGN UP FOR A, A TEST.
WE WOULD LIKE TO BE PROACTIVE IN THIS SPACE AND GET YOU TO COME IN AND, AND TAKE OUR TESTS.
AND PLEASE JUST, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO INTO THE WEBSITE, JUST, JUST FOLLOW THE LINKS.
AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING AT THE, AS ON THAT ASSESSMENT AND THE WEBSITE, JUST CONTACT THREE, ONE, ONE, BUT WE WELCOME YOU TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE THAT ASSESSMENT AND COME IN AND TAKE THE TEST WITH US.
NOW THE NEXT QUESTION, CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT THE PLAN THAT YOU'RE SHARING ON JUNE 13TH, SUCH AS WHAT IT MIGHT ENTAIL, THE FUNDING REQUIRED AND THE TIMEFRAME FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION? WHAT WE, UM, HAVE, HAVE PUT TOGETHER IS BASICALLY A DRAFT PLAN.
WE AT THE CITY ARE, UM, ARE FULLY COMMITTED TO A PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND WE ARE WANTING TO HEAR FROM THEM.
SO WE WILL, WE WILL SHARE SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER, WHICH LOOKS AT, UM, UM, TESTING AND TARGETED NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, IN AREAS WHERE WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE A HIGHER NUMBER OF COVID-19 CASES AND WHERE THERE ARE, UM, A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF HEALTH DISPARITIES.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE ARE ALSO, UM, REALLY LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE, UM, WOULD LIKE TO IDENTIFY A PARTNER IN THOSE TARGET ZIP CODES, WHERE THE CITY WOULD BE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH THEM.
AND THEY'D BE AN AMBASSADOR FOR US.
WE, AS WE KNOW, UM, WE ARE GOVERNMENT.
AND SO SOMETIMES WHEN GOVERNMENT COMES IN, UM, PEOPLE ARE NOT NECESSARILY WANTING TO, UM, TO WORK WITH GOVERNMENT.
SO WE FEEL LIKE THAT IF WE HAVE A PARTNER THAT HAS AN EXISTING RELATIONSHIP IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO CONNECT US WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT WE MAY HAVE NOT HAD ACCESS TO.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, UM, RECEIVING THAT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ON THE 13TH AND WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR, UM, COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT, UH, WE WILL BE ASSISTING THIS GROUP FROM AN EPI PERSPECTIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING CONTINUALLY, UH, EVALUATING THE DATA SO THAT IF WE DO SEE ANY ADDITIONAL DISPARITIES IN, UH, THE NUMBER OF CASES OR A REPRESENTATION OF INFORMATION THAT WE'RE SHARING THAT WITH THAT GROUP SO THEY CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ACCORDINGLY.
AND NEXT QUESTION IS FROM CBS AUSTIN YESTERDAY, DR.
S SCOTT SAID THE CITY SHOULD NOT SET OFF DEALING WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS LIKE DIABETES, OBESITY, AND HYPERTENSION THAT ARE WORSENING THE OUTCOMES OF THOSE TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.
HOW IS THE CITY PLANNING TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON THOSE CONDITIONS? IN THE SHORT TERM, THE DEPARTMENT, UM, A FEW YEARS AGO CREATED A, UM, HEALTH ENGAGEMENT IN COMMUNITY, UM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, HEALTH EQUITY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DIVISION, AND THAT, UM, DIVISION HAS, UM, QUALITY OF LIFE, UM, STAFF AND THOSE TEAM MEMBERS, UM, ARE, HAVE DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS IN THE LATIN X COMMUNITY, THE ASIAN COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
THEY HAVE, UM, OVER THE YEARS HAVE, UM, ESTABLISHED LOCATIONS THAT WE GO OUT AND WE PROVIDE, UM, SCREENINGS.
SO WE DO BLOOD PRESSURE, UM, UM, BLOOD SUGAR, CHOLESTEROL, AS WELL AS CONNECTING INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY BE, UM, UNINSURED TO A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE THOSE EFFORTS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WE ALSO HAVE SOME HEALTH PROMOTION ACTIVITIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO BETWEEN US AND OUR PARTNERS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, UM, DIABETES PREVENTION.
AND THEN THE LAST THING IS, IS THAT OUR EMS STAFF HAS A GROUP OF COMMUNITY PARAMEDICS AND THEY HAVE ESTABLISHED
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SOME RELATIONSHIPS AS WELL.AND SO WE'RE GOING TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, UM, WITH EMS AS WELL AS AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE HEALTH DISPARITIES.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM KUT, APH IS PLANNING TO LAUNCH MOBILE CODE TESTING AND INCREASED COMMUNICATION WITH BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.
