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I WILL BE YOUR MODERATOR FOR TODAY'S NEWS CONFERENCE.
UM, WITH US TODAY, OUR AUSTIN MAYOR, STEVE ADLER, UM, UH, JUST SARAH ECKHARDT AND, UM, AUSTIN, AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, INTERIM HEALTH AUTHORITY, DR.
UM, SO OUR POOL REPORTER FOR TODAY IS PHIL JAN KOSKI FROM THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN.
UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US AND LET'S DIVE RIGHT IN.
WELL, THEN I'M GOING TO GET STARTED TO JUST SAY, UM, I GOT A NEW MASK.
UM, SO I WANTED TO SHOW THAT OFF TO YOU ALL TODAY.
Y'ALL, UH, UM, WE ARE HITTING OUR SUMMER MONTHS AND EVERYBODY IS WANTING TO GATHER AND TO CELEBRATE, UH, ALSO TO GATHER FOR, UH, PURPOSES OF, UH, SHOWING OUR OUTRAGE.
AND THOSE ARE ALL IMPORTANT THINGS FOR US.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO, UH, UH, MANAGE OUR RISKS AND CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE ARE RISKING, UM, BUT COVID-19 IS NOT DONE WITH US.
AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY HOW GRATEFUL I AM TO THIS COMMUNITY.
SO THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS ESSENTIAL TO US AND WHAT ARE WE WILLING TO RISK AND WITH HIM.
SO WE ARE SEEING A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN CASES AND DR.
S GOD IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT.
UH, UH, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THAT COVID-19 IS NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE.
IT'S A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE AND WEARING MASKS IS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT.
IT'S A STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY RESPECT AND SOLIDARITY.
AND SO I WOULD ASK FOLKS SINCE COVID-19 IS NOT DONE WITH US BY ANY STRETCH, UH, TO PLEASE CONTINUE SOCIAL DISTANCING, UH, MASKING GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE, AS WELL AS IF YOU GET SICK, DO STAY HOME.
THE LIFE THAT YOU SAVE MAY NOT BE YOURS.
UM, BUT BY STAYING HOME, YOU'LL BE SAVING SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE.
YOU DIDN'T GET COVID-19 OR BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO SLOW THE DISEASE.
WE HAD ENOUGH HEALTHCARE CAPACITY AND HOSPITAL BEDS TO CATER, TO, TO, TO ADDRESS THE HEALTH NEEDS OF EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO GETS SICK.
SO AGAIN, UM, WASH HANDS, STATE, SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND DO WEAR MASKS.
IT'S A SIGN OF COMMUNITY, RESPECT AND SOLIDARITY.
YOU WANT TO GO NEXT? YES, MAYOR.
UM, I'M GOING TO SHOW SOME SLIDES REGARDING WHERE WE ARE, UH, WITH, WITH COVID-19.
AS, UH, AS SARAH SAID, WE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN, UH, THE CASES THAT WE'VE SEEN.
UH, AND I HOPE YOU ALL CAN SEE THE SLIDES I'M SHOWING NOW, NOW.
UH, BUT LET ME SEE ON THIS GRAPH IS OUR NEW CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19, UH, IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, THE YELLOW LINE THAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS THE SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE OF THOSE CASES.
AND YOU CAN SEE ON THE FAR RIGHT OF THE SCREEN, THAT WE'VE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE PAST THREE DAYS OF THE REPORTING CHASE'S, UH, ON MONDAY WE HAD 118 CASES ON TUESDAY.
WE SET A NEW RECORD AT 161 CASES, AND YESTERDAY 133 CASES, UH, THIS IS A CONCERNING TREND FOR US.
WE DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S GOING TO LEAVE.
IT COULD GO UP AND COME DOWN AGAIN.
BUT OUR CONCERN IS THAT THIS IS A HOCKEY STICK APPEARANCE.
AND WHEN WE SEE THAT HOCKEY STICK APPEARANCE, WE HAVE CONCERNED ABOUT EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN CASES, UH, THAT WILL CONTINUE.
AND HOW DO WE FIX THAT? HOW DO WE ADDRESS THAT ISSUE? WE ADDRESS THAT ISSUE THROUGH ACTION THROUGH TAKING THOSE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS.
UH, THE, THE CASES THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST THREE DAYS ARE MORE THAN DOUBLE THE, THE ROLLING AVERAGE THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER TIME.
THAT ROLLING AVERAGE, AS YOU CAN SEE HAS BEEN BETWEEN 40 AND 60, UH, THE AVERAGE AND LAST THREE DAYS HAS BEEN 140.
SO WE REALLY NEED TO ACT CAREFULLY WHEN WE'RE GOING OUT, UH, WHEN WE'RE DOING THINGS AND WE'RE GOING OUT TO RESTAURANTS AND WE'RE GOING OUT, UH, TO, TO SEE OTHER PEOPLE, BECAUSE THE DISEASE IS STILL HERE, IT'S STILL IMPACTFUL.
IT'S STILL GOING TO LEAD TO HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATH.
AND, YOU KNOW, DESPITE OUR WELDS FOR IT NOT TO BE HERE, IT IS HERE AND WE'VE GOT TO ACT APPROPRIATELY.
UM, I'M GOING TO SWITCH TO THE NEXT SLIDE HERE, WHICH SHOWS YOU ARE OUR KEY INDICATOR FOR THIS, THE STAGE CHANGING RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN STAGE THREE, THAT, THAT YELLOW STAGE, WHICH IS BETWEEN FIVE AND 19 NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS ON A SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE, YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT WE'VE BEEN RELATIVELY STEADY BETWEEN EIGHT AND 12 NEW
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HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS ON THAT, ON THAT YELLOW LINE, THAT SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE, BUT ON THE FAR RIGHT OF THIS SCREEN, YOU CAN SEE THAT YESTERDAY WE HAD A RECORD NUMBER OF NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS IN A SINGLE DAY, 24 WITH OUR LAST RECORD BEING 18.UH, SO THIS AGAIN IS A CONCERNING TREND.
NOW, SOME FOLKS HAVE SAID, WELL, MAYBE THIS IS RELATED TO ALL THE TESTING THAT YOU'RE DOING.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE TESTING A BUNCH MORE PEOPLE, AND THEREFORE YOU'RE FUNDING A BUNCH MORE CASES.
UH, THE REFLECTION ON NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS SUGGESTS THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
THE OTHER THING THAT SUGGESTS THAT'S NOT THE CASE IS THAT OUR PERCENT POSITIVE OF THE TEST HAS ALSO DOUBLED REMEMBER TWO OR THREE WEEKS AGO, WE'RE AT FOUR OR 5% IN THE LAST SEVEN DAYS, WE'VE BEEN AT 9.3% FOR THAT PERCENT POSITIVE OVERALL THROUGH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH TESTING.
SO THIS IS REAL, AND THIS IS A CONCERNING TREND.
AND FINALLY, I WANT TO SHOW YOU THIS GRAPH, THIS GRAPH IS SHOWING US THREE THINGS.
THE BLUE LINE IS SHOWING YOU, UH, HOSPITALIZATIONS.
AND, UH, IN THE DOTTED LINES UNDERNEATH ARE THE SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE OR POSSIBLE PATIENTS.
THE GRAY IS, UH, PEOPLE ON VENTILATORS ON BREATHING MACHINES.
