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GOOD MORNING, I'M ALYSSA ARMSTRONG AND I WILL BE YOUR MODERATOR FOR THIS MORNING'S PRESS CONFERENCE.
FIRST, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR SPEAKERS, DR.
MARK S. SCOTT, INTERIM AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY, AND JANET PICHETTE CHIEF EPIDEMIOLOGIST.
BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE Q AND A PORTION OF THIS APH, UH, PRESS CONFERENCE, WE ARE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SEE IF ANY MEMBERS OF OUR LEADERSHIP HAVE UPDATES.
UH, FIRST I WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR CONCERNING TREND IN, IN NEW CASES.
UH, AS FOLKS SAW ON MONDAY, WE HAD A RECORD NUMBER OF CASES, 118 NEW CASES REPORTED YESTERDAY.
WE HAD ANOTHER RECORD AT 161 NEW CASES, UH, AND THIS IS A CONCERNING TREND.
THAT'S WHERE IT'D BE PAYING VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE CASE VOLUMES THIS WEEK.
UH, AS WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST, WE TEND TO HAVE A WALL OVER THE WEEKEND DUE TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS, INCLUDING DECREASED REPORTING BACK FROM THE LABS.
BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS, WE HAVE A DECREASE FROM THAT MONDAY HIGH.
UH, BUT INSTEAD YESTERDAY WE SAW INCREASE AGAIN.
UH, SO WE ARE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, THE NUMBERS, WHICH MAY COME OUT TODAY.
WE'LL BE WATCHING THAT CLOSELY, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS DISEASE HAS NOT GONE AWAY, DESPITE WHAT FOLKS ARE HEARING ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ON THE TELEVISION THAT THIS DISEASE IS STILL HERE.
WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED.
WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE DYING, AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN PEOPLE NEED TO LIVE IN FEAR.
BUT WHEN WE DO NEED TO DO IS TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AND USE THOSE SIMPLE PRECAUTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR MONTHS NOW, IN ORDER TO DECREASE THE TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE, DECREASE THE RISK THAT WE'RE GOING TO OVERWHELM OUR HOSPITALS AND REALLY TAKE CONTROL OF THIS DISEASE SO THAT WE CAN NOT ONLY PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT PROTECT OUR ECONOMY AS WELL.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JANET.
WE'RE NOT ABLE TO HEAR YOU RIGHT NOW.
UM, JUST TO KIND OF PIGGYBACK OFF OF WHAT DR.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT TWO THINGS THAT PEOPLE MAY SEE WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT OUR, OUR, UH, DAILY DASHBOARD THAT'S, UH, AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
AND ONE OF THEM IS WE HAVE TWO, WHAT WE CALL EPIDEMIOLOGIC CURVES THAT ARE UP ON THAT, UH, ON THAT DASHBOARD ONE THAT SHOWS A NEW LEAD NEW CASES REPORTED EACH DAY, WHICH IS BASICALLY US AS WE PROCESS THE CASES THAT ARE COMING IN FROM THE LABS.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET INFORMATION ON THAT BOARD.
SO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND, UH, POLICY MAKERS AND DECISION MAKERS CAN SEE THE NUMBER OF ACTUAL, NEWLY REPORTED CASES.
AFTER THOSE CASES HAVE BEEN, UM, DATA ENTERED.
THEY ARE THEN TRANSFERRED OVER AND ASSIGNED TO THE EPIDEMIOLOGIST WHO WILL INVESTIGATE THOSE CASES.
AND THAT'S WHEN WE GET MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON EACH INDIVIDUAL CASE.
SO THE SECOND, UH, EPI CURVE THAT YOU SEE IS WHAT BASED ON, UH, SYMPTOM ONSET.
AND THAT REALLY TELLS US WHEN, AND IT GIVES US A BETTER PICTURE WHEN PEOPLE ACTUALLY WERE ILL, UH, AND WHERE THEY WERE BASED ON WHEN THEY WERE, WHEN THE CASE WAS ACTUALLY REPORTED INTO US.
CAUSE THERE COULD BE A LAG THERE.
UM, SO ON THE EPI CURVE, UH, THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A LAG.
AND THEN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CURVE IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE INCOMPLETE BECAUSE WE'RE STILL TRYING TO DO OUR CASE INVESTIGATION AND COMPLETE INFORMATION ABOUT CASE ONSET AND SYMPTOM ONSET.
NOW I WILL ASK OUR POOR APART OR TO BEGIN THE QUESTION AND ANSWER PORTION OF THIS CONFERENCE.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR TAKING SOME OF OUR QUESTIONS TODAY.
