[Austin-Travis County stands in Solidarity with Medical Professionals Against COVID-19]
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GOOD AFTERNOON, I'M MELISSA ARMSTRONG, AND I WILL BE YOUR MODERATOR FOR TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE.
BEFORE THE SPEAKERS INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.
I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE EVERYONE AWARE THAT WE ARE ACCOMMODATING A NUMBER OF BUSY SCHEDULES BETWEEN CLINICAL SURGERIES AND MORE, THEREFORE, WE ARE PLACING A HARD STOP ON THE PRESS CONFERENCE AT 3:00 PM, AND WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO ADDRESS AS MANY QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE IN THE ALLOTTED TIMEFRAME.
WE'RE ON ANOTHER CHANNEL THROUGH ATX N SO THIS IS A REMINDER FOR ALL OF OUR GUESTS TO SPEAK SIMPLY AND CLEARLY FOR OUR INTERPRETERS.
S SCOTT INTERIM AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY WILL START US OFF WITH A SITUATIONAL REPORT AND WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A NUMBER OF DEDICATED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY AREA AND AROUND CENTRAL TEXAS.
AFTER THAT, WE WILL OPEN IT UP TO OUR POOL REPORTER WITH KUT, WHO WILL ASK THE QUESTIONS OF OUR SPEAKERS.
UH, AND AS I GET MY SLIDES UP ON THE SCREEN, I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES FROM AROUND THE CITY AND COUNTY WHO JOINED US TODAY.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC TURN A LOT FROM ME REGARDING COVID-19 AND, UH, I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE MORE, BUT THEN I'M GOING TO PASS IT OVER TO THEM, UH, BECAUSE THEY HAVE IMPORTANT VOICES TOO.
AND IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THAT FOLKS REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING, HOW, UH, THE SITUATION HAS CHANGED AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE GOING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE.
UH, BECAUSE THESE FOLKS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM TODAY ARE THE ONES THAT ARE GOING TO BE TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE ON THE FRONT LINES.
THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO BE PUTTING THEMSELVES AT RISK, THEIR FAMILIES AT RISK AND THEIR COLLEAGUES AT RISK, UH, AND, UH, AND YOU NEED TO HEAR THEIR VOICES.
UH, BUT BEFORE WE HEAR FROM THEM, I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A QUICK UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
UH, THE SLIDE I'M SHOWING YOU NOW IS, ARE, UH, CONFIRMED CASES IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, AS YOU'RE AWARE, WE'VE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN OUR CASES OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS.
UH, RIGHT NOW OUR MOVING AVERAGE, WHICH IS THE BLIND THAT'S SHOWN IN YELLOW IS AT 276 NEW CASES PER DAY.
AND OBVIOUSLY WE'VE HAD MANY MORE THAN THAT ON SOME DAYS OVER THE PAST WEEK IN PARTICULAR, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S A CONCERNING TREND FOR US, AND IT'S CONCERNING BECAUSE OF THIS, THIS HOCKEY STICK APPEARANCE THAT WE'RE SEEING IN NEW CASES, AS WELL AS, UH, AS WELL AS OUR OTHER METRICS THAT WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO.
UH, THE OTHER THING THAT HAS AN IMPACT ON IS OUR DOUBLING TIME.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS AGAIN, THE BLUE IS THE DAILY DOUBLING TIME THAT YELLOW IS THE SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE OF THAT DOUBLING TIME.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HIT A PEAK, A GOOD PEAK, UH, BACK IN, IN THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE, AROUND JUNE THE SEVENTH AND 44 DAYS, WHICH MEANS IT TAKES 44 DAYS ON ESTIMATION FOR THAT NUMBER, WHATEVER THAT CASE NUMBER IS TOOK DOUBLE TODAY, THAT DOUBLING TIME HAS DROPPED TO ABOUT 18 DAYS.