YOU CAN SEE ON THE LAST TWO DAYS, LAST THREE DAYS THAT I'M SHOWING YOU ON THIS ON THE BLOOPER HALF, THERE IS A SHARP INCREASE IN NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS WITH MORE THAN A HUNDRED AND A HUNDRED NEW HOSPITALS OR TOTAL HOSPITALIZATIONS YESTERDAY, YOU CAN SEE A SHARP INCREASE IN THE ICU HUMAN MISSIONS THIS WEEK, AND YOU CAN SEE A GRADUAL INCREASE IN THE USE OF VENTILATORS THIS WEEK.
AGAIN, RIGHT NOW, THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF CAPACITY IN OUR HOSPITALS AND OUR HOSPITAL BEDS AND OUR ICU BEDS AND OUR VENTILATORS, BUT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO ACT CAREFULLY BECAUSE THESE TRENDS ARE CONCERNING.
AND WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES, NEW YORK GETAWAY, CHINA, OTHER PLACES AROUND THE WORLD THAT ONCE WE ENTER THIS TRAJECTORY, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO GET OUT.
SO NOW'S THE TIME TO TAKE THIS CAUTION.
NOW'S THE TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE'RE GOING OUT OR ACTING IN A PROTECTIVE WAY, NOT ONLY FOR OURSELVES AND OUR FAMILIES, BUT FOR THIS COMMUNITY AND WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT BACK TO MARY ADLER.
I THINK THE MESSAGE TODAY FOR THE COMMUNITY IS THAT THE THREE OF US ARE HERE TO, UH, RAISE A YELLOW FLAG.
THIS IS A BLINKING YELLOW LIGHT WARNING MOMENT.
UH, THE, THE INITIAL AND EARLY INDICATIONS ARE THAT WITH THE REOPENING OF THE ECONOMY, PERHAPS WITH THE MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY, UH, PERHAPS WITH THE GALLERY GATHERINGS FOR THE DEMONSTRATIONS, WHATEVER IT IS, UH, WE'RE BEGINNING NOW TO SEE, UH, UH, SPIKES THAT ARE ARE ALARMING.
UH, AND WE STILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO, TO GET A HANDLE ON THIS, BUT IT'S TO TAKE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, UH, BEING, BEING REALLY DISCIPLINED AND BEING VIGILANT.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD GOTTEN TO THE PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WERE WEARING MASKS.
I WALK AROUND THE, THE CITY NOW, AND IT'S HARD TO FIND SOMEBODY, UH, IN MANY PLACES THAT ARE, THAT ARE WEARING FACE CUPBOARDS.
UH, WE USED TO BE DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB ALL OVER THE SIX FOOT DISTANCING.
UH, AND NOW YOU SEE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE GATHERING SO MUCH MORE CLOSELY AND THAT WE HAVE TO DO BETTER.
NO ONE WANTS TO SLOW DOWN THE OPENING OF THE, THE ECONOMY, IF THERE'S THERE'S ANY WAY TO AVOID IT.
AND WE ARE IN THE, ANY WAY TO AVOID IT TO STAGE.
AND THAT'S WHY WE NEED EVERYBODY'S DISCIPLINE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD SAID THAT WE WERE GOING TO ESTABLISH WHAT THE TRIGGER WAS WHEN WE WOULD KNOW THAT UNLESS WE DID SOMETHING REAL AND SUBSTANTIAL, OUR HOSPITALS WOULD ULTIMATELY GET OVERRUN.
AND WE PEGGED THAT NUMBER OF 20 NEW HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS A DAY ON A SEVEN DAY RUNNING AVERAGE.
I REALLY WISH THE MEDIA WOULD PICK UP THAT NUMBER AND SHOW IT TO THE COMMUNITY EVERY DAY, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SLOWLY RISING FROM EIGHT ISH THROUGH 10 ISH.
AND NOW THE NUMBER IS, UH, IS, IS UP TO 13.
I REALLY WANT THE COMMUNITY TO SEE THAT HAPPENING OVER TIME SO THAT THE COMMUNITY RECOGNIZES IT HAS SOME CONTROL OVER THE MOVEMENT OF THAT NUMBER, BECAUSE THAT'S THE INDICATOR.
THAT'S ONE THAT WE'RE ALL GONNA BE FOCUSING ON.
THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES IS ALARMING IS A AS DR.
S SCOTT SAID THE LAST THREE DAYS, TRIPLE DIGITS, THAT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT'S EVER HAPPENED.
UH, AND, AND, AND WE NEED TO KEEP WATCHING THAT NUMBER.
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THAT IT'S INCREASING FASTER THAN THE NUMBER OF TESTS, BUT ULTIMATELY THE KEY INDICATOR IS HOSPITALIZATIONS.AND FOR ME, THE REASON FOR THAT IS THAT MANY PEOPLE WHO BECOME INTO NEW CASES ARE GOING TO GO INTO RICARDO.
AND THAT'S TRUE, BUT SOMEBODY WHO ENDS UP IN OUR HOSPITAL IS SOMEBODY THAT IS IN MUCH MORE SERIOUS CONDITION.
IT'S REAL IMPORTANT THAT SOME OF THAT GOES TO OUR HOSPITALS ARE ABLE TO GET CREW AND GOOD HOSPITAL CARE.
WE KNOW HOW MANY HOSPITAL BEDS WE HAVE AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE COVID-19 BECAUSE WE HAVE TO REVERSE SOME OF THOSE HOSPITAL BEDS ARE PEOPLE WITH HEART ATTACKS, CAR ACCIDENTS.
AS WE GO INTO THE FALL, WE NEED HOSPITAL BEDS FOR PEOPLE THAT WOULD GET THE FLU.
WE KNOW HOW MANY HOSPITAL BEDS WE HAVE, WHERE EVERYBODY GOING IN THAT'S REALLY GOOD CARE.
BUT IF WE SURGE, IF WE'RE HAVING TO PUT PEOPLE IN HALLWAYS, IF WE HAVE TO BUILD FIELD HOSPITALS, UH, OR WE HAVE TO GET OTHER BUILDINGS LIKE THE CONVENTION CENTER OR WHEREVER IT MIGHT BE.
IF WE GET INTO A SURGE AND WHILE WE'LL HAVE BEDS, THEY'RE NOT THE SAME KIND OF BEDS PEOPLE IN THOSE FACILITIES DON'T GET THE SAME KIND OF CARE.
OUR COMMUNITY, RIGHT? THERE NEEDS TO FOCUS ON MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE THAT GOES INTO OUR HOSPITALS IS GOING TO RECEIVE THE KIND OF CARE THAT WE EXPECT TO HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF BEING ABLE TO RECOVER FROM THIS VIRUS.
THIS IS ABOUT HOSPITALIZATIONS.
IT IS NOT ABOUT JUST CREATING MORE BEDS.
IT'S ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT BEDS IN OUR HOSPITALS ARE SUFFICIENT.
UM, SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO, TO, TO FOCUS ON THESE NUMBERS.
UH, AGAIN, I WOULD JUST URGE NO YELLOW, NOT REALLY THE MASTS STAY SIX, LEARN, RECOGNIZE THAT
THANK YOU TO OUR PANELISTS FOR THOSE COMMENTS.
I'D LIKE TO NOW TURN IT OVER TO PHIL, JEN KOSKI, OUR POOL REPORTER IN THE QUESTION AND ANSWER.