THE FIRST ONE IS GOING TO BE FROM KVU THIS WEEK.
AUSTIN SAW SPIKE, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, DR.
SCOTT AND COVID NUMBERS IN TEXAS, ALL RECORD INCREASE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS.
GIVEN THAT TWO WEEK DELAY PROTESTS DON'T SEEM TO BE THE LIKELY CAUSE DESPITE WHAT PEOPLE MAY THINK, HOWEVER, TWO WEEKS AGO, MARKS MEMORIAL DAY AND MORE BUSINESS OPENING.
SO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THESE SPIKES TO? UH, SO YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
AS JANET JUST DESCRIBED, THE CASES THAT WE REPORT OVER THE PAST THREE DAYS ARE CASES THAT HAD ONSET AWAKE AND UP TO 10 DAYS AGO.
IN FACT, SOMETIMES BY THE TIME THAT WE
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HAVE A CASE REPORT, THAT PERSON HAS ALREADY RECOVERED, UH, BECAUSE OF THE, YOU KNOW, THEIR ILLNESS WAS ONSET WAS TWO WEEKS BEFORE, UH, WE GET THE CASE.UH, SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE PRIMARILY.
IT SEEMS BASED UPON, UH, THE REOPENING BASED UPON MEMORIAL DAY ACTIVITIES.
UH, BUT QUITE FRANKLY, WE ALSO HAVE AN INCREASE IN, IN RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, IS PEOPLE ARE LESS CAUTIOUS.
THEY'RE NOT WEARING MASKS AS MUCH.
THEY'RE NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING AS MUCH, AND THEY'RE NOT PAYING AS CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE OTHER PERSONAL HYGIENE MESSAGES, LIKE WASHING YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY AND NOT TOUCHING YOUR FACE.
NOW WE EXPECT THAT, UH, WE'RE GOING TO SEE A LAG BETWEEN NOT ONLY WHEN THE EXPOSURE OCCURRED AND WHEN THE DIAGNOSIS OCCURRED, BUT ALSO ANOTHER WEEK LAG BETWEEN WHEN THE PERSON GETS SICK AND WHEN THEY'RE LIKELY TO BE HOSPITALIZED.
SO, UH, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE A LAG IN CASES.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE, UH, PART OF THAT LAG DUE TO SOME OF THE DELAYS WITH, UH, WITH, WITH THE LABS.
AND WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT AS WE CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THIS, UH, THIS PANDEMIC IN AUSTIN, THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE BETTER LAB TURNAROUND TIME, SO THAT HOPEFULLY THE SAME DAY SOMEBODY DEVELOPS SYMPTOMS, THEY CAN GET TESTED OR WITHIN 24 HOURS.
AND THEN WITHIN 24 HOURS, AFTER THAT, WE CAN HAVE AN ANSWER SO THAT WE CAN MAKE MORE TIMELY DECISIONS ABOUT ISOLATING FOLKS, BUT IT IS REALLY CRITICAL TO DO THAT, TO PREVENT THAT, THAT SECONDARY AND TERTIARY SPREAD OF DISEASE TO OTHERS.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM CVS, AUSTIN, A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERLAP, BUT THERE'S SOME NEW STUFF.
SO, UH, ONCO HAD READ IT ALL THE AVERAGE TIME TO SEE CORONA VIRUS SYMPTOMS IS FIVE TO SIX DAYS.
SO HOW MUCH OF THE SPIKE DO YOU ATTRIBUTE TO PROTESTERS OR OTHER FACTORS DO YOU THINK THE MAJORITY OF PROTESTORS WERE TESTING WITH NO SYMPTOMS? UH, SO, UH, AGAIN, LAST WEEK WE, UH, WE NOTIFIED THE PUBLIC THAT IF THEY WERE INVOLVED IN, IN PEACEFUL PROTEST AND WE CERTAINLY SUPPORT, UH, THE FIRST AMENDMENT, RIGHT.
TO DO THAT AND, AND, UH, AND APPLAUD OUR COMMUNITY FOR COMING TOGETHER AROUND A CAUSE.
UM, W NONE OF THIS, NONE OF THE CASES THAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW RELATED TO PROTESTS, UH, AGAIN, WE'RE JUST TESTING THOSE FOLKS WITHIN THE LAST SEVEN DAYS.
SO WE DO EXPECT THAT IF WE WERE TO SEE CASES ASSOCIATED WITH PROTESTS OR OTHER LARGE GATHERINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST WEEK OR TWO, UH, THAT, THAT WILL START ROLLING OUT THIS WEEK INTO NEXT WEEK OR NOT BEFORE WE SEE ANY, ANY SUBSTANTIAL, UH, CASES RELATED TO THAT.