SO IT'S DROPPED MORE THAN HALF.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE HAVE ABOUT 6,600 CASES AS OF TODAY, BASED ON THESE NUMBERS, IF THIS TREND CONTINUES THAT AN 18 DAYS OR PERHAPS LESS, IF THAT DOUBLING TIME CONTINUES TO DROP, WE'LL HAVE MORE THAN 13,000 CASES.
UH, THE OTHER THING THAT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CASES, IT'S THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CUMULUS CASES.
SO WE'RE TAKING CONSIDERATION.
NOW WE HAVE LESS THAN 2000 ACTIVE CASES.
IF WE LOOK TWO WEEKS FROM NOW, AND IF WE DOUBLE IN TWO WEEKS NOW, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE THAN 6,000 ACTIVE CASES.
AND AS THAT, THAT DOUBLING TIME CONTINUES TO DROP.
IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT AS EARLY AS THREE WEEKS, IT WOULD DOUBLE AGAIN FROM NOW THREE WEEKS FROM NOW.
SO IN THREE WEEKS, HAVING 13 OR 14 OR 15,000 ACTIVE CASES, AND THIS IS, THIS IS WHY WE, WE'VE GOT TO INCREASE OUR SERIOUSNESS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING.
UH, BECAUSE UNLIKE HURRICANES, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE THIS STORM, TO DOWNGRADE THIS STORM.
UH, BUT, BUT FOLKS NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE MAGNITUDE OF IMPACT OF THIS STORM COULD HAVE, UH, THAT IMPACT IS ALREADY BEING SEEN ON OUR HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS.
UH, SO AGAIN, THE YELLOW LINE HERE IS SHOWING THE SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE OF NEW ADMISSIONS, WHICH IS OUR PRIMARY INDICATOR FOR OUR CHANGE IN STAGES.
YOU CAN SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE AT ABOUT EIGHT TO 10, UH, ON THAT SEVEN DAY, MOVING AVERAGE FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND WE'RE DOING VERY WELL, BUT THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HAVE THIS SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE WHERE NOW WE'RE AT ABOUT A 40 AND TODAY IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT WE'LL SURPASS
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40 HOSPITALIZATIONS, NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS ON THAT SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE.UH, YESTERDAY WE HAD A RECORD OF 56 NEW ADMISSIONS TODAY.
IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT WE WILL HAVE MORE THAN 50 ADMISSIONS TODAY.
AND I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE IT'S LIKELY THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO INCREASE VERY QUICKLY MOVING FROM 40 TO 50 TO 70 IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, PERHAPS OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, UNLESS WE HAVE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN THE TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE.
THE IMPACT IS ALSO EVIDENT ON OUR HOSPITAL SYSTEMS. SO THIS IS SHOWING US THE BLUE LINE IS SHOWING CURRENT HOSPITALIZATIONS.
THE ORANGE IS SHOWING THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN THE ICU AND CRITICAL CARE, AND THEY, UH, GRAY IS SHOWING THE, UH, THE VENTILATOR USE.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT HOCKEY STICK APPEARANCE OF, OF THE HOSPITALIZATIONS AS WELL.
UH, YOU CAN SEE A SIMILAR TREND WHEN IT COMES TO ICU ADMISSIONS.
SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT WE'VE GONE FROM ABOUT A HUNDRED, UH, UH, HOSPITAL BEDS BEING USED AT AROUND JUNE THE SEVENTH TO TODAY, UH, WHICH WILL BE ABOUT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 275 IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
UH, SO AGAIN, RIGHT NOW THE HOSPITALS HAVE CAPACITY.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, WE'RE NOT AT RISK THIS WEEK OR NEXT WEEK OF NOT HAVING BEDS OR ICU BEDS OR VENTILATORS FOR PEOPLE.
WHAT WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT IS WHAT'S HAPPENING TWO OR THREE WEEKS OR FOUR WEEKS FROM NOW, UH, BECAUSE OF THIS EXPONENTIAL NATURE OF THIS DISEASE.
SO LOOKING AT SOME UPDATED PROJECTIONS FROM, UH, THE GREAT WORK OF DR.
