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MAYBE THEIR HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND.
[COVID-19: Press Q & A]
I'M KALILLE BN AND I WILL BE THE MODERATOR FOR TODAY'S MEDIA AVAILABILITY TO START APH CHIEF EPIDEMIOLOGIST YETTA PICHETTE WE'LL FIRST SAY A FEW WORDS FOLLOWED BY APH ACTING DIRECTOR, ADRIAN STIRRUP.
THEN IT'S AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY, DR.
AND THEN WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE POOL REPORTER WHO WILL ASK QUESTIONS FROM THE MEDIA, JANET, OVER TO YOU.
MY NAME IS JANET HAS SHED I'M THE CHIEF EPIDEMIOLOGIST WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
IN ONE UPDATE I DID WANT TO PROVIDE TO EVERYONE WAS THAT ON THURSDAY OF THIS WEEK, UH, THE DASHBOARD AND CASE COUNCIL WILL BE DOWN FOR THAT DAY BECAUSE WE WILL BE TRANSITIONING TO A NEW DATA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM, UH, TO, UH, ADDRESS OUR EVER INCREASING NUMBER OF CASES THAT WE HAVE.
SO, UM, IF YOU COULD PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH US, UH, AS WE WORKED THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND, UH, HOPEFULLY HAVE THE INFORMATION BACK UP ON FRIDAY MORNING, ADRIAN.
GOOD MORNING, ADRIAN STIRRUP ACTING DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THIS MORNING THAT OUR NURSE LINE BECAME ACTIVE THIS WEEK.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE IT HELPS MITIGATE SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT OUR COMMUNITIES WERE FACING.
AND SO YOU NO LONGER NEED A COMPUTER OR EMAIL ACCESS TO REGISTER FOR A TEST.
YOU CAN JUST CALL (512) 972-5560.
AND SOME OF THEM WILL HELP YOU.
UM, WHAT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IS OPTION THREE.
WE'LL GIVE OUR COMMUNITY ACCESS TO OVER 200 LANGUAGES.
SO NOW YOU WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO REGISTER FOR A TEST IN YOUR PREFERRED LANGUAGE.
UH, I'M GOING TO SHARE SOME SLIDES.
GOOD MORNING AGAIN, IT'S A DR.
S SCOTT, UH, WANT TO PROVIDE SOME UPDATES REGARDING OUR DATA, UH, THAT PERTAINS TO COVID-19 THE FIRST SLIDE I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU IS OUR NEW CONFIRMED CASES.
UM, AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THIS, THIS HOCKEY STICK APPEARANCE THAT, THAT HAS FORMED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR SCREEN.
UH, THIS REPRESENTS A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN OUR NUMBER OF CASES, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED OVER THE PAST WEEK OR SO.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR DATA FROM LAST WEEK COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS WEEK, OUR CASE NUMBERS HAVE INCREASED BY 90%.
UH, SO THIS REALLY IS A SUBSTANTIAL AND AN EXPONENTIAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE, WHICH IS LEADING TO OUR CONCERN, UH, THAT WE SHARED EARLIER THIS WEEK.
AND I WILL BE LOOK AT THAT IN TERMS OF DOUBLING TIME, HOW LONG IT TAKES THAT WE EXPECT FOR THE CASES TO DOUBLE.
WE CAN SEE THAT WE WERE SITTING AT ABOUT 44 DAYS, WHICH WAS REALLY GOOD.
IN FACT, YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS TREND, THE YELLOW LINE, WHICH IS A SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE OF THAT DOUBLING TIME WAS CONTINUING TO INCREASE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS PANDEMIC.
AND THEN SUDDENLY WE SEE THAT DROP-OFF, UH, SO IN THE PAST WEEK, WE'VE GONE FROM 44 DAYS TO 25 DAYS.
UH, SO DRAMATIC CHANGE ALSO INDICATING THAT SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN OUR CONDITIONS HERE LOCALLY.
UH, AND FINALLY ON THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE ALSO HAVE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THOSE NUMBER OF NEW ADMISSIONS ON A SINGLE DAY.
THAT'S THE YELLOW LINE THAT YOU SEE HERE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE WERE OSCILLATING BETWEEN ABOUT EIGHT AND 10 NEW ADMISSIONS A DAY.
AND NOW OUR SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE, UH, IS SUSTAINED ABOVE 20, UH, WHICH NECESSITATED OUR MOVEMENT, UH, ALONG WITH THE OTHER INDICATORS, UH, TO THAT STAGE FOUR, UH, WHICH IS THE MORE CAUTIOUS STAGE, UH, SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO BEND THE CURVE AGAIN, TRYING TO FLATTEN THE CURVE AND TRY TO GET A HANDLE ON THIS, UH, THIS ISSUE.
UM, I DO WANT TO POINT OUT SOME, UH, SOME NEW DATA THAT WE ALSO HAVE AND THAT'S RELATED TO HOSPITALIZATIONS AND THE LENGTH OF STAY.
UH, THIS MAY BE HARD FOR FOLKS WHO AREN'T, AREN'T USED TO SEEING THESE BOX PLOT TYPE OF GRAPHS, BUT I'M GONNA EXPLAIN IT A LITTLE BIT.
THE BOTTOM OF THE BOX REPRESENTS THE 25TH CENTILE, AND THAT MEANS THAT 25% OF, OF INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED ARE HOSPITALIZED FOR TWO DAYS OR LESS.
THE MIDDLE LINE IN THAT BOX IS THE 50TH CENTILE.
SO 50% OF INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED ARE HOSPITALIZED FOR FOUR DAYS OR LESS.
AND THEY, THE TOP OF THAT BOX REPRESENTS THE 75TH PERCENTILE, WHICH MEANS THAT 75% OF INDIVIDUALS ARE HOSPITALIZED FOR NINE DAYS OR LESS.
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LOWER NUMBERS COMPARED TO OTHER DATA RELATED TO THE LENGTH OF HOSPITALIZATIONS.NOW YOU CAN SEE THESE DOTS, UH, THAT GO ALL THE WAY UP PAST 70 DAYS INDICATES OTHER CASES.
SO WE DO HAVE SOME INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HOSPITALIZED FOR WEEKS AND SOMETIMES MONTHS, UH, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF INDIVIDUALS ARE LESS THAN NINE DAYS.
SO WE TAKE THIS DATA AND THIS DATA IS GOING TO BE UTILIZED TO FEED INTO OUR MODEL.