HOW ARE THEY GOING TO UTILIZE COMMUNITY CARE CENTERS AND HELP PURSUING THAT GOAL? OH, NO.
THE DEPARTMENT, UM, HAS PARTNERED WITH COMMUNITY CARE FOR, FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE A, UM, AN INNER LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH COMMUNITY CARE AS THEY, UM, ARE PLANNING TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE TESTING IN, IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS, AS WELL AS AT SOME OF THEIR CLINICS.
UM, THE DEPARTMENT WILL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM TO DEVELOP A JOINT MAP AND A PROCESS WHERE WE ARE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE NO GAPS.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, PROVIDING SERVICES AND, AND TESTING IN THOSE, UM, TARGETED ZIP CODES.
AND SO, UM, WE ARE VERY CONFIDENT ABOUT THAT PARTNERSHIP AND, UM, ARE LOOKING AT, UH, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE JOINT MAP THAT WILL BE CREATED BY COMMUNITY CARE AND AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
I JUST ASKED HIM, I WAS LIKE, NEXT QUESTION FROM UNIVISION, GIVEN THAT A SURGEON CASE AS POSSIBLE, GIVEN THE REAL ECONOMY OF PROTESTS, HOW WAS THE CITY PLANNING ON DEALING WITH THE, UM, THE INCREASE, THE CASES? UH, SO AGAIN, THE, THE, OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS, IS WELL FUNCTIONING.
UH, THERE, THERE ARE, UH, PLENTY OF HOSPITAL BEDS AND ICU BEDS AND THEN DELIGHTERS.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE PREPARING REALLY IS CONTINUING TO, TO SEND OUT THE MESSAGES, WHICH ARE IMPORTANT AT DISEASE PREVENTION, AND THAT IS ENSURING PEOPLE ARE WASHING THEIR HANDS.
THEY'RE AVOIDING TOUCHING THEIR FACE.
UH, THEY'RE STAYING HOME WHEN THEY'RE SICK.
UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE CONTINUING THAT SOCIAL DISTANCE AND CONTINUING THAT PUBLIC MASKING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO CHANGE THE SIZE OF THIS OUTBREAK.
UH, EVEN IF WE SEE INCREASES IN CASES FROM PROTESTS AND INCREASED ACTIVITIES IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, WE CAN KEEP A LID ON THIS, THIS OUTBREAK HERE.
AND, UH, AND THAT'S WHAT WE REALLY HAVE TO DO.
WE'VE MENTIONED BEFORE REALLY NEEDING TO STAY BELOW THAT 20 NEW HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS ON THAT SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE, THAT'S PART OF OUR KEY INDICATORS DASHBOARD, AND WE HAVE TO WORK HARD AS A COMMUNITY TO, TO MAINTAIN THAT IF WE EXPAND BEYOND THAT, IF WE PASS THAT, THAT 20 THRESHOLD, THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE POLICY DECISIONS THAT ARE GOING TO DIAL THINGS BACK TO MAKE THINGS A BIT SAFER, UH, WHICH ARE GOING TO PREVENT OVERWHELMING THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DO THAT.
UH, OUR COMMUNITY DOESN'T WANT TO HAVE TO DO THAT, BUT THAT'S GOING TO TAKE CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT IN THOSE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS, UH, TO, TO KEEP A LID ON THIS THING.
NEXT QUESTION IS FROM AUSTIN CHRONICLE IS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH PROVIDING TESTS TO OFFICERS WHO'VE BEEN DEPLOYED TO THE POLICE PROTESTS.
SO WE HAVE DEDICATED, UH, TESTING SITES FOR OUR, OUR, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE TESTING IS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
UH, WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY CASES YET RELATED TO THE PROTESTS.
CERTAINLY IF WE SEE A CLUSTER AROUND, UH, THE PROTESTS, THEN WE'LL MAKE FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, WHICH MAY ENCOURAGE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO, TO GET TESTED IF THEY PARTICIPATED IN THE, IN THE RESPONSE TO THE PROTESTS.
UH, BUT FOR NOW, THE TESTING IS AVAILABLE FOR THEM.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'LL CONTINUE TO TRACK, UH, OUR, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS VERY CLOSELY.
NEXT QUESTION IS FROM COOPERATING CEO, UH, TO MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES.
AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN LIKELY IMPACT THAT THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS THAT'S REOPENING OUR COURSE PROTESTS.