LAUREN MEYERS AND HER GROUP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MODELING CONSORTIUM, UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE INCREASED OUR ESTIMATION OF SURGE BEDS, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE IN THE AUSTIN MSA TO AROUND 1500 BEDS.
UH, RIGHT NOW THEY, THE, THE DARK, UH, BLACK LINE THAT YOU SEE HERE IS DATA THAT WE'VE COLLECTED ALREADY.
THAT'S WHERE WE ARE THAT TRANSITION BETWEEN THE BLACK LINE AND THE, THE, UH, THINNER BLACK LINE.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE, THE BEST GUESS OF THE PROJECTIONS, IF THINGS DON'T CHANGE, IF PEOPLE DON'T TAKE MORE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS, IF WE ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN DECREASING THAT DOUBLING TIME, THAT BY MID JULY, WE'RE GOING TO EXCEED HOSPITAL CAPACITY.
THIS IS WHY WE'RE ASKING EVERYONE TO TAKE ACTION NOW, TO ACT AS IF A SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER WE'RE EXISTING TODAY, AS THE GOVERNOR SAID EARLIER THIS WEEK, IF YOU DON'T NEED TO GO OUT AND DON'T GO OUT, IF YOU DON'T NEED TO, TO CONGREGATE OR, OR GET TOGETHER WITH PEOPLE, DON'T DO IT.
UH, WE REALLY HAVE TO TRANSITION OUR MINDSET BACK TO WHAT IT WAS IN APRIL, SO THAT WE CAN GET CONTROL OF THIS.
SO WE DON'T ENDANGER THE, UH, THE, THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS.
AND SO THAT WE CAN KEEP BUSINESSES OPEN, KEEP THE ECONOMY GOING, BUT WE NEED AN ACTION.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT TO DR.
IT WAS THE PRESIDENT OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.
UM, I'M A SURGEON HERE IN AUSTIN.
I'M SEEING PATIENTS EVERY DAY.
UM, I WANT TO, UH, EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE OF WHAT DR. SCOTT WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH REGARD TO THE HOCKEY STICK OR THE EXPONENTIAL SPREAD OF A VIRUS.
AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS.
WE ALL KNOW ABOUT HOW THINGS GO VIRAL ON THE INTERNET.
YOU SEE SOMETHING FUNNY, A CAT VIDEO, AND YOU SHARE IT WITH 10 PEOPLE.
AND THOSE 10 PEOPLE SHARE IT WITH 10 PEOPLE EACH.
SO NOW YOU'RE UP TO A HUNDRED PEOPLE AND THOSE 100 SHARE IT TO ANOTHER.
THEY KEEP SHARING AND A THOUSAND BECOMES 10,000 AND THEN A HUNDRED THOUSAND AND THEN A MILLION.
SO IN ONLY SIX CYCLES OF TRANSMISSION, ONE PERSON AFFECTS 1 MILLION PEOPLE, REAL VIRUSES, LIKE THE NEW CORONA VIRUS WORK IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY.
WHEN ONE PERSON HAS BEEN INFECTED, HE OR SHE WILL SPREAD IT TO SEVERAL OTHERS.
AND THOSE PEOPLE WERE, WILL IN TURN IN FACT MANY MORE.
AND SO IT GOES, WE FACE ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE CORONAVIRUS.
YOU CAN HAVE IT FOR DAYS OR EVEN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND NOT KNOW IT.
AND ALL THE, WHILE YOU UNINTENTIONALLY SPREAD IT TO YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS, YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR COWORKERS, IT'S ALSO UNPREDICTABLE BECAUSE IT AFFECTS PEOPLE IN WIDELY DIFFERENT WAYS.