UM, UH, FIRST QUESTION FROM A STATESMAN, YOU EXPLAIN THE SURGE IN THE CONTEXT OF STAY HOME ORDERS, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM? IS, UH, HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANY EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS CONNECTED TO NEW CLUSTERS OF THE VIRUS? SO WE'VE THE CASES THAT WE'RE SEEING THIS WEEK.
UH, MANY OF THEM WERE ACTUALLY, UH, TESTED AT THE BEGINNING OF LAST WEEK.
UH, SO WITH SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES IN TESTING, WHICH WE'VE SEEN, UH, AROUND THE STATE AND IN RELATION TO OUR NURSING HOME TESTING, THERE'S BEEN A BIT OF A BACKLOG AT SOME OF THE LARGER LABS.
SO THE TEST THAT, THAT, UH, WE'RE RECORDING IN THE LAST 72 HOURS, A LOT OF THEM WERE TESTED JUNE 1ST, JUNE 2ND.
UH, SO THESE ARE LIKELY, UH, TRANSMISSIONS THAT HAPPENED CLOSER TO MEMORIAL DAY AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ARE PROBABLY MORE RELATED TO THE REOPENING PROCESS AND TO MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATIONS RATHER THAN, THAN PROTESTS.
UH, AGAIN, USUALLY WE SEE A WEEK LAG BETWEEN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN HOSPITALIZATIONS AND THE, UH, INCREASES IN CASES.
UH, WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW IS THAT THE TWO ARE INCREASING AT THE SAME TIME BECAUSE OF THAT DELAYED IN DELAY IN DIAGNOSIS AND REPORTING.
UH, SO WE EXPECT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE INCREASING HOSPITALIZATIONS THIS WEEK.
AND, UH, AND THAT'S WHY THE, THE REASON WE'RE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION TODAY, BECAUSE UNLIKE HURRICANES, WHERE WE CAN'T CHANGE THE WEATHER, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE THIS.
WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE THE SIZE OF THE STORM BY OUR COMMUNITY ACTION.
AND THAT'S REALLY THE TAKE HOME MESSAGE.
NEXT QUESTION FROM CBS AUSTIN, HOW MUCH OF THIS WEEK'S THREE DAYS SEARCH CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASE IN CORONAVIRUS TESTING.
UH, SO AGAIN, IF, IF WE SAW AN INCREASE JUST RELATED TO THE VOLUME OF TESTING, WE'D EXPECT A PERCENT POSITIVE TO STAY LEVEL OR TO DROP A, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'VE SEEN AT ALL.
WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN THE POSITIVITY RATE AND AN INCREASE IN TESTING, WHICH TELLS US THERE'S AN INCREASED DISEASE BURDEN.
I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT, THAT SHOWS US THAT IS THE INCREASE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS, WHICH ARE GOING TO BE LESS VARIABLE BASED UPON THE NUMBER OF TESTING OR THE PERCENTAGE OF CASE DETECTED.
UH, SO THIS, THIS IS A REAL SURGE THAT'S, UH, THAT'S HAPPENING.
AND AGAIN, NOT A SURGEON THAT'S
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OUTTA CONTROL YET.WE'RE STILL AT A STAGE WHERE WE CAN KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL, BUT THAT'S GOING TO TAKE COMMUNITY ACTION.
WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING FOR FOUR MONTHS NOW THAT THAT PUBLIC HEALTH, THAT CITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, WE CAN'T SOLVE THIS PROBLEM ALONE.
THIS PROBLEM CAN ONLY BE SOLVED BY US AS A COMMUNITY ACTING TOGETHER AS ONE UNIT IN, UH, IN CONTROL OF THIS, BY FOLLOWING THOSE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS, UH, THAT THE MAYOR AND JUDGE, UH, JUST TALKED ABOUT, ALL RIGHT, NEXT QUESTION FOR REPORT TODAY, AUSTIN, SHOULD WE EXPECT NEW STAY AT HOME ORDERS IN AUSTIN? UM, IN THE NEAR FUTURE, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO REISSUE THE, UH, THE ORDERS CAUSE THEY EXPIRE ON JUNE 15TH.
UH, SO THERE'S GOING TO BE A NEW ORDER, UH, THAT, THAT COMES OUT, UH, AT THIS POINT, I WOULD THINK THAT THE ORDER WOULD DIDN'T YOU THE, THE, UH, WARNING THAT EXISTS IN THERE IN THE CURRENT ONE, THE INSTRUCTION FOR EVERYBODY TO WEAR THEIR MASKS AND TO, AND TO SOCIAL DISTANCE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE NEED PEOPLE TO DO RIGHT NOW.
WE NEED THEM TO ACTUALLY DO THE THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE CALLED FOR IN THE ORDER THAT EXISTS TODAY.
JUDGE FISCO IS WORKING WITH THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE NOW ON, UH, UH, ORDERS THAT WILL RUN CONCURRENT WITH THE CITY ORDERS AS WELL.
WE WANT TO REDUCE CONFUSION, UH, IN THIS TIME OF PANDEMIC AND WE WANT TO SPEAK CLEARLY AND IN A UNIFIED VOICE, UH, ABOUT, UH, WHAT IS REQUIRED, UH, UM, AND WHAT IS ENFORCEABLE.
THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, WHAT IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO, UH, KEEP OUR DISEASE BURDEN DOWN, UH, AND KEEP OUR SUFFERING AND OUR MORTALITY.
WE'RE, WE'RE ON THE CUSP OF 100 DEATHS FROM COVID-19 AT THIS POINT.
UM, SO WHAT IS REQUIRED OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, IS, IS SEPARATE FROM WHAT IS ENFORCEABLE.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE GOVERNOR HAS, UH, TAKEN MOST OF OUR ENFORCEMENT TOOLS OFF THE TABLE.
UM, BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE A CLEAR COMMUNICATION WITH OUR CONSTITUENCY ABOUT WHAT IS REQUIRED BASED ON SCIENTIFIC DATA DRIVEN MEDICAL EVIDENCE, UH, IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR INFECTION RATES DOWN AND A SUFFICIENT HOSPITAL CAPACITY, UH, TO TREAT EVERYONE WHO GETS SICK.
NEXT QUESTION, FROM COOPERATING UNDER THE CURRENT AND POTENTIALLY WORSENING VIRUS CIRCUMSTANCES AS THE CITY COUNTY ASKED FOR MORE AUTONOMY IN DEALING WITH LOCAL ISSUES.
MY HOPE AND MY EXPECTATION IS IS THAT WHEN, UH, THE STATE SEES THE KIND OF SEARCHING THAT WE'RE HAVING IN HOSPITALS, IF IT CONTINUES, WE'LL REACH THAT DANGER POINT, UH, THAT, THAT THE STATE WILL ALSO BE ACTING WITH US, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE COMPROMISED POSSIBLE.
YEAH, WE ARE, WE ARE NOT LOOKING TO POLITICIZE COVID-19 AND A PANDEMIC.
UH, AGAIN, WE REMAIN STEADFASTLY COMMITTED, UH, TO THE SCIENTIFIC DATA THAT'S COMING OUT OF, UH, OUR WONDERFUL EXPERT PARTNERS, UH, WITH THE HOSPITALS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH, COMMUNITY CARE AND CENTRAL HEALTH.