LAUREN MEYERS AND THE CURVE GROUP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, UH, HAVE BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH US TO, TO FORM THESE MODELS, THESE PREDICTIVE MODELS, UH, AS WELL AS THE MODELS FOR THE TRIGGERS TO HELP INFORM IF WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR PREDICTIONS OR CHANGE THE TRIGGERS IN THE FUTURE, UH, DUE TO THIS NEW INFORMATION, WE HOPE TO HAVE INFORMATION ON THAT NEXT WEEK AS THAT MODEL GETS REVISED, UH, YOU KNOW, RIGHT.
WE HAVE PLENTY OF CAPACITY, OUR HOSPITALS.
UH, SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT FOLKS UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT THE HOSPITALS ARE OVERWHELMED NOW.
IN FACT, THERE'S PLENTY OF CAPACITY IN HOSPITALS, IN THE RSC, IN OUR ICU, AND THERE'S PLENTY OF VENTILATORS RIGHT NOW.
THE CONCERN IS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS FROM NOW BECAUSE WE'VE LEARNED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THAT, THAT WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THE HOSPITALS ARE FULL.
WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL WE RUN OUT OF ICU BEDS OR VENTILATORS BEFORE WE TAKE ACTION.
AND THAT NECESSITATED THAT, THAT CHANGE IN THE STAGE EARLIER THIS WEEK, AND IT NECESSITATES CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR FOR ALL OF US IN THE COMMUNITY TO TRY TO AVOID THAT, UH, THAT SYSTEM BEING OVERWHELMED.
ONE SIDE IS AN UPDATE OF OUR DEMOGRAPHICS ASSOCIATED WITH HOSPITALIZATIONS.
THE GREEN LINE AT THE TOP REPRESENTS OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY.
AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SAY THAT, UH, THE, THAT COMMUNITY IS OVERREPRESENTED IN TERMS OF HOSPITALIZATIONS WITH A 65% OF INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED LAST WEEK, BEING, UH, FROM OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR YELLOW LINE, UH, IS OUR, OUR OTHER CATEGORIES.
SO WE DON'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT, UH, WHO MAKES UP THAT GROUP, BUT THE TWO LINES ABOVE IT ARE, UH, OUR BLUE LINE, WHICH IS OUR WHITE NON-HISPANIC, UH, DECREASED AND IS UNDERREPRESENTED, UH, IN TERMS OF OUR POPULATION.
AND THE GRAY LINE IS OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION NINE TILL 9.2%.
AGAIN, ALSO INDICATING OVER REPRESENTATION OF OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN TERMS OF HOSPITALIZATIONS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR, OUR TESTING NUMBERS, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF, A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR TESTING NUMBERS.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TESTS ON THE LEFT COLUMN, WHICH INDICATES THAT WE MORE THAN DOUBLED OUR TESTING IN THE LAST WEEK.
OUR TEAMS HAVE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB AT GETTING FOLKS TO THE TESTING.
NOW JUST STAND IS JUST THE CORE ON DRIVE THROUGH TESTING SITES, BUT YOU CAN SEE AN OVERALL PERCENT POSITIVE OF 5.8%, UH, WHICH IS, UH, YOU KNOW, NOT A, NOT A BAD NUMBER, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DETAILS OF THAT NUMBER, IT SHOWS US A DIFFERENT STORY.
IT SHOWS US THAT 23.5% OF OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY IS POSITIVE, UH, THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THE DRIVE THROUGH TESTING.
IT SHOWS YOU THAT OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN, UH, COMMUNITY IS 7% POSITIVE.
IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN, THAN OUR OVERALL NUMBERS.
AND OUR, UH, OUR ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN OUR WHITE NON HISPANIC COMMUNITY.
SO THERE'S STILL SUBSTANTIAL VARIATION IN TERMS OF RACE AND ETHNICITY WHEN IT COMES TO BOTH BEING DIAGNOSED RIGHT NOW AS COVID-19 AND HOSPITALIZATIONS.
AND WITH THAT, WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR QUESTIONS, RIGHT.
AND THAT'S WHERE OUR PULL REPORTER CHRISTOPHER NEELY FROM COMMUNITY IMPACT.
HEY, CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? YES.
HEY, CHRIS NILA HERE WITH, UH, COMMUNITY IMPACT.
UH, FIRST QUESTION IS FROM US.
UH, SO WHEN STAYING HOME ORDERS WERE FIRST ANNOUNCED IN MARCH, UH, LEADERS IN HEALTH OFFICIALS FROM ACROSS THE METRO CAME TOGETHER OR TO SPEAK AS ONE VOICE, UH, IN BATTLING IN THE CORONAVIRUS, UH, THAT HASN'T HAPPENED SINCE, UH, WHAT LEVEL OF COORDINATION CURRENTLY EXISTS BETWEEN CITIES AND HELP DISORDER ORTIZ AND THE METRO PRO, AND EVEN BETWEEN US AND OTHER MAJOR CITIES IN TEXAS AND CONTINUE THE CORONAVIRUS AND HOW IMPORTANT IS A HIGH LEVEL OF COORDINATION.
AND ESPECIALLY AS WE BEGIN TO SEE THE SURGE, UH, SO I'LL, I'LL START OFF AND, AND THE OTHERS, I THINK WILL LIKELY WANT TO COMMENT AS WELL.
UH, I THINK WE HAVE A, A GOOD LEVEL OF UNITY HAPPENING.
WE WORK REGULARLY WITH OUR PARTNERS FROM OUR SURROUNDING JURISDICTIONS.
UH, WE WORK REGULARLY WITH THE STATE TO COORDINATE EFFORTS, UH, WHEN YOU SHARE CASE INFORMATION AND,
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AND DIALOGUE WITH OUR, OUR NEIGHBORING HEALTH AUTHORITIES AND, AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS, IS POLITICAL DIVISION HAPPENING AND, AND THAT'S CONCERNING BECAUSE PUBLIC HEALTH SHOULD NOT BE A POLITICAL ISSUE.THE THINGS THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING, UH, FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY ARE THE SAME THING THAT THE GOVERNOR IS RECOMMENDING.
I SAW IN HIS PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY, THE, THE STRESSING OF, OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BOTH THE ECONOMY AND MAINTAINING PUBLIC HEALTH, HE STRESSED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THE PERSONAL HYGIENE AND STAYING HOME.
IF YOU DON'T NEED TO BE THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE STOP THE DIVISION THAT'S HAPPENING PUBLICLY.