SOME PEOPLE MAY HAVE BARELY ANY SYMPTOMS WHILE OTHERS GET TERRIBLY SICK AND WILL BE GASPING FOR AIR AND HAVE TO BE PLACED ON VENTILATORS WITH PLASTIC TUBES IN THEIR WINDPIPES IN THE ICU,
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SOMETIME FOR DAYS OR EVEN WEEKS, THOSE FOLKS CAN HAVE MULTIPLE PROBLEMS THAT STEM FROM THE SEVERE SEVERITY OF THEIR ILLNESS.AND MANY PEOPLE DIE OVER 120,000 HAVE DIED SO FAR IN AMERICA AND WORLDWIDE.
WE'RE APPROACHING 500,000 DEATHS.
IN ONE WAY, THOUGH, THE VIRUS IS NOT SNEAKY.
IT CARES NOT WHETHER ITS VICTIMS OR ASIAN, BLACK, HISPANIC, OR WHITE.
IT IS EQUALLY EAGER TO INVADE THE LUNGS OF A CHRISTIAN, A HINDU, A JEW, OR A MUSLIM.
IT WON'T CONSIDER YOUR GENDER, YOUR GENDER, AND IT WILL INFECT YOU WHETHER YOU'RE A DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN DURING THE LOCKDOWN, WE DID SOMETHING AMAZING.
WE PROVED THAT WE CAN CONTROL THE VIRUS AND FLATTEN THE CURVE.
WE DID THAT BY SIMPLY CHANGING OUR BEHAVIOR.
A COUPLE OF MONTHS, THERE WAS AMAZING COOPERATION AMONG ALL OF US TO ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL.
WE GOT A LITTLE STORE CRAZY, AND WE LOWERED OUR GUARD.
AS A RESULT, THE VIRUS IS SEARCHED AND IT'S TAKING LIVES.
THERE IS A MIDDLE GROUND SOMEWHERE BETWEEN COMPLETE LOCKDOWN AND UNCONTROLLED VIRAL SPREAD.
IT SIMPLY INVOLVES DOING THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW WE SHOULD DO DISTANCING OURSELVES, WEARING MASKS, WASHING OUR HANDS, MINIMIZING SOCIAL EXCURSIONS, AND ABSOLUTELY STAYING HOME.
WHEN YOU FEEL SICK, WHAT HAPPENS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AND WEEKS IS COMPLETELY UP TO US, HOW WE BEHAVE AND HOW WE COOPERATE WITH EACH OTHER WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
THE THOUSANDS PHYSICIANS AND NURSES AND OTHER HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN THE AUSTIN AREA WILL BE THERE TO CARE FOR YOU IF YOU GET SICK.
BUT TO DO THAT, WE NEED THE STAFF.
WE NEED THE MEDICINES TO DO OUR JOBS.
IF THE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH CONTINUES UNIMPEDED AS IT IS, SOME OF THOSE THINGS MAY RUN OUT.
GOOD IDEAS CAN SPREAD LIKE A VIRUS AS WELL.
IT'S TIME NOW FOR THIS IDEA TO GO VIRAL, CONTROLLING COVID DEPENDS ON US, ON OUR ACTIONS AND ON HOW WE COOPERATE WITH EACH OTHER.
UM, AS A MEDICINE, PEDIATRIC HOSPITALIST, I AM A DOCTOR WHO SPECIALIZES IN THE CARE OF SICK ADULTS AND CHILDREN IN THE HOSPITAL.
I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO BE A PART OF A TEAM THAT, UH, HAS DISCHARGED OVER 200 PATIENTS WITH CORONAVIRUS.
AND TODAY, MY HOPE IS TO SHARE WITH YOU MY GRATITUDE, BUT ALSO MY CONCERNS AND HOPE.
FIRST OF ALL, I'M GRATEFUL THAT CENTRAL TEXAS HAD A THREE MONTH LAG AND THE SURGEON CORONAVIRUS RELATIVE TO SEATTLE IN NEW YORK AND BASED ON THOUGHTFUL AND EARLY RESPONSE BY LEADERS TO CLOSE SCHOOL, CANCEL LARGE EVENTS AND TO OUR COMMUNITY FOR PHYSICALLY DISTANCING.