UH, THEY ARE PROVIDING US AND THE STATE, UH, THE BEST IN, UH, SCIENTIFIC MEDICAL ANALYSIS.
SO, UM, AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE.
UH, WE ARE SHARING ALL OF OUR INFORMATION WITH THE STATE, UH, AND, UH, IN THE HOPES THAT IF WE DO SEE A SURGE THAT IS SUSTAINED TO THE POINT, UH, BREAKING, UH, THAT THE STATE, UH, AND ALL OF, UH, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AS WELL, WE'LL STAND UNIFIED AND DOING WHAT'S NECESSARY TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE TO EVERYONE WHO GETS SICK.
NEXT QUESTION FROM KVU DOES AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH STILL SUPPORT THE REOPENING OF POOLS LIKE BARTON SPRINGS, GIVEN THE RECENT SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES, ARE THERE PLANS TO KEEP PUBLIC POOLS CLOSED, ESPECIALLY IF CASES CONTINUE TO RISE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S NOT A LOT OF EVIDENCE THAT, THAT SUGGESTS THAT THAT POOLS ARE A SOURCE OF TRANSMISSION FOR COVID-19.
UH, OBVIOUSLY AS, AS THE SITUATION CHANGES, WE WILL CONTINUE TO RE EVALUATE ALL OF THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE AS A CITY AND AS A COUNTY.
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YOU KNOW, THE, THE DECISIONS WE MAKE ARE NOT FIXED DECISIONS AND, AND THEY ARE ALSO GOING TO BE SUBJECT TO CHANGES IN SITUATIONS, AND WE WILL CONTINUALLY, UH, CONTINUE TO EVALUATE, UH, THE CIRCUMSTANCES AS IT RELATES TO POOLS AND OTHER THINGS AS THE SITUATION CHANGES HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.ALL RIGHT, NEXT QUESTION FROM THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED IN PART, BUT WE'LL ASK IT ANYWAYS.
DO WE KNOW YET IF ANY OF THIS WEEK SURGE IN HIS CASES ARE IN CLUSTERS AND ARE THERE SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES MORE AT RISK? UH, SO THE, THE CASE INVESTIGATIONS ARE ONGOING FOR THE, FOR THE NEW CASES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN REPORTED IN THE PAST 72 HOURS.
AND WE EXPECT TO HAVE A, AN UPDATED, UH, NON-NURSING HOME CLUSTER REPORT AT THE END OF THIS WEEK, WHICH WILL INDICATE IF THERE'S ANY SUBSTANTIAL SHIFT AND WHERE THOSE CLUSTERS ARE OCCURRING.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IS AT RISK.
UM, BUT WE KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW WHERE WE'RE CONTINUING TO SEE A SURGE IN OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE RATE OF POSITIVITY IN OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY, IT'S HIGHER THAN ANY OTHER, UH, RACE OR, OR ETHNICITY AT 17.9% THROUGH OUR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH TESTING.
UH, SO THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL DISEASE TRANSMISSION HAPPENING THERE, BUT, UH, IT'S ALSO HAPPENING IN, IN, UH, WHITE, NON HISPANIC COMMUNITIES IT'S HAPPENING IN AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE ARE FOCUSED ON, ON OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY AND REALLY FOCUSING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ON THAT COMMUNITY, UH, THAT SHOULDN'T BE INTERPRETED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT PART OF THE LATIN X COMMUNITY, THAT THEY'RE NOT AT RISK, THEY ARE, UH, IT, BUT THE, THE, THE RISK RIGHT NOW SEEMS TO BE HIGHER FOR THAT LATIN NEXT COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, CITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT ARE LEADING THE EFFORT.
UH, WE ARE PROVIDING RESOURCES AND DIRECTION AND ADVICE, BUT WE CANNOT DO IT ALONE.
WE NEED ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER.
WE NEED COMMUNITY LEADERS, UH, BOTH ELECTED AND NON ELECTED PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER AND SHARE THIS MESSAGE.
WE NEED FOLKS TO ECHO WHAT WE'RE SAYING ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF TESTING, THE NECESSITY OF STAYING HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK, THE NECESSITY OF MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING.
UH, WE NEED TO, TO ECHO THE MESSAGE OF, OF SELF ISOLATION, IF YOU'RE SICK.
AND IF YOU'RE DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19 THE IMPORTANCE OF SEPARATING YOURSELF FROM YOUR FAMILY TO PREVENT THAT HOUSEHOLD TRANSMISSION, UH, OUR, OUR SUCCESS IS DEPENDENT UPON THOSE MESSAGES BEING ECHOED THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY, THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, THROUGH COMMUNITY GATHERINGS.
THERE WERE EVERY AVENUE THAT WE HAVE AT OUR DISPOSAL IF WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
UM, NEXT QUESTION FROM KUT SEVEN DAY AVERAGE FOR NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS IS THE HIGHEST SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU THAT WE COULD SURPASS THE RECOMMENDED THRESHOLD FOR STAGE THREE GUIDELINES? I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT WE'RE ON THAT PATH.
UH, WHEN YOU SEE THE NUMBERS FOR THE SEVEN DAY ROLLING AVERAGE FOR HOSPITALIZATIONS, WE WERE IN THE EIGHT TO 10 RANGE PRETTY CONSISTENTLY, AND WE WENT ABOVE THAT, AND NOW WE'RE AT NOW WE'RE AT 13.
UH, SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S A REAL SIGNIFICANT CONCERN.
I WANT EVERYBODY LOOKING AT THAT NUMBER EVERY DAY SO THAT YOU, EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY SHOULD KNOW WHETHER WE'RE MOVING UP OR MOVING DOWN ON THAT NUMBER.
I THINK, TO KEEP THAT NUMBER OUT IN FRONT OF PEOPLE, IT'S A REAL CONCERN THAT SAID THAT RANGE BETWEEN FIVE AND 19, THE MIDPOINT IS 12 OR 13.
SO WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT RANGE RIGHT NOW, BUT HEADED UPWARDS, UH, AND THIS THE, AS DR.
SCOTT SAID, AND WE STILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, WE BELIEVE TO, TO IMPACT THAT.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS COMMUNITY SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON.
NEXT QUESTION FROM OSTEOPENIA IS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH SEEING ANY POSITIVE TEST RESULTS RELATED TO THE RECENT PROTESTS YET? AGAIN, WE HAVE NOT.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY CASES THAT HAVE BEEN TRACKED BACK TO THE, THE PROTEST.
UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE, WE, WE SUPPORT THE, THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT, TO, UH, TO PROTEST AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN RETHINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO, UH, TO VOICE CONCERNS TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THAT WHEN PEOPLE COME TOGETHER, THERE IS A HIGHER RISK.
UH, THERE IS A RISK WHEN THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING IS NOT ABLE TO BE MAINTAINED.
UH, SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TEST FOLKS WE'VE, WE ARE
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TESTING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THIS WEEK AND, UH, AND TRYING TO GET A HANDLE ON IT TOO, TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE MITIGATE ANY RISK OF SPREAD BEYOND THAT.UH, BUT AGAIN, I WERE, I, I WAS, UH, UH, DELIGHTED TO SEE THAT MANY PROTESTERS WORE MASKS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CONTINUE TO HAVE EVIDENCE THAT THAT MASK WEARING IS, IS BETTER THAN WE THOUGHT IT WAS, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PANDEMIC.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SOME EVIDENCE THAT, THAT IS EFFECTIVE.