WE STOPPED A MISINFORMATION THAT'S HAPPENING BY SOME GROUPS WHO, WHO CHOOSE TO CREATE DIVISION, AND WE MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER AS A UNIFIED BODY, AS A UNIFIED STATE, AS A UNIFIED COUNTRY, SO THAT WE CAN GET A HANDLE ON THIS.
UH, WE SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD FOR POLITICAL DIVISION AT THIS STAGE, CAN ALL CHIME IN FROM THE EPI PERSPECTIVE.
S SCOTT MENTIONED, WE DO HAVE REGULAR ROUTINE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR, UH, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT STAFF IN OUR SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY TRANSFERRING CASES OVER TO THEM THAT BELONG TO THEM OR THEM TRANSFERRING CASES INTO US THAT BELONG TO US.
UH, WE'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH, UH, EPIDEMIOLOGIST FROM THE MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS, JUST TO SEE IF OUR SHARE OUR EXPERIENCE AND THE INCREASE IN CASES IS CONSISTENT.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, JUST TRYING TO IDENTIFY WAYS AND STRATEGIES TO, UH, THAT CASE INVESTIGATION ACTIVITY.
UM, SO THAT IT'S, UH, GOOD FOR PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND I'LL ADD ALSO FROM, UM, THE PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE ACROSS THE REGION, PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTORS AND LEADERS ARE, UM, IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION AROUND STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION.
WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
UM, WE'RE SHARING RESOURCES FROM, UM, HOW, WHAT THE BEST WAY TO, UH, SPEND CARES FUNDING TO THE BEST WAY TO IMPLEMENT A MITIGATION MEASURE.
SO THERE IS A LOT OF COLLABORATION, UM, THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM.
AND, AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT FROM A TESTING PERSPECTIVE.
UM, OUR TESTING SITES HAVE BEEN OPEN NOW TO OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTIES AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE A TESTING SOLUTION TO HELP THEM WITH THEIR, UH, NUMBER OF, UH, PEOPLE INTERESTED IN TESTING, BUT ALSO OUR ISOLATION FACILITY THAT'S AVAILABLE HAS BEEN OPENED UP TO INCLUDE, UM, PROVIDING THAT ASSISTANCE TO NEIGHBORING COUNTIES BECAUSE WE REALIZE THAT, UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY LIVE IN OUR SURROUNDING JURISDICTION, BUT THEY ACTUALLY WORKED, UH, HERE IN THE AUSTIN AREA.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WHILE, UH, WE'RE SUPPORTING THEM IN, IN THOSE WAYS POSSIBLE.
UM, NEXT QUESTION IS FROM THE STATESMAN, UH, ARE NEW CASES AND HOSPITALIZATION IS PARTICULARLY SEVERE IN CITIES AND COUNTIES WITH HIGHER POPULATION AND MORE DENSITY.
WHAT TRENDS ARE HEALTH OFFICIALS SEEING IN SMALLER OR MORE OR MORE RURAL COUNTIES? IS THERE EQUAL CAUSE FOR CONCERN IN THOSE PLACES? UM, AGAIN, I'LL, I'LL JUST, I KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS IN THE LAST, UH, COMMENT, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE SEEING INCREASES IN TRENDS THROUGHOUT, UH, MOST JURISDICTIONS, UH, STATEWIDE.
UM, AND AGAIN, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE FROM A POPULATION DENSITY STANDPOINT, UH, A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO RESIDE IN THOSE RURAL COUNTIES WHO COME INTO THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY AREA TO WORK, ESPECIALLY WITH REOPENING OCCURRING, UH, THEY MAY CONTRACT ILLNESS HERE AND TAKE IT HOME TO THOSE COMMUNITIES.
SO AGAIN, WE TRY TO STRESS THE PREVENTION MESSAGE, THAT'S YOUR BEST, UH, DEFENSE AGAINST THIS VIRUS.
UM, THOSE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN STATING ALL ALONG, BUT, UM, AND IF, IF PEOPLE DEVELOP ILLNESS, THEY NEED TO FOLLOW UP AND GET TESTING.
LET ME JUST ALSO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WE'VE SEEN THIS TREND HAPPEN BEFORE WHEN COVID-19 FIRST CAME TO TEXAS, WE SAW THAT WE HAD CASES DISCOVERED IN, IN METROPOLITAN AREAS AND WE BACK THEN IT'S GOING TO SPREAD TO THE RURAL COMMUNITIES.
AND IT DID WHEN WE SEE A SPIKE IN NEW CASES HAPPENING IN, IN LARGER JURISDICTIONS, WE
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CAN ALSO PREDICT SIMILARLY THAT SPIKES WILL OCCUR IN, IN, IN LESS DENSELY POPULATED COUNTIES.AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THIS IS A VIRUS NOT DISSIMILAR FROM THE FLU IN TERMS OF THE EASE OF SPREAD.
IT WILL SPREAD TO OTHER COMMUNITIES.
IT WILL SPREAD, YOU KNOW, FROM LARGE CITIES TO RURAL COMMUNITIES, BUT, YOU KNOW, OUR CONCERN IS THAT THE MESSAGE THAT'S BEING SHARED REGARDING PRECAUTIONS IS DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE METROPOLITAN AREAS AND, AND THE SMALLER COMMUNITIES.
THE MESSAGE SHOULD BE THE SAME.
THE MESSAGE THAT YOU'RE HEARING FROM US IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE MESSAGE THAT'S BEING SHARED BY THE GOVERNOR THAT WE HAVE TO BE SAFE.
WE WANT THE ECONOMY TO BE PRODUCTIVE, BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT AT THE EXPENSE OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
THE MASKING, THE SOCIAL DISTANCING, THE PERSONAL HYGIENE ARE CRITICAL MESSAGES THAT WE ALL MUST, MUST HEAR AND MUST ENGAGE IN IF WE WANT TO BE SAFE.
AND JUST TO, UM, AGREE AND REITERATE DR.
S GUS POINTS, ESPECIALLY IN OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES, WHERE THERE IS OFTEN A LACK OF, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THE MESSAGING IS CLEAR FOR THOSE COMMUNITIES AGAIN AND NOT, I'LL SAY IT I'LL SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD.
WE WANT TO THE MASS, HE WANTS YOU TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE, AND WE WANT YOU TO, UM, PRACTICE PROPER HYGIENE.
AND WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THERE'S INFORMATION AND TOOLS TO PUT SUPPORTS IN PLACE TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE COMMUNITY RESILIENCY.