UH, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S A SIMPLE MATTER OF FACT, THAT PERSON TO PERSON INTERACTIONS IS, IS HOW THIS DISEASE IS PRIMARILY SPREAD.
SO ANY ACTIVITY WHERE PERSONS ARE TOGETHER, UH, PARTICULARLY FACE-TO-FACE PARTICULARLY WITHIN SIX FEET, PARTICULARLY WITH, UH, FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, IT'S GOING TO INCREASE THAT RISK.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US AS A COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AND RECOGNIZE THE RISK IS THERE.
UH, THERE, THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY GUILT INVOLVED.
IF, IF SOMEBODY GETS SICK AND EXPOSES OTHERS, UH, IT'S A PACT, IT'S A RESPIRATORY DISEASE SIMILAR TO INFLUENZA.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PRIMARY THING THAT WE NEED TO DO IS ENSURE THAT PEOPLE ARE NOTIFIED IF THEY'VE BEEN EXPOSED, IF THEY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED AND THEY GET TESTED, AND IF THEY TEST POSITIVE THAT THEY ISOLATE THEMSELVES AWAY FROM OTHERS.
SO WE CAN PREVENT THAT, THAT FURTHER SPREAD.
UH, NEXT QUESTION FROM KUT, HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES APH HAVE WORKING ON CASE INVESTIGATION AND CONTACT TRACY RIGHT NOW? IS IT FULLY STAFFED? AND IF NOT, WHAT'S THE REASON WHY.
UM, SO CURRENTLY WE HAVE, UH, ABOUT 38 STAFF ON BOARD THAT ARE DOING CASE INVESTIGATION.
UM, THE CASE INVESTIGATION PROCESS INCLUDES THE YEAR OF CONTACT TRACING AND FOLLOWING UP WITH THOSE INITIAL CONTACTS THAT PEOPLE HAVE IDENTIFIED, UM, WE EACH WEEK OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS, UH, WE'LL BE ONBOARDING ADDITIONAL PEOPLE, UH, TO ASSIST WITH THAT EFFORT.
WE HAVE ROUGHLY 90 PEOPLE IDENTIFY WHO CAN SUPPORT THAT EFFORT.
UM, BUT FOR THE TIME BEING, WE'RE RAMPING UP, UM, AND TRYING TO ONBOARD, WE'RE TRYING TO BE MINDFUL OF SOCIAL DISTANCING WITHIN OUR WORKPLACE.
WE'VE OBVIOUSLY BEEN WORKING, UM, SINCE JANUARY IN OUR SPACE AND WE HAVE A PRETTY FULL HOUSE.
AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE BRING INDIVIDUALS ON ONBOARD, UH, WE'RE MAKING, PROVIDING THEM THE PROPER TRAINING AND IN THE SAFE ENVIRONMENT, BUT EACH WEEK WE'LL BE ADDING, UM, ROUGHLY 10 PEOPLE OR SO, UM, AND, UM, CONTINUING TO DO THAT UNTIL WE'RE FULLY STAFFED, UH, BECAUSE ONCE THEY'RE TRAINED, THEY ACTUALLY WILL BE WORKING FROM A REMOTE LOCATION.
UM, AND, AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
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ALSO ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS AND RESUMES FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ASSISTING IN THAT EFFORT.THEY CAN SEND THEIR RESUME TO APH HUMAN RESOURCES AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV.
IF THEY HAVE AN INTEREST IN, UM, SUPPORTING THE CONTACT TRACING AND CASE INVESTIGATION.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM UNIVISION, THE VIRUS HAS HAD A DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TO LOWER THE PERCENTAGE OF HISPANICS WITH CORONA VIRUS IN OUR COMMUNITY? WELL, WE ARE WORKING WITH, UH, WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY TO REALLY ENGAGE IN THIS MISSION.
UH, WE'VE HAD SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS IN THE PAST.
UH, WE ARE WORKING ON, UH, AND HAVE COMPLETED SOME PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS, ENSURING THAT WE HAVE A DEDICATED WEBSITE, WHICH IS AVAILABLE IN SPANISH, WHICH IS NOW LIVE ON THE AUSTIN, TEXAS, UH, WEBSITE.
AND, UH, WE'RE ALSO, UH, HOSTING A FORUM THIS WEEKEND TO GAIN, UH, GATHER BETTER INFORMATION, UH, FROM THE LATIN X COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, UH, WE CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY BARRIERS, UH, AND, AND LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO DECREASE THOSE BARRIERS.
UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A, A COMPLICATED SITUATION AND, UH, WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE, UH, DISPROPORTIONATE EFFECT THAT IT'S HAVING ON OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT IS, IS IT'S ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE TO BE A PART OF THIS MISSION, UH, CITY, GOVERNMENT, STATE, GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, CAN'T, CAN'T DO THIS JOB ALONE.
WE DEPEND UPON LEADERS AND THE LATIN X COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM AN, UH, THE, THE EMPLOYMENT STANDPOINT TO BE ENGAGED AS PARTNERS IN THIS MISSION, SO THAT, UH, WE HAVE TO REPETITIVE MESSAGE.
AND THAT MESSAGE IS CLEAR, UH, PARTICULARLY AS IT RELATES TO THE NEED PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS, UH, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, AS WELL AS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE NEED TO GET TESTED QUICKLY AND TO ISOLATE THEMSELVES FROM OTHERS TO PREVENT THAT FURTHER SPREAD.
UH, ONE OF OUR BIG CONCERNS RIGHT NOW, UH, PARTICULARLY IN, IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IS THAT HOUSEHOLD TRANSMISSION.
AGAIN, WE KNOW THAT AS THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS IN A HOUSEHOLD INCREASES, WHICH IS MORE COMMON IN OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, THAT THE RISK OF, OF HOUSEHOLD TRANSMISSION IS, IS WORSE.
AND IT'S GOING TO INCREASE THAT RISK.
UH, WE KNOW THAT ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH LARGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE IS A HIGHER PERCENT OF, OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN POVERTY.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THESE THINGS CONTRIBUTE NOT ONLY TO THE SPREAD OF DISEASE, BUT FOR THE DISPROPORTIONATE EFFECT ON HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS THAT WE ALSO SEE IN COMMUNITIES OF COLORS.
SO IT IS A COMPLEX ISSUE, UH, AND SOME OF THIS REALLY DATES BACK TO THE LONG-STANDING DISPARITIES, UH, IN, IN OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, THE LACK OF ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, TO FRESH FOODS, UH, TO SECURE HOUSING AND JOBS.
AND THESE ARE THINGS THAT, WHICH WE HAVE TO ADDRESS AS A COMMUNITY, AND WE ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL AS A COMMUNITY UNLESS OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY IS SUCCESSFUL.
SO WE AS A COMMUNITY NEED TO WORK HARD ON THAT TOGETHER.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM ESTONIA, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CAUSED A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT ASYMPTOMATIC TRANSMISSION RECENTLY, IS THERE ANY DOUBT THAT COVID-19 CAN BE SPREAD BY ASYMPTOMATIC OR PRESYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS? UH, I'LL START THIS ANSWER THE END JANET CAN HOP ON.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE THAT, WHERE THAT ADVICE CAME FROM FROM THE WHO IT SEEMS VERY CLEAR.
IN FACT, OUR CURRENT ESTIMATES ARE THAT AROUND 47% OF, UH, CASES ARE ASYMPTOMATIC.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PART OF THE REASON WHY IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR US TO CONTROL THE SPREAD.
UH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE PRESYMPTOMATIC, UH, SOME OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE ACTUALLY, THEY HAVE SYMPTOMS, BUT THIS HADN'T BEEN THERE SO MILD, THEY MAY NOT RECOGNIZE THEM UNLESS SOMEBODY ASKS, ARE YOU HAVING THIS LIST OF THINGS? UM, BUT WE KNOW THAT, UH, FROM PRIOR STUDIES LOOKING AT VIRAL LOADS, THAT THE VIRAL LOAD IS THE HIGHEST DURING THAT ASYMPTOMATIC PRE-SYMPTOMATIC AND EARLY SYMPTOMATIC PERIOD OF TIME.
UH, SO IT, IT MAKES SENSE THAT NOT ONLY WOULD ASYMPTOMATIC OR PRESYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE BE ABLE TO SPREAD, THEY'RE PROBABLY A MORE SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTOR TO SPREAD AS THE VIRAL LOAD TENDS TO DECREASE AS PEOPLE GET SICKER.
AND I'LL, AND I'LL JUST ADD THAT THE CASES THAT I'VE ACTUALLY, UH, WORKED ON MYSELF, UH, THERE HAVE BEEN THE MAIN PEOPLE WHO'VE TESTED AT THE TIME OF TESTING WERE ASYMPTOMATIC, BUT THEN THEY, THEY DEVELOPED SYMPTOMS MUCH LATER OR A FEW DAYS AFTER THAT INITIAL TEST.