WE HAVE A CASE THAT WAS REPORTED ON A MEDIA OUTLET OF YESTERDAY, OR THIS MORNING REGARDING TO, UH, TO HAIRSTYLISTS IN MISSOURI WHO WERE BOTH COVID POSITIVE.
THEY HAD INTERACTIONS WITH 140 CLIENTS, AND THERE WERE ZERO CASES TRANSLATED.
AND PART OF THAT WAS BECAUSE THE HAIRSTYLISTS WORE MASKS AND THEY REQUIRED MASKS OF ALL THE CLIENTS.
SO WE CAN SEE THROUGH THIS CASE EXAMPLE, THAT THERE'S EVIDENCE THAT THESE STRATEGIES WORK AND SOCIAL DISTANCING, THE WAITING ROOM WORKS.
AND SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT ENOUGH PEOPLE WEARING MASKS THAT IT'S GOING TO HELP MITIGATE THE RISK OF THE LACK OF SOCIAL DISTANCING THAT WAS ABLE TO BE ACHIEVED DURING THE PROTESTS.
I MEAN, I THROW IN SOMETHING ON THAT.
I, I JUST WANT TO STRESS THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING DOES NOT MEAN CIVIC, DISENGAGEMENT AND MASKING DOES NOT MEAN SILENCE.
WE HAVE, WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO ADAPT.
UH, IT'S, UH, REALLY OUR WAY FORWARD IS THROUGH ADAPTATION.
SOCIAL DISTANCING IS NOT THE EQUIVALENT TO CIVIC, DISENGAGEMENT AND MASKING IS NOT THE EQUIVALENT TO SILENCING.
SO PLEASE DO CIVICALLY ENGAGE WITH SOCIAL DISTANCE AND SPEAK OUT WITH MASKING, UH, UH, BOTH ARE POSSIBLE AND BOTH ARE NECESSARY.
AND, UH, I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO THIS COMMUNITY, UH, FOR, UH, REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT'S ESSENTIAL AND, UM, UH, FINDING WAYS TO ADAPT SO THAT WE CAN PERFORM OUR ESSENTIAL CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, UH, AND, AND GIVE VOICE TO, TO WHAT'S ESSENTIAL TO US.
I FEEL I'M ON A NEED TO LEAVE HERE TO GET READY FOR THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A QUESTION THERE THAT I NEED TO ANSWER BEFORE I BILL.
JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A THREE MINUTE WARNING.
I WILL SCAN THE QUESTIONS DURING, UH, THE NEXT ONE, JUST TO MAKE, JUST TO MAKE SURE THERE'S ONE PARTICULARLY, UM, ADDRESSED TO YOU, BUT WE'LL MOVING ON, UH, KX A N NEWS WITH THE NEXT QUESTION OF MORE THAN 6,000 CALLS, THE THREE, ONE, ONE ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING AND OCCUPANCY FIVE LEAD TO SERVICE CALLS.
CAN YOU SPEAK ABOUT WHAT RESPONSE HAS BEEN FROM THE CITY, TWO CALLS ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING IN GENERAL, WHAT IS DONE ON A SERVICE CALL? YEAH, NO, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
PROBABLY THE BEST DIRECT THAT TO THE, TO THE TOWED PEOPLE.
BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE CONSISTENTLY SAID, AND THAT IS, THEY'RE NOT, I LOVE CURRENT OFFICERS.
THEY'RE NOT ENOUGH SHERIFF DEPUTIES OR POLICE OFFICERS, UH, FOR US TO POLICE OUR WAY TO THE DISCIPLINE THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO GET THIS DONE.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE ABLE TO PUSH DOWN WITH SPIKES, PRETTY PERCEPTIVELY.
WE DID THAT WITHOUT THE SOC, THE SEWERS AND DEPUTIES AND CODE ENFORCEMENT AGENTS.
WE DID IT BECAUSE IT WAS IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE EACH EXPRESSED HOW IMPORTANT THAT WAS THROUGH OUR OWN PERSONAL BEHAVIORS.
AND WE SET A CUSTOMER THAT HAD A CULTURE FOR OUR CT.
UH, IF WE'RE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THIS DONE, IT'S THAT THAT'S GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
NEXT QUESTION FROM UNIVISION, WHAT OTHER PREVENTATIVE MEASURES CAN BE TAKEN FOR PEOPLE THAT WORK IN PLACES WHERE THEY CAN'T EASILY SOCIAL, SOCIALLY DISTANCE LIKE CONSTRUCTION OR RESTAURANTS, UM, A DRAFT STRATEGY THAT'S GOING TO BE ISSUED TODAY, THEN THAT SPEAKS TO, UH, DEALING WITH THE, UH, OUTBREAK CHALLENGE AND THE LATIN NEXT COMMUNITY.
UH, THERE'S GOING TO BE A FACEBOOK MEETING AT 10 O'CLOCK ON SATURDAY IN SPANISH, UH, FOR PEOPLE IN THAT COMMUNITY TO BE ALL OF YOUR SUGGESTIONS, UH, ON, ON HOW TO GET BETTER OUTREACH.
UH, WE'RE NOW LOOKING AT STRATEGIES THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR WORKERS SO THAT THEY KNOW THEIR RIGHTS, SO THEY KNOW THEIR WARNINGS, UH, SO THAT WE CAN GET MORE TARGETED TESTING TO, UM, UH, POPULATIONS
[00:30:01]
AND COMMUNITIES THAT ARE FACING, UH, HIGHER, HIGHER RISK LEVELS.UH, THERE ARE PROGRAMS, UH, SOON TO BE PILOTED, UH, THAT, UH, TRYING TO GET RESOURCES TO PROVIDE, UH, THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO ISOLATE THOSE WORKERS, UH, SO THAT THEY CAN, UH, UH, PRACTICALLY, UH, UH, DECIDE TO, TO GO GET TESTED AND THEN TO ISOLATE IF ANY ARE, ARE POSITIVE.
AND WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THOSE STRATEGIES NOW, AND WITH THAT, I'M READY TO NEED TO LEAVE.
I'LL LEAVE THE FLOOR TO LEARN MY COMMENTS.
LET ME ALSO JUST, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR.
AND I JUST WANT TO JUMP IN AND SAY THAT IT'S, AGAIN, IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS, AS A COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT THAT PEOPLE HAVE THE ADVICE AND THE PROTECTION THEY NEED, WHEN IT COMES TO AN EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYERS HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ENSURING THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINES, IF THAT'S A CONSTRUCTION WORKER, IF THAT'S SOMEBODY WORKING IN A RETAIL STORE, THAT THEY HAVE APPROPRIATE PROTECTIONS IN PLACE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND PROTECT THEIR FAMILIES, WHEN THEY GO BACK HOME, I'VE BEEN DELIGHTED TO SEE SOME BUSINESSES WHO HAVE REALLY DONE A GREAT JOB OF, OF ENGINEERING THEIR WORKPLACE TO BE MORE PROTECTIVE.
I REVIEWED A PLAN FROM TOP GOLF THIS WEEK.