NEXT QUESTION IS FROM CBS AUSTIN.
UH, WE'RE NOW IN THE WEEK WHEN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH SAID THAT WE'D SEE A PROTEST POTENTIALLY IMPACT, UH, THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES, UH, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN REGARDS TO THAT? AND DOES THE CONTRACT, DOES THE CONTACT TRACING QUESTIONNAIRE COVER PROTESTS? OKAY, SO, UM, WE HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN ANY INCREASE THAT'S BEEN DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH PROTESTS.
UH, BUT AGAIN, UM, OUR IT'S OUR CASE INVESTIGATION FORM, IT'S A CASE REPORT FORM THAT WE USE, UH, THAT INCLUDES THE CONTACT TRACING PORTION, BUT IT DOES COVER CONGREGATE SETTINGS.
AND SO MOST OF THE, IF NOT ALL OF THE CASE, INVESTIGATORS HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO WHEN THEY GET TO THAT QUESTION ABOUT CONGREGATE SETTINGS TO, UM, ASK IF THERE ARE ANY SITUATIONS LIKE PROTESTS THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED, UH, SO THAT WE CAN, UH, INCLUDE THAT INFORMATION AND START TRACKING THAT.
BUT TODAY, UH, WE HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN A HUGE IMPACT.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN A HUGE NUMBER OF CASES INCREASING, BUT NONE THAT HAD BEEN SPECIFICALLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE PROTESTS, MAYBE SOME ANECDOTAL, A LOT OF, A LOT OF THINGS THAT I PERSONALLY HAVE SEEN IN THE CASES THAT I'VE PROCESSED HAVE BEEN, UH, RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO REOPENING AND PEOPLE WANTING TO GET OUT AND, AND VISIT RESTAURANTS AND BARS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THOSE ARE SOME OF THE CASES THAT I'VE BEEN SEEN, UH, SPECIFICALLY, OR JUST, YOU KNOW, GO REENTERING THE WORKFORCE AND BEING IN WORK SETTINGS THAT MIGHT HAVE, UH, CASES THAT ARE POSITIVE.
UH, YOU KNOW, AS JANET JUST SAID, WE, WE ASKED ABOUT GATHERINGS AND THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT GATHERINGS.
UH, WE HAVE MEMORIAL DAY GATHERINGS, WE HAVE GATHERINGS FOR, FOR PARTIES, UH, AND, UH, AND CERTAINLY WE HAD LARGE GATHERINGS FOR, FOR THE PROTESTS.
UH, BUT REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FOCUSED ON RIGHT NOW IS, IS ENSURING THAT IF PEOPLE WERE GATHERED TOGETHER, REGARDLESS OF THE REASON, AND THEY HAD AN EXPOSURE, THAT EXPOSURE IS CONTAINED.
SO THERE IS SOME RISK OF TRANSMISSION WITHIN THAT GATHERING GROUP.
AND YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE SOME, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YET, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE, SO THE REAL RISK IS SPREADING OUTSIDE OF THAT GROUP.
AND THAT'S WHY WE TOOK THE STEPS TO LOWER THE BAR, LOWER THE THRESHOLD ON TESTING TO MAKE SURE THAT ANYBODY WHO WAS GATHERED IN ANY WAY OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET TESTED.
AND IF THEY TEST POSITIVE THAT THEY CAN ISOLATE TO PREVENT THAT FURTHER SPREAD.
UH, SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO GATHER THAT INFORMATION.
UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT FOLKS FEEL SAFE IN SHARING THAT INFORMATION.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WHEN IT COMES TO CASE INVESTIGATION AND CONTACT TRACING, THAT FOLKS UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO SHARE INFORMATION.
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INFORMATION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.WE'RE NOT GOING TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES.
IT IS HEALTH INFORMATION, IT'S PRIVATE INFORMATION.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE WITH ANY OTHER DISEASE INVESTIGATION FROM HIV TO STDS, TO, TO THINGS LIKE TUBERCULOSIS, UH, THIS INFORMATION IS SAFE AND IT'S SECURE, AND WE WILL NOT USE IT IN ANY WAY TO IDENTIFY INDIVIDUALS.
UH, WHEN WE DO THE CONTACT TRACING AND NOTIFY SOMEBODY THEY'VE BEEN EXPOSED, THEY NEVER KNOW WHO EXPOSED THEM.
UH, SO IT, IT IS, IT IS A VERY SECURE WAY TO SHARE INFORMATION, TO REALLY HELP US IN PUBLIC HEALTH GAIN CONTROL AND KEEP PEOPLE SAFE AND HEALTHY.
S GOD, BECAUSE WE WANT, UM, OUR COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THOSE PROTOCOLS AND PROTECTIONS THAT ARE IN PLACE, UM, BECAUSE WE WANT TO, WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO PROTEST, AND WE WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO DO IT SAFELY, UM, MASKING SOCIAL DISTANCING WHEN YOU CAN WASHING YOUR HANDS.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT AT THE VERY CORE OF WHAT OUR COMMUNITY IS CURRENTLY PROTESTING THOSE SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES, THAT PAVE THE WAY, UM, FOR POLICE VIOLENCE ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO, UH, THE DISPARITIES THAT WE'RE SEEING WITH THIS PANDEMIC.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH STANDPOINT, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT TOO WAS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE THAT WE'RE WORKING TO RESOLVE.
AND AS WE PARTNER WITH OUR COMMUNITY FOR ANY OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, WE WANT THE COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE.
WE WANT THEIR VOICES TO BE HEARD.
WE JUST WANT THEM TO DO IT SAFELY.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM A
UH, EXPERTS SAID THAT THIS IS THE RESULTS OF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND GATHERINGS.
YOU KNOW, SOON WE'LL SEE, UH, MORE CASES FROM THE PROTESTS AND WE HAVE FATHER'S DAY COMING UP AROUND THE CORNER.
UH, WHAT'S THE PLAN TO AVOID A MEDICAL CRISIS HERE LOCALLY.
I, AGAIN, THIS, THIS GOES BACK TO THOSE, THOSE SYMBOL PROTECTIONS.
UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT EXCITING.
I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING EXCITED ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING.
THEY'RE NOT EXCITED ABOUT MASKING OR WASHING THEIR HANDS, BUT THAT'S HOW WE CONTROL THE SIZE OF THIS STORM.