THIS SAVED LIVES AS DID OUR CENTRAL TEXAS PUBLIC HEALTH, MEDICAL PROVIDERS AND HOSPITAL SYSTEM TO WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT OUR HOSPITALS WERE PREPARED, THAT WE HAD ADEQUATE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND THAT HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND PATIENTS WERE SAFE.
WE'VE SEEN A TREMENDOUS INCREASE IN NUMBERS OF CORONAVIRUS CASES, AS WELL AS HOSPITALIZATIONS AND SPECIFICALLY CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE PHYSICAL DISTANCING MEASURES HAVE BEEN ABANDONED BY MEN, BY MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
I'M ALSO CONCERNED BY THE CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE INFECTION.
MANY OF THE EARLY CASES THAT WE SAW WERE IN VULNERABLE POPULATIONS BECAUSE PEOPLE COULD NOT CHOOSE TO ISOLATE THE NEW CASES THAT WE'RE SEEING IN OUR COMMUNITY, OR BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE ACTIVELY CHOOSING TO CONGREGATE AND TO NOT ISOLATE OR MASK.
I'M ALSO CONCERNED THAT THIS CHOICE IS BASED ON A FALSE HOPE THAT WE HAVE COMPARATIVELY LOW DEATH RATES IN AUSTIN AND IN TEXAS COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES.
BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT DEATH IS NOT THE ONLY MARKER OF THIS DISEASE MORBIDITY OR HOW BAD THE DISEASE IS.
MORE SPECIFICALLY HOW UNLIKELY SOMEONE IS TO RETURN TO THEIR NORMAL STATE AFTER THE DISEASE HAS RESOLVED IS A MORE IMPORTANT MARKER.
IN MY OPINION, CORONA VIRUS IS A BAD DISEASE.
THE INFLAMMATORY STORM THAT WE SEE CAUSED BY THIS VIRUS IS UNLIKE ANYTHING WE'VE EVER SEEN.
THE VIRUS ATTACKS LUNGS AND PUTS PEOPLE ON VENTILATORS FOR WEEKS, NOT DAYS, WHICH IS TYPICAL OF OTHER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS.
THERE'S THE BRAIN, HEART LIVER AND KIDNEYS, AND INCREASES OUR RISK OF BLOOD CLOTS, STROKES, AND HEART ATTACKS.
AND WE HAVE SEEN THIS EVEN IN TEENAGERS AND HEALTHY 20 AND 30 YEAR OLDS.
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IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT CORONAVIRUS VIRUS HAS CONSEQUENCES BEYOND DEATH.UM, AND THAT ONE MAY LIVE, BUT REQUIRE WEEKS OR MONTHS OF REHABILITATION OR LIVE, BUT NOT WALK, TALK OR WORK AGAIN.
SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT OUR LEADERS AND THE PUBLIC HAVE THE WISDOM TO INTERPRET WHAT WE'RE SEEING AS A TRUE SEARCH, THE SEARCH THAT IT IS, AND THAT WE CAN RETURN TO THE SAME LEVEL OF PHYSICAL DISTANCING AND MASKING THAT WE DID IN MARCH AND APRIL, BECAUSE IT WORKS.
FINALLY, I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE TO THOSE WHO ARE FORTUNATE TO RECOVER FROM CORONA VIRUS.
I HOPE THAT YOU WILL DONATE PLASMA AND WE ARE BLOOD AND OTHER DONATION CENTERS, SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO SHARE YOUR IMMUNE FIGHTING ABILITY WITH THOSE WHO ARE SICK WITH CORONAVIRUS AND ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES IN OUR HOSPITALS.
AND I WANT EVERYONE TO BE WELL, ALEX INTRODUCED DR.
TANTO FOR, UH, FOR YOUR WORDS AND FOR YOUR INTRODUCTION.
UM, I'M AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
UH, I TAKE CARE OF, UH, FOLKS AT A LEVEL ONE TRAUMA CENTER AND TEACHING HOSPITAL.