WHO'VE DONE AN AMAZING JOB AT ENGINEERING CONTROLS TO PROTECT THEIR EMPLOYEES, TO PROTECT THE PATRONS, AND TO ENSURE THAT IN THE EVENT OF A, OF A CASE OR A CLUSTER, THAT WE HAVE APPROPRIATE RESOURCES TO CONDUCT CONTACT TRACING.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED FOLKS TO DO ACROSS THE COMMUNITY, UH, REGARDLESS OF WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS THEY ARE RUNNING TO ENSURE THAT THAT TOGETHER WE CAN, CAN BE SUCCESSFUL AT THIS.
WE'VE GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD AND, UH, WE WERE CERTAINLY ABLE AND WILLING TO SUPPORT THOSE EFFORTS, UH, PROVIDE ADVICE TO, TO EMPLOYERS WHO NEED IT, UH, AND THERE ARE REGULAR RESOURCES ON OUR WEBSITE AND ON CTCS WEBSITE ABOUT HOW TO DO THAT RESPONSIBLY.
HI, Y'ALL JUST WANTED TO GIVE A REMINDER THAT WE ARE ABOUT 13 MINUTES OUT.
SO JUST A QUICK TIME CHECK AND ABOUT NINE QUESTIONS LEFT.
NEXT QUESTION FOR FOX SEVEN AND THIS AMOUNT OF NEW CASES TRIGGER ANOTHER SHUTDOWN OF LOCAL BUSINESSES, NOT AT THIS POINT.
UH, WE HAVE VERY, UH, CAREFULLY CALIBRATED.
WHAT WE BELIEVE IS THE RIGHT MOMENT FOR US AS A COMMUNITY TO DISCUSS PULLING BACK, UH, SO THAT WE WOULD NOT OVERRUN OUR HOSPITAL CAPACITY.
AND THAT RIGHT MOMENT IS THE TRIGGER OF 20, UH, YOU'VE HEARD THE MAYOR SPEAK OF IT BEFORE.
UM, WE HAVE WORKED VERY, VERY HARD WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS TO FIND THAT APPROPRIATE TRIGGER.
IT WAS NOT PLUCKED FROM THIN AIR.
IT CAME FROM SOME DEEP DELIBERATION ABOUT WHAT OUR HOSPITAL CAPACITY LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT WE WOULD LIKELY BE SEEING RIGHT BEFORE, UH, UM, WE WOULD OVERRUN OUR HOSPITAL CAPACITY OR SUFFICIENTLY IN TIME THAT WE COULD, UH, UH, DEFLECT THAT KIND OF SEARCH.
AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE NUMBER IS, UH, 20 HOSPITALIZATIONS, UH, A ROLLING AVERAGE OF 20 HOSPITALIZATIONS OVER A SEVEN DAY PERIOD.
UH, WE'RE AT 13 THOUGH, I'VE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE.
SO IT IS OUR OBLIGATION TO WARN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE, UH, UM, THE VELOCITY OF OUR INFECTIONS, UM, HAS INCREASED.
AND IF THAT VELOCITY INCREASE INCREASES TO 20 HOSPITALIZATIONS OVERRULING SEVEN DAY AVERAGE, UH, WE NEED TO DISCUSS HOW TO THROTTLE BACK, UM, LAST WEEK RUN OUT OF THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT PERSONNEL AND BED SPACE TO PROVIDE EVERYONE ADEQUATE MEDICAL TREATMENT.
BACK TO THE TOP WITH A QUESTION FROM THE STATESMAN, UM, I'M JUST GONNA ASK A BIT OF A FOLLOWUP ON THAT ONE.
UM, IF WE DO HIT THAT 20 HOSPITALIZATIONS PER DAY THRESHOLD, IS THERE SOME SORT OF MECHANISM TO WHERE THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE IS CONTACTED OR VICE VERSA TO GET SOME SORT OF APPROVAL TO POSSIBLY ENTER INTO NEW BUSINESS CLOSURES OR MORE STRICT ENFORCEABLE STAY-HOME ORDERS? WE'RE CERTAINLY SHARING ALL OF THE INFORMATION ON HOW WE DERIVED THAT 20, UH, UH, 20 ADMISSIONS AND A ROLLING SEVEN DAY AVERAGE.
YOU'RE SHARING THE INFORMATION WITH THE, UH, WITH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, WITH THE GOVERNOR'S TASK FORCE, UH, UM, AND WITH OTHER MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ACROSS THE MAJOR MSA.
UM, SO, UH, WE HOPE TO HAVE, UH, THE SUPPORT OF THE STATE AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE.
[00:35:01]
UH, WE WILL CONTINUE OUR COMMUNICATIONS.S SCOTT, DO YOU HAVE MORE WITH REGARD TO, TO YOUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY, UH, AT THE STATE LEVEL? UH, YES.
SO, YOU KNOW, I HAD COMMUNICATIONS YESTERDAY ABOUT THIS, THIS THREE DAY TREND THAT WE SAW, UH, WITH COMMISSIONERS PALLOR STATS OFFICE, UH, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES.
AND, UH, AND THERE IS REGULAR COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE STATE REGARDING PATTERNS.
UH, W WE CAN SEE ACROSS THE STATE, THERE ARE VARIATIONS IN THE WAY DIFFERENT CITIES AND COUNTIES ARE EXPERIENCING THIS, THIS PANDEMIC RIGHT NOW.
IT APPEARS THAT EVERY MAJOR METROPOLITAN COUNTY IS SEEING INCREASES.
IN FACT, THE STATE WIDE WE'RE SEEING INCREASES IN CASES.
UM, SO I, YOU KNOW, I THINK IF WE DO REACH THAT THRESHOLD, THAT, THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE MORE SERIOUS CONVERSATIONS WITH THE STATE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DIALING THINGS BACK SO THAT NOT DIALING OFF NECESSARILY, BUT DIALING BACK SO THAT WE CAN AVOID HAVING TO DIALOGUE.
THAT'S WHY WE CREATED THESE TRIGGERS SO THAT WE CAN ADJUST A LITTLE BIT TO AVOID ADJUSTING OFF, COMPLETELY TO AVOID THAT, THAT A DRAMATIC HIT TO THE ECONOMY.
UH, YOU KNOW, MY CONCERN IS THAT THAT, UH, THE ANSWER IS NOT JUST SENDING MORE, RACECOURSES ONE ANSWER TO ADDRESSING SURGES.
WE CAN SEND YOU MORE PEOPLE IN HOSPITAL BEDS AND STUFF TO ADDRESS THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK, BUT ULTIMATELY YOU STILL HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE HOSPITALIZED.
YOU STILL HAVE LARGER NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO DIE THAT DON'T NEED TO, AND YOU RUN OUT OF HOSPITAL CAPACITY FOR NOT ONLY COVID-19 PATIENTS, BUT FOR PEOPLE HAVING HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES AND COMPLICATIONS FROM SURGERIES AND, AND CANCER AND SO FORTH.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RUNNING OUT OF HOSPITAL BEDS, IT'S NOT JUST, COVID-19, IT'S RUNNING OUT FOR EVERYTHING.
AND WE REALLY HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WE AVOID THAT SITUATION BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE UNNECESSARY DEATHS.
AND, UH, AND WE'RE NOT READY TO DO TO DEAL WITH THAT.
SCOTT, YOU SAID EARLIER THAT MASKS APPEAR TO HAVE MORE OF AN IMPACT THAN ORIGINALLY THOUGHT.