WE TALKED ABOUT THIS FROM THE BEGINNING, EQUATING THIS TO A HURRICANE PREPARATION, EXCEPT UNLIKE A HURRICANE, WE CAN CONTROL THE SIZE OF THE STORM BY FOLLOWING THOSE SIMPLE THINGS THAT, THAT SIMPLE ADVICE, THE WASHING THE HANDS AND NOT TOUCHING YOUR FACE, STAYING HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK MASKING IN PUBLIC AND SOCIAL DISTANCING, THOSE SIMPLE THINGS ARE THE BEST WAY WE CAN PROTECT EACH OTHER, PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY AND PROTECT OUR FATHERS.
AND I'LL TELL YOU THAT WITHIN OUR CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEES, WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR FATHERS FROM COVID-19.
WE HAVE TO PROTECT THOSE WHO ARE AT RISK AND OUR FATHERS, MY FATHER ISN'T RISK.
WE HAVE TO, I KNOW IT'S HARD FOR US NOT TO GET TOGETHER WITH OUR FATHERS WHO ARE OLDER.
IT'S HARD FOR US NOT TO GATHER TOGETHER AS FAMILIES, BUT WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IF WE WANT TO HONOR OUR FATHERS, WE HAVE TO DO IT SAFELY.
WE HAVE TO STAY APART AND WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THOSE SIMPLE GUIDELINES TO PROTECT ONE ANOTHER.
S SCOTT, UM, THE SOCIAL SERVICE BRANCH OF THE EOC DID A LOT OF PROMOTIONAL WORK WITH FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS AROUND MOTHER'S DAY CELEBRATIONS.
AND WE ARE DOING THE SAME, UM, FOR FATHER'S DAY AND IES, RIGHT? WE HAVE TO TREASURE AND HONOR OUR FATHERS.
UM, AND WE HAVE TO, WE DO THIS FOR THEM.
AND SO A LOT OF CHURCHES HAVE PUT TOGETHER A VISUAL OR VIRTUAL CELEBRATIONS OF DADS THAT THEY'LL PLAY DURING THEIR VIRTUAL SERVICES.
UM, WE'RE ENCOURAGING FOLKS TO USE ZOOM, TO CONNECT, UM, TO GO BACK TO THE OLD SCHOOL THREE WAY CALLING, UM, THAT'S HOW YOU CAN SHOW YOUR FATHERS, YOUR FATHER APPRECIATION THIS DAY.
THAT IS THE BEST GIFT OF LOVE.
THIS GIFT OF SEPARATION, SOCIAL DISTANCING, MASKING, IMPROPER HUNTING.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD ON TO WHAT ADRIAN WAS SAYING IN DR.
SCOTT, YOU KNOW, THE MASK IS THERE TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.
IT'S NOT PROTECTING YOU, BUT THOSE THAT YOU COME IN CONTACT
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WITH.SO SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES? YOU NEED TO ABSOLUTELY BE WEARING YOUR MASK AND DOING THOSE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN SAYING, THIS PROACTIVE PREVENTION ACTIVITIES AND SOCIAL DISTANCING.
AND BY ALL MEANS, IF YOU'RE SICK, STAY HOME, DON'T PARTICIPATE.
GIFT OF LOVE IS THE GIFT OF SEPARATION.
SO WELL, THIS NEXT QUESTION IS FROM KVU.
UM, WHILE HOSPITALIZATIONS AND NEW HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS ARE BOTH, UH, ON THE RISE AT BOTH THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL, UH, THE GOVERNOR AND OTHERS ARE SAYING WE STILL HAVE PLENTY OF CAPACITY, AND THAT IS NOT REALLY A CONCERN, UH, WHY OUR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY LEADER.
SO CONCERNED WITH THE UPWARD TREND IN HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS.
AND WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ABOUT THE GOVERNOR'S ARGUMENT? THAT HOSPITAL CAPACITY IS NOT REALLY A CONCERN? UH, LOOK, I AGREE WITH THE GOVERNOR'S COMMENTS, THAT HOSPITAL CAPACITY IS NOT A CONCERN TODAY.
IT'S NOT A CONCERN FOR US TODAY.
THERE'S PLENTY OF PPE IN THE HOSPITALS RIGHT NOW, THE WORKFORCE IS HEALTHY AND PRESENT.
OUR CONCERN IS THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS FROM NOW.
IF THIS SKYROCKETING TREND CONTINUES, UH, AT THAT STAGE, OUR HOSPITAL CAPACITY COULD BE OVERWHELMED.
OUR ICU IS, COULD BE OVERWHELMED.
OUR VENTILATOR CAPACITY COULD BE OVERWHELMED.
WE COULD BE FACING A SHORTAGE OF PERSONNEL BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY OR BECAUSE THEY THEMSELVES ARE BEING EXPOSED.
SO WE DO NOT WANT TO SUSTAIN A TRAJECTORY THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WE CAN'T, WE'VE SEEN THIS HAPPEN OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN ACROSS THE WORLD.
THAT WHEN WE WAIT TOO LONG TO SOUND THE ALARM, THE ALARM KEEPS RINGING FOR WEEKS AND WEEKS, FARS, NO PASSING OUR ABILITY TO CARE FOR PEOPLE.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL.
IF WE WAIT TOO LONG OF EXCEEDING HOSPITAL CAPACITY BY THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS IN A SINGLE DAY, AS FAR AS NEEDING HOSPITAL BEDS, THAT WE CANNOT CANNOT PROVIDE.
UH, BUT IT'S, IT'S A NUANCED MESSAGE.
THE MESSAGE IS WE'VE GOT TO CHANGE OUR BEHAVIOR TODAY TO AFFECT THAT IN THE FUTURE, BUT WE ALSO MUST TAKE CARE OF THOSE HEALTH CONDITIONS THAT WE HAVE BEEN NEGLECTING.
IF WE'VE BEEN PUTTING THAT OFF, WE'VE GOT TO GET OUR PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS DONE.
WE HAVE TO GO GET OUR MEDICATION REFILLS.
WE NEED TO NOT DELAY THOSE ELECTIVE PROCEDURES OR THOSE DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES THAT WE MAY HAVE BEEN PUTTING OFF BECAUSE OF OUR CONCERNS FOR COVID-19.
THE HOSPITALS ARE SAFE AND HEALTHY TODAY.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF NURSES AND DOCTORS AND EQUIPMENT AND RUIN FOR PEOPLE, BUT THAT SHOULD NOT DISPEL THE, THE, THE CAUTIONARY NOTE THAT, THAT WE MUST SHARE THAT WE CANNOT MAINTAIN THIS TRAJECTORY.