SO, UM, I THINK THERE'S A LOT MORE PRESYMPTOMATIC, UM, EXPOSURE OR PRE-SYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS OUT THERE THAN, THAN WE REALIZE.
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SAID, PEOPLE MAY HAVE SYMPTOMOLOGY THAT THEY'RE NOT REALIZING AS A SYMPTOM LIKE THEY MAY HAVE, AND THE VAST MAJORITY MIGHT BE RELATED TO HEADACHE.THEY'VE GOT A SEVERE HEADACHE, OR THEY'VE GOT, UM, A LOSS OF TASTE AND SMELL.
UM, THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF SYMPTOMS WE'RE SEEING KIND OF, AND THEY MAY NOT PUT IT TOGETHER UNTIL AFTER THEIR TEST RESULTS COME BACK.
BUT THEN, UH, ONCE WE PROBE IN, IN OUR CASE INVESTIGATION ASK SOME MORE DETAILED INFORMATION, THEY DO RECOLLECT THAT THEY'VE HAD A FEVER OR THEY HAD NIGHT SWEATS OR THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT THEY MAY HAVE NOT ATTRIBUTED TO COVID-19.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM CO-OP OR K O O O P RADIO, EXCUSE ME, THE CITY HAS RISK-BASED GUIDELINES FOR INDIVIDUAL SAFETY ARE BASED ON COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS, WHICH WILL OCCUR TWO WEEKS AFTER MAJOR COMMUNITY SPREAD EVENT.
HOW CAN THE CITY MAKE RELEVANT, TIMELY RECOMMENDATIONS TO RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND OFFICES GIVEN THAT TWO WEEK DIFFERENCE? SO THE, THE, THE STAGING WAS BASED UPON HOSPITALIZATIONS BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO, TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF OVERWHELMING THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM, WHICH IS WHY THAT'S THE PRIMARY INDICATOR.
UH, BUT THERE ARE SUPPORTING INDICATORS AS WELL, INCLUDING NEW CASES, DOUBLING TIME, HOSPITAL CAPACITY, AND SOME OTHER MAJORS.
UH, AGAIN, UH, WE DON'T NEED TO NECESSARILY PULL THE TRIGGER ON DIALING THINGS BACK UNTIL THEY, THE HOSPITALIZATION, UH, REACHES THE TRIGGER.
THEN THE 20 NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS A DAY ON THAT SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE MIGHT NOT SEND OUT MORNINGS SOONER.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE CAREFULLY WATCHING THE NEW CASE TREND THIS WEEK, BECAUSE WE ANTICIPATE THAT IF WE HAVE A SUDDEN INCREASE IN CASES THIS WEEK, THAT THAT MAY TRANSLATE TO SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN HOSPITALIZATIONS NEXT WEEK.
UH, SO WE ARE LOOKING AT A NUMBER OF FACTORS.
THE HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE THE PRIMARY FOR THE REASONS I DESCRIBED, UH, BUT THERE ARE CERTAINLY OTHER FACTORS WHICH WILL GO INTO THAT DECISION ABOUT FURTHER WARNINGS TO THE COMMUNITY.
UH, THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM AUSTIN CHRONICLE, NOW THAT ALL THE NURSING HOME RESIDENTS AND STAFF HAVE BEEN TESTED, WHAT CAN APH TELL US ABOUT PROBLEMS AT THE FACILITIES THAT HAS SEEN LARGE NUMBERS OF CASES AND FATALITIES COMPARED TO THOSE THAT HAVE NOT, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE STILL ANALYZING SOME OF THE DATA, PARTICULARLY SINCE THE, UH, THE WIDESPREAD TESTING IS, UH, HAS JUST COME BACK AND BACK.
WE'RE STILL WAITING ON, ON SOME OF THAT TESTING RESULTS TO COME BACK IN.
UH, BUT I'LL TELL YOU THE, THE EVIDENCE SEEMS VERY CLEAR THAT ONCE A, AN OUTBREAK HAS TAKEN HOLD OF THAT FACILITY VERY HARD TO STOP, AND THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO BE AGGRESSIVE WHEN IT COMES TO SCREENING, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO STAFF SCREENING.
SO WE CREATED SOME INTERIM GUIDANCE THROUGH OUR NURSING HOME TASK FORCE REGARDING A LONG-TERM STRATEGY FOR TESTING, UH, GIVEN THE RESULTS THAT WE WERE SEEING RECENTLY, WE MAY HAVE TO TWEAK THAT.