HOW IS APH OR ANY PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DIFFERENTIATE A CAUSE AND EFFECT RELATED TO ANY SPREADING OR UPTAKE OR SPIKE? IS THERE A WAY TO DIFFERENTIATE WHAT THE CAUSE IS? UM, I'LL JUST ADD THAT, UH, FROM THE EPI PERSPECTIVE AGAIN, AND AS WE DO OUR CASE INVESTIGATIONS, WE, UH, CONTINUE TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, EXPOSURE, CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAY BE RELATED TO ILLNESS.
UM, AS AN EXAMPLE, WHETHER THEY BEEN INVOLVED IN THE PROTEST, UH, WE WILL ASK WHAT OTHER KINDS OF CONGREGATE SETTINGS THEY MAY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN, OR, UM, WE'VE HAD EXPAND
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SOME OF THE QUESTIONS WE ASKED TO ADDRESS THINGS, UH, LIKE CHILDCARE AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT.IF, IF WE'RE IDENTIFYING, UH, CASES THAT COME UP SO WELL, THERE'LL BE A CONCERTED EFFORT BY THE INVESTIGATORS TO TRY TO DETERMINE, UM, WHAT IS AS BEST WE CAN, THE EXPOSURE DETAILS OF A CASE.
UM, AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL IS NEXT.
IT'S BEEN A LITTLE OVER A WEEK AND A HALF SINCE BARS WERE ALLOWED TO REOPEN.
DO YOU EXPECT A SIMILAR UPTAKE IN CASES OR HOSPITALIZATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT POLICY CHANGE IN PARTICULAR COMPARED TO OTHER REOPENING POLICIES FROM EARLIER IN MAY? UH, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE BAR IS UNIQUE BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING IN A BAR.
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE, THE GOVERNOR'S CONCEPT AND RECOMMENDATION WAS W WAS A REASONABLE ONE.
THE FACT IS THAT THAT BARS ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP PEOPLE AT TABLES.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP PEOPLE SEPARATED.
UH, PEOPLE ARE GONNA CROWD AT THE BAR THEY'RE GOING TO INTERACT FACE TO FACE, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.
SO MY GUESS IS THAT BARS ARE, AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE A HIGH RISK PLACE TO GO IN TERMS OF, UH, EXPOSURE.
AND NEXT QUESTION, KSAN, IS THERE A PLAN TO TEST EVERY AUSTIN POLICE OFFICER IN EMS MEDIC DPS TROOPER, AS WELL AS NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIER FOR COVID-19? WHY OR WHY NOT? AND ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT A CLUSTER OF THESE AGENTS ALL IN THE PROTEST? UH, AGAIN, WE HAVE A DEDICATED SYSTEM FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
UH, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN TESTING THEM SINCE THE BEGINNING OF, OF THIS OUTBREAK, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THEM AND TEST THEM OUR RECOMMENDATION, OR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, UH, FOR FOUR MONTHS NOW HAS BEEN TO, UH, TO SELF CHECK THEMSELVES, UH, CHECK THEIR TEMPERATURES DAILY.
UH, SO THEY ARE SELF MONITORING AS, AS PART OF, UH, THE REGULAR ACTIVITY.
UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, ANYTIME WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS TOGETHER, FOR ANY REASON, THERE'S AN INCREASED RISK OF TRANSMISSION.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I AM CONCERNED THAT, THAT, UH, HAVING THAT MANY PEOPLE TOGETHER IN ONE SPACE, IT POSES A RISK FOR OUR, UH, INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN THE PROTEST, AS WELL AS THE FIRST RESPONDERS, UH, WHO WERE THERE.
UH, MANY OF THEM, MOST OF THEM, HOPEFULLY ALL OF THEM, UH, WERE USING APPROPRIATE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT PROVIDED BY THEIR AGENCIES.
AND I HOPE THAT THAT WILL, WILL ALSO MITIGATE SOME OF THE RISK ASSOCIATED WITH THAT ACTIVITY.
THIS IS THE LAST QUESTION HERE FROM KVU THERE'S AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
KNOW HOW MANY CASES OF MULTISYSTEM INFLAMMATORY SYNDROME IN CHILDREN HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED OR ARE SUSPECTED IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, AND ALSO IN HOW MANY HOSPITALS.
UM, SO WE HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF SOME SUSPECT CASES OF, UH, MULTI-SYSTEM INFLAMMATORY SYNDROME IN CHILDREN.