UM, I WANTED TO, UH, TALK TO YOU ALL AGAIN TODAY TO REINFORCE THE MESSAGE OF PLEASE MASK.
WHEN YOU HAVE TO LEAVE HOME, PLEASE STAY HOME.
WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
THE SOCIAL ISOLATION SOCIAL DISTANCING WAS WORKING AND IT CAN WORK AGAIN, UH, BEFORE WE GET TO A TRUE CRISIS MODE, UH, NOW IS THE TIME TO INTERVENE.
IT'LL BE, IT'LL BE VERY LATE FOR US IN TERMS OF OUR ABILITY TO REALLY PROVIDE YOU THE BEST POSSIBLE CARE.
UM, I'VE HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS WITH, UH, PEOPLE THAT I'M CLOSE WITH, WHO SEE MASKING AS AN ATTACK ON ONE'S PERSONAL LIBERTIES.
UM, I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT PERSPECTIVE.
I ALSO CAN UNDERSTAND THAT WHILE YOU ARE FREE TO DO THE WRONG THING, YOU ARE ALSO FREE TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
AND THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THIS DISEASE, PROTECT OTHER PEOPLE FROM THIS DISEASE AND, UH, DO OUR BEST TO BEND THE CURVE SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO KEEP OUR ECONOMY OPEN SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH GOOD HEALTHCARE SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO KEEP PEOPLE WORKING.
UM, BECAUSE, UH, IF WE INSIST ON GOING DOWN A PATHWAY WHERE THE DISEASE RUNS RAMPANT, UH, THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.
AND, UH, WE DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT HAPPEN TO YOU OR TO ANYONE SO THAT THE MASKING DOES WORK.
STAYING HOME DOES WORK, UH, STAYING MORE THAN SIX TO 10 FEET AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE DOES WORK.
AND ALL OF THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO AND SHOULD DO.
THE OTHER MESSAGE I WANTED TO CONVEY TODAY IS THAT EMERGENCIES STILL HAPPEN.
UH, THE OTHER CONSEQUENCE OF COVID THAT WE'VE SEEN THAT I WANT TO AVOID IS WE HAVE SEEN SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE SO SCARED OF COVID AND SO GOOD AT SOCIALLY ISOLATING THAT THEY HAVE HEART ATTACKS AT HOME.
THEY HAVE GI BLEEDING AT HOME.
THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IS STILL HERE FOR YOU.
IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY, I WANT YOU TO COME HERE FOR AN EMERGENCY.
IF YOU HAVE A RASH THAT YOU'VE HAD FOR A MONTH AND WANT TO LOOK, I WANT SOMEONE TO LOOK AT IT, PLEASE GO SOMEWHERE ELSE OR WAIT UNTIL THIS CRISIS IS OVER.
BUT IF YOU'RE HAVING AN EMERGENCY, IF YOU'RE HAVING A NEW, ACUTE PAIN, IF YOU'RE HAVING NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, IF YOU'RE HAVING CHEST PAIN OR SHORTNESS OF BREATH, THAT IS THE TIME TO COME TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, WE CAN KEEP YOU SAFE.
AND, UH, AND WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.
AND OTHER THAN THAT, STAY HOME WHEN YOU CAN VENTURE OUT MINIMALLY WEAR YOUR MASK AND STAY SAFE WITH THAT.
I'M THE CHAIR OF INTERNAL MEDICINE AT DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL AND PART OF A LARGE TEAM AT DELL MED AND ACROSS THE REGION, THAT'S BEEN WORKING TO COORDINATE OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19.
ALONG WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, OUR MAJOR PRIORITIES ARE TO REDUCE THE BURDEN OF SUFFERING FROM COVID WHILE ALSO KEEPING OUR HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE SAFE AND MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF THIS CONDITION ON OUR ECONOMY.