AND AGAIN, I REPORTED LAST WEEK THAT, UH, SO FAR OUR POSITIVITY RATE FOR, UH, FOR RESIDENTS OF NURSING HOMES, UH, WHO HAD NO KNOWN CASES WAS 0.17% FOR STAFF OF THOSE SAME FACILITIES.
SO THE RATES OF POSITIVITY ARE, ARE, ARE VERY LOW, UH, ACROSS THOSE FACILITIES, UH, THAT DON'T HAVE KNOWN OUTBREAKS.
SO IF WE REALLY FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON PRIMARILY TESTING, ASYMPTOMATIC STAFF AND CERTAINLY SYMPTOMATIC STAFF OR RESIDENTS, AND IDENTIFY VERY QUICKLY THOSE CASES AND EXCLUDE THEM, IT SHOULD GIVE US BETTER CONTROL.
BUT QUITE FRANKLY, WE'VE ALSO SEEN CHANGES IN, UH, THE ADVISERS FROM HHSC ON NURSING HOMES.
WE'VE SEEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF, OF COVID WINGS TO, UH, SEPARATE FOLKS WHO WERE COVID POSITIVE FROM THE OTHERS.
UH, WE'VE SEEN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN, UH, THE AVAILABILITY AND USE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, AS WELL AS THE TRAINING AND THE USE OF THAT IN THESE FACILITIES.
SO WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF, UH, SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LUCKILY EVEN WITH THE MASSIVE TESTING, WE'VE ONLY HAD, YOU KNOW, TWO DOZEN OR SO NEW CASES ACROSS ALL THESE FACILITIES IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S REFRESHING, BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE THE, UH, THE VIGILANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE FACILITIES DUE TO THE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER RISK FOR HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH.
UH, IF THESE, UH, IF THESE DISEASES ARE, IF THESE FACILITIES BECOME THE FOCUS ABOUT THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM COMMUNITY IMPACT, UH, AS LEWIS MENTIONED, THE VIRUS CONTINUES TO AFFECT AUSTIN'S COMMUNITIES OF COLOR DISPROPORTIONATELY.
WHAT CAN PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS DO IN THE FUTURE TO REDUCE THIS INEQUITY AFTER THE VIRUS IS GONE? WHAT ARE SOME LESSONS LEARNED TO HELP THOSE COMMUNITIES GOING FORWARD?
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I THINK, YEAH, I THINK THIS GOES BACK TO THE FACT THAT WE MUST ADDRESS THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH THAT, THAT ARE LEADING TO THE, UH, THE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT IN TERMS OF HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS IN, IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.UH, THIS IS, THIS SHOULDN'T BE A SURPRISE TO ANYBODY THAT THIS IS, UH, AFFECTING THESE COMMUNITIES MORE THAN, THAN OTHERS, RIGHT? WE KNOW THAT DIABETES IS THE SAME, THE SAME WAY WE KNOW CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IS THE SAME, UH, IN TERMS OF DISPROPORTIONATE RISK.
WE KNOW THAT OBESITY IS ALSO A SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER RISK IN THESE COMMUNITIES.
UH, EVEN WE LOOK AT, AT RATES OF CARDIAC ARREST, IT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, AND, UH, WE'VE GOT TO WORK HARDER AS A COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS THESE INEQUITIES.
UH, WE, WE SIMPLY HAVE NOT DONE ENOUGH AND QUITE FRANKLY, I THINK IT'S INEXCUSABLE AS A COUNTRY THAT IN 2020, WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO CARE FOR ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK PRIMARY CARE IS RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE TO PROVIDE TO PEOPLE AND SHOULD BE THE FIRST TARGET OF ANY, UH, FEDERAL OR STATE, UH, LEGISLATIVE ACTION TO ADDRESS THESE.
LET'S JUST PROVIDE PEOPLE PRIMARY CARE SO THEY CAN BE SCREENED FOR DIABETES, FOR HYPERTENSION OR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.
UH, LET'S TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE WHEN WE HAVE THE BEST INVESTMENT OF OUR RESOURCES AND THAT'S BEFORE THEY HAVE A HEART ATTACK OR A STROKE, OR THEY'RE STRICKEN WITH A DISEASE LIKE COVID-19.
AND I WOULD, I WOULD JUST ADD THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE, WE KNOW THAT, UM, THESE UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS DO DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT, UH, COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
AND I THINK FROM A, FROM THAT PREVENTION PERSPECTIVE, WE NEED TO DO AS MUCH OUTREACH, UH, TO, TO THOSE COMMUNITIES TO MAKE THEM HEALTHIER.