UM, HOWEVER, THEY DON'T CURRENTLY MEET THE, UH, CASE DEFINITION.
THAT'S BEEN ESTABLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES.
SO THEY'RE CONSIDERED NOT A CASE.
UM, BUT WE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR HOSPITAL INFECTION PREVENTION IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO REPORT INFORMATION LIKE THAT TO US IMMEDIATELY.
UM, AND THAT W SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO FOLLOW UP, UH, YOU KNOW, AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT TODAY WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY CONFIRMED CASES.
UH, JUST TWO THAT I'M AWARE OF.
I WILL NOW ASK IF ANY OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES HAVE ANY CLOSING REMARKS THEY'D LIKE TO SAY, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST REMIND EVERYONE ABOUT THE FORUM ON JUNE 13TH.
UM, WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU, IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO PARTICIPATE.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT OUR ROADMAP, UM, BUT WE NEED COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION.
IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US AT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, AS WE, UM, COVID-19 BRINGS ABOUT SO MANY CHANGES.
UM, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO COLLABORATE VERY CLOSELY WITH THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY COMMENTS.
AND I, I WILL JUST ADD, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE BEGIN TO REOPEN AND ACTIVITIES BECOME, UH, MORE AVAILABLE, LIKE OPENING OF POOLS AND PARKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I JUST WANT TO REEMPHASIZE THE MESSAGE THAT WE'VE BEEN SAYING FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
AND THAT'S ONE, MAKE SURE YOU WASH YOUR HANDS, COVER YOUR COUGHS AND SNEEZES, AND CONTAIN
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THEM BY WEARING YOU WEARING MASKS, AVOID TOUCHING YOUR FACE, STAY AT HOME IF YOU'RE SICK.AND IF YOU THINK YOU ARE SICK, THERE IS FREE TESTING AVAILABLE THROUGH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
YOU CAN GO TO AUSTIN, TEXAS.COM FORWARD SLASH COVID AND TAKE A SELF ASSESSMENT, UH, TO GET INTO TESTING.
AND I ENCOURAGE THAT IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, ABOUT SYMPTOMS OR WHETHER YOU ARE EXPOSED AT YOU, YOU, YOU VISIT THAT WEBSITE.
AND I WANT TO CLOSE BY SAYING, AND PICK UP, PICK UP FROM WHERE JANET LEFT OFF ON THE TESTING.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO GO TO THAT WEBSITE, EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE SYMPTOMS, THERE ARE MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC, THAT WE'RE GOING TO RECOMMEND TESTING.
SO OUR BEST ADVICE IS GO TO THAT WEBSITE, FILL OUT A SURVEY AND DETERMINE IF TESTING IS RECOMMENDED FOR YOU.
SECONDLY, FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE, IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THE REST OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD.
AND IF THEY CAN'T DO THAT EFFECTIVELY IN THEIR OWN HOME, THEN WE HAVE A FREE HOTEL THAT THOSE INDIVIDUALS CAN STAY IN FOR THE DURATION OF THEIR ILLNESS.
UH, IT'S A FREE ROOM, FREE TV, FREE WIFI.
THERE, THERE ARE NO STRINGS ATTACHED, AND THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO HELP BREAK THAT HOUSEHOLD TRANSMISSION.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT OTHER OUTBREAKS, SUCH AS IN
SO WE REALLY DO NEED TO BREAK THAT TRANSMISSION CHAIN.
AND FINALLY, IT'S REALLY UP TO OF US TO CONTROL THIS EPIDEMIC IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
IT'S REALLY UP TO ALL OF US TO KEEP THAT HOSPITAL ADMISSION RATE LESS THAN 20 A DAY.
AND IF WE CAN DO THAT, WE CAN STAY OPEN AND HOPEFULLY OPEN THINGS FURTHER SO THAT WE CAN, UH, HAVE, HAVE THE OPTIMUM RESULTS FOR BOTH PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOR OUR ECONOMY.
THAT CONCLUDES THIS MORNING'S PRESS CONFERENCE.
I'D LIKE TO THANK OUR SPEAKERS AND OUR POOR REPORTER FOR BEING WITH US TODAY.
BUT THESE TWO ARE ONLY USEFUL WHEN THE TARGET
[COVID-19: Media Q & A (Spanish)]
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I WANT TO CONCLUDE
SO CONCLUDED MISS COMMENTARIES.
IT IS IMPORTANT AT THE DATA ISA WEBSITE, UNCLE
AND
IT STILL CONCLUSION LAVITA CONFERENCE HERE.