I REALLY WANT TO REINFORCE THAT WE'VE ENTERED A PERIOD OF INCREASED PRIDE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE'RE SEEING THIS IMPACT ON OUR HOSPITALS AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS AS DR.
ZIBELL MENTIONED WE'RE WELL PREPARED TO MEET THESE CHALLENGES.
AND I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW THE HOSPITAL REMAINS A VERY SAFE PLACE TO RECEIVE CARE.
YOU SHOULDN'T DELAY CARE OR FOREGO CARE FOR CONDITIONS.
OTHER THAN COVEN, THAT SAID IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO REDUCE THE RATE OF GROWTH AND COVEN INFECTIONS SO THAT OUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS CAN HELP.
THOSE ARE INFECTED AS BEST POSSIBLE WE'RE GAINING EXPERTISE EVERY DAY, AND HOW BEST TO SUPPORT PATIENTS WITH COVID.
SO THAT AS FEW PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE SUFFER COMPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ARE FOR WEAR YOUR MASKS.
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LET ME GET THE CONTACTS OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD AND HELP US REDUCE THE RATE OF INFECTIONS.SINCE THEN, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF NURSING, UH, SETON MEDICAL CENTER, AUSTIN CRITICAL CARE.
THE TEAM OF PHYSICIANS, NURSES, RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, PHARMACISTS, PATIENT CARE, TECH, HOUSEKEEPERS SUPPLY CHAIN, AND MANY OTHERS HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGH COVID TO CARE FOR PATIENTS IN MARCH.
IT'S BEEN INSPIRING TO SEE THE TEAM COME TOGETHER AND BE INNOVATIVE AND ADAPT TO ALL THE CHANGES WE'VE NEEDED TO MAKE THE TEAM OF PROVIDERS THROUGHOUT CENTRAL TEXAS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
WE'VE BEEN COLLABORATING TO ME TO BE I'VE BEEN WITNESSED TO THE COURAGE AND SACRIFICE OF THE HEALTHCARE TEAM AS THEY STEPPED FORWARD TO CARE FOR OUR COVID PATIENTS WITH PROFESSIONALISM AND GREAT COMPASSION.
WE'VE HAD THE ABILITY TO SET UP ZOOM CALLS WITH PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES SO THEY COULD CONNECT REMOTELY.
AND WE'VE HAD FAMILIES USING CALLS TO SAY, PRAYERS AND SENTIMENT.
AT THE END OF LIFE, WE'RE HERE PRESENT IN THE SUFFERING AND THIS SACRED WORK.
WE'VE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT AND TO CELEBRATE PATIENTS DISCHARGING HOME.
AFTER LENGTHY HOSPITAL STAYS, THERE'S BEEN A TREMENDOUS OUTPOURING FROM THE COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT IN MANY FORMS, WE'VE HAD THOUGHTFUL AND INSPIRING LETTERS.
WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE PIVOT VECTORS, PACER FROM, UH, SOME KIDDOS THAT THEY SENT TO US.
AND WE ASK FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT BY SOCIAL DISTANCING AND, UH, PROVIDING, UH, SIX FEET OF DISTANCE WEARING YOUR MASK.
WHEN YOU'RE OUT IN PUBLIC GOOD HAND WASHING, WE LEARN FROM NEW YORK AND SEATTLE.
WE HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THEIR EXPERIENCE THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE.
SO WE ASK YOU, ALTHOUGH IT'S HARD TO SOCIAL DISTANCE AND IT'S HARD TO STAY HOME, THAT WE NEED YOUR HELP, WE'LL HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.
I'M AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
I WORKED FOR THE ST DAVID'S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND ALSO SERVE AS THE REGIONAL MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR BOTH EMERGENCY MEDICINE AND HOSPITAL MEDICINE FOR PART OF THE SAINT DAVID'S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
UH, I WILL ECHO MANY OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN MENTIONED.
WE HAVE ALSO SEEN OBVIOUSLY, A RISE AND UPTICK IN PATIENTS THAT HAVE HAD, COVID BOTH ONES THAT ARE REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION AND ONES THAT ARE GOING HOME.