WHAT OTHER FACTORS ARE EMERGING AS HAVING A MORE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT THAN HEALTH OFFICIALS ORIGINALLY THOUGHT IN THE BEGINNING, UM, TO HELP SLOW THE SPREAD.
SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING FOR SOME TIME ABOUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERIMENTATION THAT'S GOING ON.
LUCKILY WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH WORLDWIDE PANDEMICS.
UH, SO A LOT OF THE, THE DECISIONS THAT WERE BEING MADE EARLY ON WERE BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED IN 1918, 19, 19, A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT HAPPENED DURING H ONE N ONE, BUT WE'VE LEARNED A LOT.
AND WE'VE LEARNED THAT WHEN WE SAY WE NEED A SOCIAL DISTANCE AND WE NEED TO BE PROTECTIVE AND WEAR A MASK AND STAY HOME.
WHEN YOU'RE SICK, WE FOUND THAT WE WERE ABLE TO FLATTEN THE CURVE MORE THAN WE THOUGHT WE COULD.
WE TALKED INITIALLY ABOUT, CAN WE DIAL THINGS BACK 50% OR 75%.
AND SO THAT'S BEEN AN AMAZING EXAMPLE OF WHAT THIS COMMUNITY CAN DO TOGETHER.
IF WE REALLY CARE ABOUT LIMITING THIS DISEASE, FLATTING THE CURVE, SAVING PEOPLE'S LIVES.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SAY IS THAT WE'RE BEING SOLD, THAT WE HAVE TO BE POLAR ON THIS ISSUE.
WE EITHER HAVE TO CARE ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH OR THE ECONOMY, BUT WE CAN'T CARE ABOUT BOTH.
AND THAT IS SIMPLY NOT THE CASE.
AND I DON'T TALK ABOUT POLITICS A LOT, BUT YOU'RE HEARING THIS FROM A REPUBLICAN DOCTOR WORKING FOR A DEMOCRATIC CITY COUNCIL AND COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE.
THIS IS SCIENCE, AND WE HAVE TO BE SERIOUS ABOUT THAT.
WE HAVE TO HAVE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN ONE OR THE OTHER.
WE CAN DO BOTH TOGETHER AND WE CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.
IF WE WANT TO KEEP THE ECONOMY OPEN, WE HAVE TO WEAR MASKS.
WE HAVE TO USE SOCIAL DISTANCING.
WE HAVE TO STAY HOME WHEN WE'RE SICK, AND WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THIS PERSONAL HYGIENE MESSAGES.
IF WE DO THAT, WE CAN DO BOTH SUCCESSFULLY.
UM, ABOUT FIVE QUESTIONS LEFT, FIVE MINUTES LEFT.
SO LET'S, UH, I GUESS WE'RE ENLIGHTENING AROUND NOW.
DO YOU THINK WE WILL BE ABLE TO KEEP HOSPITALIZATIONS BELOW 20, EVEN WHEN IT IS CLEAR, PEOPLE ARE NOT TAKING THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS? NO, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO KEEP HOSPITALIZATIONS BELOW 20 IF WE DON'T TAKE THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS.
I, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T EVEN NEED THE FIRST OF ALL, CAN WE JUST SAY HOW AWESOME DR.
ASCOT IS? I MEAN, THAT WAS JUST HIS ANSWER JUST NOW IS AMAZING.
[00:40:01]
UM, BUT, BUT BELIEVE HIM, PLEASE BELIEVE HIM AND PLEASE BELIEVE OUR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.UM, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP HOSPITALIZATIONS BELOW 20, IF WE GO BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL, IT IS, IT IS NOT, UH, SCIENTIFICALLY POSSIBLE IN A PANDEMIC RIGHT NEXT TO ADD, SORRY, I HAVE NOTHING TO ADD.
THAT'S THE CASE HAVE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS AND LIMIT, OR WE DON'T.
UM, AND, AND, AND, AND FOLKS, IT'S NOT JUST THE, THE HOSPITALIZATIONS, YOU KNOW, THE HOSPITALS BEING OVERWHELMED WHEN WE HAVE MASSIVE INCREASES QUICKLY, IN CASES, WE ARE RISKING THE LIVES OF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
WE ARE RISKING THE LIVES OF OUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.
AND LET ME TELL YOU WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT THAT.
NOT ONLY BECAUSE THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PROTECTING US AND PROVIDING SERVICE TO US, IF THEY GET SICK AND CAN'T COME TO WORK, THEY CAN'T STAFF THE HOSPITAL BEDS, WHICH MEANS OUR CAPACITY IN THE HOSPITALS DROPS.
AND THAT MAY DROP AS MUCH AS 25%.
SO WE HAVE SEARCH CAPACITY, WHICH REQUIRES PEOPLE AND EQUIPMENT.
AND IF WE DON'T HAVE THE PEOPLE TO GO WITH THE EQUIPMENT, THOSE BEDS ARE NOT USEFUL.
SO WE MUST CONTROL THE SPREAD.
WE MUST CONTROL THE RATE OF HOSPITALIZATIONS SO THAT WE CAN CONTROL, UH, THE, THE, THE LIVES LOST AND THE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID CHANGES, WHICH OVERWHELM OUR SYSTEM.
NEXT QUESTION, FROM COOPERATING LEO WITH THE WEEK OF JUNE TEAM APPROACHING, IS THERE SOME WAY THAT THE CITY AND COUNTY CAN PROMOTE HEALTH AND SAFETY WITHOUT INHIBITING THE ENERGY OF THE CELEBRATIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS? ABSOLUTELY.
AND ACTUALLY, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT, UH, THE PROMOTION REALLY NEEDS TO COME FROM US AS INDIVIDUALS.
AND I WOULD ASK EVERYONE TO BE THINKING WITH REGARD TO JUNETEENTH, WITH REGARD TO THE COMING 4TH OF JULY HOLIDAYS, HOW CAN WE ADAPT OUR CELEBRATING, UH, TO COVID-19? IN WHAT WAYS CAN WE, UH, UH, COMMUNICATE TO OUR COMMUNITY, THE RESPECT, THE DEEP RESPECT, UH, AND CARE THAT WE HAVE FOR ONE ANOTHER, UH, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE, UH, UM, CELEBRATORY JUNETEENTH MASKING, UH, WE CAN HAVE, UH, UH, CELEBRATORY, UH, CAR PARADES SO THAT WE MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING, UH, THROUGH THAT, UM, I WAS THINKING, UH, THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF ADAPTATIONS AND THIS COMMUNITY IS SO CREATIVE.
I KNOW THAT WE CAN FIND SOME WAYS TO CELEBRATE, UH, THAT IS SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING.
WE MAINTAIN THE MASKING, WE MAINTAIN THE GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE, AND THAT PEOPLE STAY HOME WHEN THEY'RE SICK.
UH, IT IS NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK.
UH, UM, AND I THINK BACK TO JOHN F. KENNEDY SAYING, ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU, BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO, UH, IN THIS PANDEMIC? UM, WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH A HEALTHY EXPRESSION OF RESPECT FOR OUR COMMUNITY TODAY? UH, AND ALSO BE THINKING ABOUT 4TH OF JULY, CAUSE THAT WILL BE COMING UP SOON TOO.
HOW WILL WE CELEBRATE IN A WAY THAT IS HEALTHY AND RESPECTFUL, UH, UH, TO OUR COMMUNITY.