AND WE AS INDIVIDUALS, WE AS A COMMUNITY, HAVE TO COME TOGETHER TO ALTER THE COURSE OF THIS CURVE.
UM, WE'VE GOT TO FLATTEN THE CURVE.
WE'VE GOT TO DOWNGRADE THE STORM, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER YEAR LEFT OF DEALING WITH THIS.
SO WE ALSO NEED TO FIND THAT RIGHT SPOT, THAT SWEET SPOT, WHERE WE CAN DEAL WITH THE INFECTION, BUT ALSO AS A LIFE, WHICH IS MORE NORMAL THAN IT HAS BEEN OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE A GOOD QUESTION FROM AL SONYA.
UM, ARE WE SEEING NEW CASES AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS OR ANY CLUSTERS INSIDE HOSPITALS OR CLINICS? UM, SO I'LL ANSWER THAT.
SO WE HAVE SEEN, UM, CLUSTERS IN A FEW HOSPITAL SETTINGS.
UH, AGAIN, WE FOLLOW UP WITH THOSE CLUSTERS AND THOSE ORGANIZATIONS TO, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE GUIDANCE OR MANAGE, UH, THOSE TYPES OF, UH, OUTBREAKS THAT MIGHT BE OCCURRING.
UM, MOST OF OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS ARE ON TOP OF IT.
THEY HAVE INFECTION PREVENTIONISTS ON STAFF WHO HELP MITIGATE THOSE TYPES OF ISSUES.
SO, UM, SO FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK THEY'RE, THEY'RE BEING MANAGED WISELY.
UH, NEXT IS FROM COOPERATIVE LEO, UH, IS APH LOOKING INTO NEW APPROACHES TO INFLUENCE INDIVIDUALS, TO ACT WITHIN THE PUBLISHED GUIDANCE, UH, INCLUDING STATE AGENTS, LIKE A TABC AND
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THE STATE PARK POLICE.I PERSONALLY HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY, AND I'M NOT SURE IN WHAT CONTEXT THEY'RE ASKING THAT QUESTION, BUT I'VE NOT BEEN APPROACHED BY ANY OTHER STATE AGENCIES RELY RELATED TO FOLLOW UP THE CASE IN POINT, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S RELATED TO ENFORCEMENT OR WHAT, WHAT THE QUESTION'S REFERRING TO YOU.
IT WAS REFERRING TO, UH, ENFORCEMENT OF, YOU KNOW, GUIDELINES.
I'LL JUMP IN AND SAY THAT I WAS, I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR THE GOVERNOR YESTERDAY.
TALK ABOUT TABC AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF BARS.
UH, WE DO HAVE AN ONGOING CONCERN ABOUT THE RISK OF, OF DISEASE SPREAD IN BARS, PARTICULARLY IN BARS WHO ARE NOT COMPLIANT WITH THE STATE GUIDANCE ON, ON COVID-19.
SO I, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT THE, WE AS A CITY AND COUNTY ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN, IN HOW WE CAN ENFORCE THOSE THINGS THAT WE CAN ENFORCE.
UH, THE GOVERNOR YESTERDAY TALKED ABOUT, UH, THE NON-ENFORCEMENT OF MASKING ITSELF, BUT CERTAINLY INDICATED THAT ENFORCEMENT OF OTHER ASPECTS, UH, MAY BE APPROPRIATE, UH, SO THAT WE CAN FURTHER STEM THE SPREAD OF, OF COVID-19.
SO WE'RE, WE ARE CERTAINLY IN DISCUSSIONS ON, ON HOW WE CAN, UH, LOOK AT AT THE LAW AND, AND POTENTIAL ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE'S ANY ROLE FOR CRIMINALIZATION OF, OF SOME OF THESE ITEMS, BUT IT IS HELPFUL FOR US TO BE ABLE TO INFORM RESTAURANTS AND BARS AND OTHER BUSINESSES THAT IT'S OKAY FOR YOU TO REQUIRE MASKING THAT IT'S ENFORCEABLE.
IF, IF YOU DECIDE AS, AS YOUR BUSINESS TO NOT ALLOW PEOPLE IN WITHOUT MASKS, I THINK IT IS AN ABSOLUTELY RESPONSIBLE THING TO DO FOR BUSINESSES TO TAKE A STAND, NOT ONLY TO PROTECT OTHER CUSTOMERS IN THAT BUSINESS, BUT TO PROTECT THEIR EMPLOYEES.
AND I THINK THIS IS A, A STRONG POSITION THAT OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY NEEDS TO TAKE IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE DOING AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO MITIGATE THAT RISK OF SPREAD, TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY AND TO ENSURE THAT THOSE BUSINESSES CAN STAY OPEN, OPEN.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM KX A N A THERE'S A CASE IN DALLAS OF A WOMAN WHO TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 FOR A SECOND TIME, ONCE IN FEBRUARY, AND NOW AGAIN IN JUNE, HOW CONCERNING IS THAT? AND HAVE YOU SEEN ANY CASES LIKE THAT IN AUSTIN AND WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THE LATINO TASK FORCE? UH, SO LET ME TALK A BIT ABOUT, ABOUT RETESTING POSITIVE.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN CONTINUE TO SEE STORIES ABOUT THIS AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S NOT SURPRISING.
WE KNOW THAT THAT SOMEBODY MAY HAVE THE ILLNESS AND THEN THEY CAN CONTINUE TO SHED VIRUS OR HAVE VIRUS PRESENT FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
UH, THERE'S NOT, THAT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THEY ARE INFECTED AGAIN, IT DOESN'T EVEN MEAN THAT THEY ARE INFECTIOUS STILL BECAUSE YOU CAN HAVE DEAD VIRUS.
YOU CAN HAVE LOW LEVELS OF VIRUS THAT ARE PRESENT, UH, THAT, THAT DO NOT INDICATE A SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF SPREAD, BUT ALSO IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT, THAT THERE IS VARIABILITY IN IMMUNE RESPONSE.
WE KNOW THIS FROM OTHER DISEASES, WE'VE ALL HEARD OF FOLKS WHO HAD CHICKEN POX TWICE.
WHO'VE HAD IMMUNIZATION FOR VARIOUS THINGS, BUT STILL GET IT.
UH, THERE IS VARIABLE IMMUNITY.
UH, SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MOUNT A GOOD IMMUNE RESPONSE AND DEVELOP LOTS OF ANTIBODIES THAT PROTECT THEM.
OTHERS ARE NOT, AND THAT'S JUST A SIMPLE FACT OF, OF, OF DISEASE.