UM, BECAUSE THEN I THINK IN THE LONG RUN IN OBIEE, UH, THERE'LL BE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN THEIR, IN THEIR OVERALL GREAT.
WHY DID YOU SHUT DOWN A TESTING SITE EARLY YESTERDAY DUE TO HEAT? AND AS WE GET FURTHER INTO THE SUMMER, HOW DO YOU PLAN TO KEEP TESTING SITES RUNNING WITH PEOPLE AND HEAVY TP GEAR IN HIGH TEMPERATURES? SO, UH, FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, UH, CERTAINLY APOLOGIZE TO THOSE WHO HAD TO RESCHEDULE THEIR TESTING, UH, DUE TO A COUPLE OF ISSUES.
SO ALL THE INDIVIDUALS THAT, UH, THAT WERE TURNED AWAY YESTERDAY HAVE BEEN RESCHEDULED OR, UH, HAVE OUTREACH FOR RESCHEDULING.
UH, SO THE, THE FIRST ISSUE IS THAT WE HAD A, A, A TECHNICAL ISSUE WITH THE SCHEDULING, WHICH OVER-SCHEDULED INDIVIDUALS, UH, FOR TESTING AT THE SITES, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAD OUR, OUR PERSONNEL, SOME OF WHICH ARE CITY, BOSTON PERSONNEL, SOME OF WHICH ARE PARTNERS FROM, FROM HOSPITAL SYSTEMS, UH, WHICH PROVIDE A SUPPORT FOR THESE, UH, THE TESTING SITE WHO ARE CERTAINLY WILLING TO STAY AS LONG AS THEY NEEDED TO, TO TEST, UH, UH, THE, THE REST OF THE FOLKS, BUT DUE TO THE HEAT AND THE, UH, CONDITIONS WHEN YOU'RE WEARING PPE, THERE WERE SUBSTANTIAL CONCERN FOR, UH, A RISK OF HEAT EXHAUSTION AND POTENTIALLY HEAT STROKE IF THEY CONTINUED, UH, FOR ADDITIONAL HOURS TO TEST FOLKS.
SO THE DECISION WAS MADE TO, UH, TO, TO RESCHEDULE THOSE INDIVIDUALS FOR A DIFFERENT TESTING DAY.
UM, SO GOING FORWARD, UH, WE ARE, ARE, UH, ADDRESSING THE STAFFING ISSUES, THE HOURS OF OPERATION, AS WELL AS THE ROTATION OF STAFF TO ENSURE THAT WE, AS THE TEMPERATURE RISES AND HUMIDITY RISES, WE ARE, ARE, UH, ROTATING STAFF, UH, ON A MORE FREQUENT BASIS TO AVOID ANY RISK OF HEAT EXHAUSTION.
AND I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS SHOULD BE THE LAST QUESTION WE HAVE TIME FOR.
THIS IS FOX SEVEN FOR THE MAJORITY OF THESE PEOPLE GETTING TESTED, OR ARE THEY ASYMPTOMATIC OR SYMPTOMATIC? I WOULD SAY THEY'RE PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH.
UM, UM, I CAN ONLY SPEAK TO THOSE THAT ARE POSITIVE.
UM, UH, CAUSE I'M SEEING THE CASES THAT ARE ACTUALLY HAVING POSITIVE RESULTS.
I WOULD SAY THE VAST MAJORITY ARE SYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SOME, UH, CONCERN ABOUT EXPOSURE OR THEY KNOW OF SOMEBODY IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD WHO'S HAD HAD EXPOSURE OR HAS BEEN A POSITIVE CASE.
UM, SO AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING, UH, AND PROCESSING THOSE THAT ARE POSITIVE CASES, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY HAVE BEEN SYMPTOMATIC.
AND AGAIN, WE DO THINK THERE IS A MAJORITY OF THOSE ASYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS THAT
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ARE WHAT I WOULD REFERENCE AS PRESYMPTOMATIC, UH, BECAUSE, UM, AT THE TIME OF THEIR TESTS, THEY MAY NOT, OR THE TIME THEY DID THE ASSESSMENT AND MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT THEY WERE SYMPTOMATIC, BUT AT THE TIME OF CASE INVESTIGATION, THEY'VE DEVELOPED SOME SYMPTOMS SINCE THEY RECEIVED THEIR TEST RESULTS.SO, UM, SO IT'S, IT IS A COMBINATION COMBINATION, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY ARE SYMPTOMATIC AS FAR AS CASES GO.