FROM K VIEW, ALL NURSING HOME STAFF AND RESIDENTS HAD TO BE TESTED BY MAY 27TH OR THE GOVERNORS ORDERS.
DID THIS HELP EXPLAIN THE RECENT SURGE? ARE THERE NEW NUMBERS ON NURSING HOME CASES AND DEATHS FROM, UH, THE CITY AND AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH? UH, SO I I'M WAITING RIGHT NOW ON THE FINAL REPORT FROM THE NURSING HOME TESTING.
THE REPORT THAT I RELEASED LAST WEEK, UH, SHOWED US THAT OF THE MORE THAN 4,000 CASES OR 4,000 TESTS THAT WERE REFORMED.
NOW THERE WERE STILL 700 OR SO TEST RESULTS STILL PENDING.
SO WE DON'T HAVE THE FINAL NUMBERS, BUT, UH, WE HAD NO INDICATION LAST WEEK AT THE LAST CHECK, UH, THAT, THAT THESE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE SEEING ARE RELATED TO NURSING HOME, UH, TESTING RESULTS.
AGAIN, THESE ARE, THESE ARE TESTING DONE THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, THIS DOES SEEM TO REPRESENT A ONGOING AND INCREASING COMMUNITY SPREAD.
UH, THEY'RE NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO INSTITUTIONS LIKE NURSING HOMES.
A QUESTION FROM KUT, HAVE YOU STARTED DOING MOBILE AND IN-HOME TESTING IN THE TARGETED COMMUNITIES OUTLINED LAST WEEK? UH, WE HAVE SECURED A CONTRACT WITH, UH, WITH A PRIVATE ENTITY.
THAT'S GOING TO FACILITATE THAT TESTING.
UH, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UH, IN THE NEXT WEEK THAT THOSE WILL BE ROLLED OUT TO DO THE TARGETED TESTING.
[00:45:01]
UM, WE ARE ALSO FINALIZING THE DATA INPUT INTO OUR DATABASE SO THAT WE CAN BETTER IDENTIFY, UH, THE AREAS THAT HAVE ADEQUATE TESTING IN THE AREAS THAT ARE STILL LACKING IN TESTING SO THAT WE CAN TARGET THOSE RESOURCES APPROPRIATELY.UH, AGAIN, NOW WE WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT, THAT WE HAVE FREE ASSESSMENTS AND TESTING AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR WEBSITE AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV FORWARD SLASH COVID-19, AND THAT ANYBODY AT THIS STAGE WHO, WHO NEEDS TO BE TESTED WILL BE TESTED.
UH, SO WE HAVE THE RESOURCES WE NEED FOLKS TO GO THERE THAT IS PRIVATE, CONFIDENTIAL MEDICAL INFORMATION.
THAT'S NOT SHARED WITH ANYONE ELSE.
UH, SO IF, IF YOU NEED IT TO TEST, WE'LL GET YOU TESTED.
ALSO, I DO WANT TO PLUG IF YOU, UH, IF YOU CAN'T GET ON THE WEBSITE FOR ANY REASON, UH, UM, WE HAVE A DRIVE THROUGH SITES AND WALK UP SITES, UH, WITH COMMUNITY CARE AS WELL, NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY.
UM, UH, AN APPOINTMENT IS BETTER, UH, GOING ON AND DOING THE ASSESSMENTS.
UH, ONLINE FIRST IS BETTER, BUT IF YOU NEED TO JUST DO A DRIVE THROUGH OR A UP, UH, OUR COMMUNITY CARE, UM, UH, DRIVE THROUGH CLINICS ARE, ARE TAKING WALK-UPS.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A CLIENT OF A COMMUNITY CARE CLINIC.
UH, UM, PLEASE, DO WE HAVE RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR FOLKS WHO FEEL THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED AND THEY MAY BE EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS? ALL RIGHT, WE'VE GOT ONE LAST QUESTION.
I KNOW WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE OVER NINE 45, BUT I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE.
CAN YOU SPEAK MORE ABOUT THE, UH, THE FORUM, THE FACEBOOK MEETING THAT WILL TAKE PLACE THIS SATURDAY? WHAT IS THE MAIN PURPOSE OF IT? I THINK THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF FLUX RIGHT NOW.
UM, MY MOST RECENT, I WAS JUST WATCHING MY TEXT THREAD HERE.
UH, BUT IT DOES APPEAR, UH, I NEED TO CHECK BACK IN WITH OUR, UH, AUSTIN COMMUNICATIONS.
I BELIEVE THAT THAT WILL BE A, A SPANISH SPEAKING FACEBOOK LIVE.
UM, SO I NEED TO CHECK BACK IN WITH THEM.
UM, BUT WE ALSO TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN PLAN TO PUT OUT WHAT AMOUNTS TO A KIT, UH, FOR FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE PSS IN THEIR OWN WORDS, HAD TO SEND OUT TO THEIR OWN COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS TO MAKE THESE ADAPTATIONS FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MASKING, UH, AND WHAT, UH, EACH ONE OF US HAVE DONE IN OUR OWN INDIVIDUAL LIVES TO ADAPT.
UH, SO THAT WILL BE, UH, COMING OUT SOON AS WELL.
SO I BELIEVE THAT THE SATURDAY FORUM IS A FACEBOOK LIVE, UH, UH, IN SPANISH.
UM, BUT, BUT I NEED TO CHECK BACK WITH THAT.
UH, THANK YOU TO OUR SPEAKERS AND OUR POOL REPORTERS.
SO THAT IS GOING TO WRAP IT UP.
UH, WE KIND OF WANTED TO CUT OFF AT NINE 45, UH, TO GIVE SOME TIME FOR THE UPCOMING COUNCIL MEETING, UH, BUT GLAD WE GOT THROUGH THEM ALL.
UM, SO JUST WANTED TO GIVE THE SPEAKERS ONE LAST OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME FINAL THOUGHTS BEFORE WE WRAP UP.
UH, AGAIN, THE TAKE HOME MESSAGE FOR TODAY IS WE ARE CONCERNED.
WE'RE NOT AT A STAGE WHERE WE NEED TO SHUT THINGS DOWN OR DIAL THINGS BACK, BUT WE'RE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION TODAY BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN A CONCERNING TREND AND WE'VE SEEN THREE DAYS OF TRIPLE DIGIT NEW CASES.
WE'VE SEEN UNPRECEDENTED HIGH NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS IN A SINGLE DAY, AND WE'RE CONCERNED THAT WE'RE HEADED IN A DIRECTION THAT COULD LEAD US TO NEED TO DIAL THINGS BACK.
UNLIKE HURRICANES, WE CAN CONTROL THE SIZE OF THIS STORM BY SIMPLE DECISION MAKING AT, IN THE HOUSEHOLD LEVEL AT THE PERSONAL LEVEL.
AND THAT MEANS WASHING OUR HANDS, NOT TOUCHING OUR FACE, STAYING HOME OR SICK, BUT ALSO THE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THE, THE, UH, THE PUBLIC MASKING, THESE SIMPLE THINGS ARE A SIGN OF, OF OUR COMMITMENT TO KEEPING THINGS UNDER CONTROL AND PROTECTING ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I, I REALLY ENCOURAGE ALL OF US TO ENGAGE IN THAT PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOR.
I WOULD SIMPLY SAY, PLEASE BELIEVE HIM.
UM, SO WITH THAT, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESS CONFERENCE FOR TODAY.