SO IT'S NOT SURPRISING TO US THAT THAT MAY BE THE CASE.
IT WON'T BE SURPRISING IF, IF SOMEBODY CAN GET IT AGAIN, THIS DOES NOT INDICATE THAT THAT IMMUNITY SHORT IT IN CASE TO US, WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW THAT IMMUNITY IS VARIABLE.
AND WE CERTAINLY EXPECT TO SEE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE, WHERE THAT COULD HAPPEN.
AGAIN, OUR ADVICE TO EVERYBODY, WHETHER YOU'VE HAD COVID-19 OR NOT IS TO PROTECT YOURSELVES, PROTECT YOUR FAMILY, TO THE MEASURES THAT WE'VE DESCRIBED.
S SCOTT, AND I'LL JUST TOUCH BRIEFLY ON THE SECTION OF THE QUESTION PERTAINING TO THE TASK FORCE.
UM, THIS PAST SATURDAY, UM, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, HOSTED A FACEBOOK LIVE EVENT, UM, THAT WAS
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FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS.AND WE DID OFFER, UM, INTERPRETATION FOR THOSE WHO SPOKE ENGLISH.
AND IT REALLY WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HEAR, UM, FROM THAT COMMUNITY OF ABOUT THE CHALLENGES, AS WELL AS THE SUCCESSES AND, UM, WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE, UM, AWESOME PUBLIC HEALTH TO GO AS WE CONTINUE TO PLAN THE RESPONSE, UM, INTERNALLY, UM, WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB OF PLANNING FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, BUT AS WE'RE LEARNING, UM, THIS PANDEMIC IS, UM, IS DIFFERENT FROM OUR TYPICAL RISK RESPONSE EFFORTS.
AND SO IT WILL BE AN ITERATIVE PROCESS, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY CAPTURES ALL ASPECTS AND FACETS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, THIS PAST SATURDAY WAS THE FIRST CONVERSATION.
WE HAVE ANOTHER CONVERSATION PLANNED FOR JULY 11TH THAT WILL, UM, BE FOCUSED ON ALL COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND BE OPEN TO, UM, UH, SPEAKERS OF OTHER NATIVE LANGUAGES, SPANISH, VIETNAMESE.
UM, WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO, OR WITH, UM, DIFFERENT LEADERS IN THE LATIN X COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT OUR NEXT STEP SHOULD BE.
AND SO, UM, I THINK WE'VE ALL HAD THE TIME TO DO, BUT AS DR S SCOTT SAID, THIS WILL BE A MARATHON.
SO NOW WE'RE REALLY TAKING AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO AND PLAN AND STRATEGIZE IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR PARTNERS.
UM, AND SO AS THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMUNITY AND WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS DEVELOPED, WE WILL, UM, HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT TYPE OF BODY WOULD BE BEST SERVED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S THAT CONSTANT COMMUNICATION, UM, BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE PLANNING EFFORTS.
UM, HOW MANY CASE INVESTIGATORS IN CONTRACT CONTACT TRACERS DO YOU THINK YOU'LL NEED? AND, UH, WHAT KIND OF GOES INTO, UH, YOU KNOW, CALCULATING HOW MANY YOU THINK YOU'LL NEED AND, UH, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING IN THOSE ROLES? SO CURRENTLY WE HAVE, UM, UPWARDS TO, I'M GOING TO SAY 48, UH, CASE INVESTIGATORS THAT ARE, UH, ON STAFF.
WE HAVE BEEN ONBOARDING, UH, PEOPLE EACH WEEK, UM, TO SUPPORT THAT EFFORT.
OUR GOAL IS TO GET TO ROUGHLY ABOUT 115 CASE INVESTIGATORS SLASH CONTACT RACERS, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, UM, TO FOLLOW UP WITH CASES.
UM, AND THE NUMBER THAT WE USE TO CALCULATE THAT IS BASED ON A CDC GUIDANCE DOCUMENT ON CONTACT TRACING AND CASE INVESTIGATION, WHERE THEY ESTIMATE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE ROUGHLY NINE CASE INVESTIGATORS OR CONTACT TRACERS PER 100,000 POPULATION.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE, IN ADDITION TO WHAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS.
UH, WE HAVE IN OUR LOCAL AGREEMENTS WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL AND, UH, COMMUNITY CARE AND CENTRAL HEALTH WHO WILL ALSO BE PROVIDING, UM, SUPPORT IN SOME OF THOSE EFFORTS.
SO I KNOW DELL AT ONE POINT HAD, UH, 20 ON STAFF AND, UM, KID RAMP UP, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND CENTRAL HEALTH IS WORKING NOW TO, UH, TO HIRE ON AN ONBOARD FOLKS, UH, WITH THE JULY TIMELINE IN PLACE.
LET ME JUST JUMP IN, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO JUMP OFF HERE SOON.
SO THIS CAN BE THE LAST QUESTION, PLEASE.
UM, THIS ONE'S FROM BOX SEVEN.
UH, CAN YOU PROVIDE GUIDELINES OR PROTOCOL FOR BUSINESS OWNERS, SUCH AS RESTAURANT BARS, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT A POSITIVE COVID TEST AMONG EMPLOYEES, UH, SHOULD THEY IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN, TELL CUSTOMERS, ET CETERA? HMM.
UM, SO I, I I'LL ADD IN HERE, WE WORK WITH OUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES DIVISION, SO WE NOTIFY THEM SO THAT THEY CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THAT RESTAURANT OWNER, UH, TO FOLLOW UP.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS LIKE NOTIFYING THEM, THAT THEY HAVE MAY HAVE A POSITIVE CASE THERE.
UM, WE ALSO WORK INDIVIDUALLY WITH THOSE CASES TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY WILL NEED TO BE UNDER A CONTROL ORDER AND THAT, UH, THEY NEED TO SELF ISOLATE AT HOME FOR A PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL THEIR SYMPTOMS ARE RESOLVED AND THEIR FEVER FREE.
UM, BUT AGAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE FOLLOW THE CDC GUIDANCE THAT'S OUT THERE AND THE GUIDANCE THAT THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS PROVIDED TO, UH, RESPOND TO THOSE TYPES OF CLUSTER INVESTIGATIONS, UM,
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AND MANAGE IT AS WE, AS, AS, UH, THEY COME TO US.SO, AND AGAIN, WE TRY TO STRESS THAT EVERYBODY, IF YOU'RE IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY OR BAR WORKING IN A BAR, UM, YOU NEED TO BE FOLLOWING PR YOU KNOW, THOSE PROTECTIVE MEASURES THAT WE'VE BEEN STATING OVER AND OVER TODAY ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING AND WEARING YOUR FACE MASK, MAKING SURE THAT YOU USE PROPER HAND HYGIENE, AND IF YOU'RE SICK, YOU NEED TO STAY HOME.