AND AGAIN, I'LL, I'LL, UH, I'LL PICK UP FROM THERE AND SAY THAT THAT BEFORE THE PAST, UH, 10 DAYS OR SO, WE WEREN'T TESTING A LOT OF ASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE DUE TO THE INCREASING CONCERN REGARDING LARGE GATHERINGS.
WE, WE BELOW THE BAR AND, AND ARE NOW ACCEPTING ASYMPTOMATIC FOLKS, UH, WE'RE HOPEFUL IN THE FUTURE TO BE ABLE TO REPORT POSITIVITY RESULTS, UH, FOR TESTING BASED ON THOSE WHO ARE SYMPTOMATIC.
THOSE WHO'VE HAD A KNOWN EXPOSURE AND THOSE WHO HAD KNOWN WHO HAD EXPOSURE, WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC, THEY GIVE US A BETTER IDEA, UH, THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE AS WELL AS TO, TO INFORM POLICYMAKING.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST AND WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER DATA SETS, UH, THOSE WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC WITH KNOWN AND EXPOSURE HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER RISK OF HAVING A POSITIVE TEST AS COMPARED TO THOSE WHO ARE SYMPTOMATIC.
UH, SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THAT.
AND WE'RE HOPEFUL TO HAVE A, A TESTING DASHBOARD UP IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION, AS WELL AS A MAP RELATED TO, UH, THE RATES OF TESTING AND VARIOUS ZIP CODES, AS WELL AS THE RATES OF POSITIVITY IN ZIP CODES.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH BOTH OF YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS.
AND THAT CONCLUDES THE Q AND A PORTION OF THIS CONFERENCE.
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO ASK IF ANYONE HAS ANY CLOSING REMARKS YOU WILL.
WELL, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, AS WE CONTINUE ON OUR EFFORT TO, UH, FOLLOW UP ON CASES AND CONTEXTS, UH, WE REALLY WANT TO STRESS TO PEOPLE THAT, UH, IF YOU ARE CONTACTED BY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, CAUSE YOU WERE A POSITIVE CASE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US, FOR US TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CONTACTS.
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND WHATNOT SAYING THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE TRACKING PEOPLE BASED ON GPS THAT IS TOTALLY NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UH, PEOP CASES ARE NEVER IDENTIFIED.
UM, UH, WHEN WE REACH OUT TO CONTACTS, PART OF OUR PURPOSE OF REACHING OUT TO CONTACTS IS MAKE THAT INITIAL CONTACT DETERMINED THAT PEOPLE ARE ILL AND GETTING, GETTING THEM INTO A TESTING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN PREVENT FURTHER, YOU KNOW, FURTHER SPREAD OF THE ILLNESS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO US THAT YOU COOPERATE WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, UH, IN GETTING THAT INFORMATION, UM, SO THAT WE CAN, UH, FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ACCORDINGLY.
THERE'S ADD, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE SYMPTOMS THAT WE DESCRIBED EARLIER IN THIS OUTBREAK BACK IN MARCH AND APRIL ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF SYMPTOMS THAT PEOPLE NEED TO BE AWARE OF.
UH, SO WE TALKED ABOUT FEVER AND COUGH AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH EARLY ON.
UH, BUT WE'RE ALSO SEEING LOTS OF DIARRHEA.
WE'RE SEEING VOMITING, WE'RE SEEING SORE THROATS, WE'RE SEEING MUSCLE LAKES AND CHILLS.
UM, WE ARE SAYING, UH, A CHANGE IN SMELL AND TASTE.
THESE ARE ALL SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19.
OF COURSE, THE PROBLEM IS, IS THAT THEY ARE SYMPTOMS OF LOTS OF THINGS.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS, IF THEY HAVE ANY OF THOSE SYMPTOMS THAT'S LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE OR ON THE CDC.
IF YOU HAVE THOSE SYMPTOMS, PLEASE GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND GET TESTED.
IF YOU ARE POSITIVE, IT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO SEPARATE YOURSELVES FROM OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD.
AND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS.
WE HAVE AN UNDULATION FACILITY, WHICH IS A HOTEL, WHICH IS FREE OF CHARGE.
UH, IT'S A FREE ROOM, IT'S A FREE BED, IT'S A FREE WIFI AND TELEVISION AND FOOD.
UH, WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU AT THAT FACILITY AND WILL REALLY HELP US NOT ONLY PREVENT THE SPREAD IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD, BUT IN THE SPREAD IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, WE REALLY WANT FOLKS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO HELP PROTECT THEIR FAMILY AND PROTECT THE COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING, AND THAT CONCLUDES TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE.
THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.