I ALSO DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THAT EMPLOYERS DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW THE MEDICAL INFORMATION OF EMPLOYEES.
UM, YOU KNOW, GENERALLY THE WAY THAT OUR CASE INVESTIGATORS WILL APPROACH THIS IS, UH, WHEN I CALL A BUSINESS OWNER OR A MANAGER, THEY SAY, THEY'LL SAY THAT AN EXPOSURE HAPPENED IN THEIR, UH, FACILITY.
UH, THERE'S NO DISCLOSURE OF, OF WHO THAT INDIVIDUAL WAS.
AND THERE'S AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT WHO ELSE WAS WORKING DURING PARTICULAR PERIODS OF TIME.
UH, ANY CUSTOMERS THAT, THAT MAY HAVE BEEN PRESENT DURING THOSE PARTICULAR PERIODS OF TIME.
UH, SO W WE, WE GOT THROUGH GREAT LENGTHS TO, TO ENSURE THAT THAT INFORMATION STAYS SAFE AND SECURE.
UH, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY IF INDIVIDUALS ARE POSITIVE, UH, WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO, TO SHARE AS, AS MUCH AS THEY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH, WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED, UH, BECAUSE THERE SHOULD NOT BE GUILT OR SHAME ASSOCIATED HAVING AN ILLNESS OF ANY KIND.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE I'M CONCERNED THAT THERE'S GUILT OR SHAME ASSOCIATED WITH, WITH FOLKS WHO GET THIS, IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF US ARE GOING TO GET THIS AT SOME PERIOD OF TIME, A PARTICULAR, IF WE DON'T GET A VACCINE IN A TIMELY FASHION.
SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO CONTROL.
AND THAT MEANS BEING AS OPEN AND HONEST, AS YOU CAN, WITH THOSE WHO, WHO MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED, SO THEY KNOW, AND CAN PREVENT EXPOSURE TO OTHERS.
AND I WILL ALSO LIKE TO ADD TO THAT JUST BASED ON THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON PERSONALLY.
UM, I HAVE A LOT OF BUSINESSES AND, UH, A LOT OF BUSINESS OWNERS HAVE ACTUALLY, WHEN THEY ARE AWARE OF, UH, EMPLOYEE WHO IS POSITIVE, HAVE REQUIRED THE REST OF THEIR STAFF TO GO IN AND GET TESTING, UH, JUST TO BE SURE THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, CAN ELIMINATE ANY OTHER CONCERNS ABOUT EXPOSURES, BUT, UH, SO THEY HAVE IN PROACTIVE AND I MEAN, FROM AN OCCUPATIONAL, UH, SAFETY STANDPOINT, THEY'VE, THEY'VE REFERRED PEOPLE ON AND, AND THAT'S ACROSS A WHOLE NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, UH, EMPLOYERS, WHETHER IT'S, UH, CONSTRUCTION RESTAURANTS, UM, AND OTHER FACILITIES.
THAT'S A, THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS FOR TODAY.
BEFORE WE WRAP UP, UM, WOULD YOU GUYS LIKE TO LEAVE ANY CLOSING REMARKS, ADRIAN? SURE.
IF YOU GO OUT SOCIALLY DISTANCE, WASH YOUR HANDS, AND IF YOU'RE SICK, UM, PLEASE ISOLATE EITHER AT HOME OR CALL THREE, ONE, ONE TO GET CONNECTED TO ONE OF OUR ISOLATION FACILITIES.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD IF FOR SOME REASON YOU DO BECOME A CASE AND YOU ARE CONTACTED BY ONE OF OUR CASE INVESTIGATORS, UH, KNOW THAT THE INFORMATION THAT YOU SHARE WITH US IS PROTECTED UNDER PRIVACY LAWS.
AND SO IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO SHARE CONTACT INFORMATION WITH US.
UM, AND YOU CAN DO THAT WITHOUT FEAR OF RETALIATION.
UM, WE DON'T SHARE THAT INFORMATION, UH, WITH ANY, UH, ENFORCEMENT BODIES, UH, BUT OUR GOAL IS TO TRY TO MITIGATE IN SQUASH AND OUTBREAK, SHOULD IT, UH, SHOULD IT OCCUR WITHIN A, A SETTING? SO WE'RE TRYING TO, AS WE'VE BEEN SAYING FOR MONTHS NOW, TRYING TO FLATTEN THE CURVE, AND THAT'S ONE WAY WE DO IT, I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THEY JUST SAID, UH, AND, AND DISTRESSING FOR IT, AND SORT OF WHAT ADRIAN SAID ABOUT, ABOUT OUR ISOLATION FACILITY.
WE HAVE A HOTEL THAT HAS LOTS OF CAPACITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE, WHO ARE CONCERNED, THEY'RE POSITIVE AND ARE WAITING TEST RESULTS, OR THOSE THAT HAVE A HIGH RISK EXPOSURE.
IT'S A ROOM, IT'S A HOTEL ROOM BY YOURSELF.
YOU HAVE YOUR OWN BATHROOM TV, YOU GET FED, IT'S A HOTEL.
I WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
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OF THAT BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE RISK OF HOUSEHOLD TRANSMISSION, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE WHO HAVE TROUBLE ISOLATING THEMSELVES AT HOME.IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR OWN ROOM WHERE YOU CAN STAY AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY, IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR OWN BATHROOM, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING, PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, THAT FREE OPPORTUNITY.
NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME OTHER INTERVENTIONS TO TRY TO HELP PEOPLE ISOLATE BETTER AT HOME IF THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO UTILIZE OUR ISOLATION FACILITY, BUT IT'S THERE, IT'S AVAILABLE.
AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF VACANCIES THERE FOR FOLKS WHO NEED IT.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR MEDIA AVAILABILITY FOR TODAY.
MARK S. SCOTT AND THE POLL REPORTER FOR JOINING US TODAY.
THE SHAKY GOING UP COUNTRIES, SINKING THINKING THOUGH, YOU I'M A SUCKER FOR THE THRILL OF THE CHASE LITTLE DAMAGE AND A LITTLE GRAY.