AND AS DR S SCOTT POINTED OUT THAT CURVE BEGAN TO RISE IN EARLY JUNE.
AND WE DO BELIEVE THAT THAT IS LARGELY IN PART TO PEOPLE RELAXING AND GOING OUT AND BEGINNING TO CELEBRATE THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER AND MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.
AND WITH THAT, WE BEGAN TO SEE A SPIKE IN CASES.
UH, RIGHT NOW THE SITUATION IS FLUID AND IS EVER CHANGING EVERY DAY.
YOU, AS A COMMUNITY, HAVE THAT POWER TO HELP CHANGE THIS CURVE AND HELP DECREASE THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT CONTINUE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AS MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED YOUR JOB AND ALL OF OUR JOBS AS PART OF THIS COMMUNITY, TO HELP EACH OTHER BY MASKING SOCIALLY DISTANCING.
AND HAND-WASHING, YOU SHOULD NOT LEAVE YOUR HOME.
IF YOU ARE SICK, YOU SHOULD NOT BE GOING TO GATHERINGS AND PARTIES OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF PEOPLE.
IF THEY'RE UNNECESSARY, BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO POTENTIALLY LEAD TO FURTHER SPREAD.
AS OUR JARED CYBELE MENTIONED, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US AS EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON NOT ONLY COVID, BUT THE OTHER EMERGENCIES THAT CONTINUE TO HAPPEN IN THE COMMUNITY AND ECHOING HIS POINT THAT PEOPLE ARE STAYING HOME BECAUSE THEY ARE SCARED TO COME TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
AND WE DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE STILL GET TREATED FOR THEIR HEART ATTACK, HEART ATTACKS FOR THEIR STROKES, FOR THEIR ACCIDENTS THAT HAPPEN AT HOME.
WE DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS CONTINUED TO BE A SAFE PLACE FOR THOSE PEOPLE TO COME, BUT FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, IF WE DON'T STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS FILL UP HOSPITALS AND NOT MAKE ROOM FOR THE OTHER EMERGENCIES THAT DO HAPPEN.
AND THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT NEED TO BE ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL AGAIN, RIGHT NOW HAS MENTIONED, OUR HOSPITALS HAVE CAPACITY AND OUR HOSPITALS HAVE SURGE PLANS
[00:25:01]
THAT ARE IN PLACE.AND WE HAVE EVER MOVING TARGETS TO ABLE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THIS COMMUNITY.
BUT YOUR JOB IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HELP CURB THE SPREAD OF THIS VIRUS.
SO IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY, IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE HAVING A STROKE, IF YOU'RE FEELING LIKE YOU'RE HAVING A HEART ATTACK, COME TO THE HOSPITAL, WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.
IF YOU ARE SICK WITH COLD, LIKE SYMPTOMS, FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS AND ARE NOT HAVING SHORTNESS OF BREATH.
AND YOU DO NOT FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE, STAY IN YOUR HOME AND KEEP OTHERS SAFE, WASH YOUR HANDS AND KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE, AND ALSO HELP KEEP OUR HEALTHCARE WORKERS SAFE, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE HEALTHCARE WORKERS THAT HAVE GOTTEN ILL FROM THIS AS WELL.
WE DON'T WANT OUR HEALTHCARE WORKERS TO NOT BE AROUND, TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF ALL OF YOU.
WE HAVE HAD COLLEAGUES THAT HAVE GONE TO WORK IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY DURING THE HEIGHT WHEN WE WERE, OUR CASES WERE LOW, BUT THE EAST COAST CASES WERE HIGH AND THEY HAVE LOTS OF STORIES AND LOTS OF EXPERIENCE TO BRING BACK.
BUT WE HAVE ALREADY SHOWN THAT WE CAN HELP CURVE THIS VIRUS FROM WHAT WE DID THE EARLIER MONTHS OF THIS ALL STARTING OUT.
SO WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO BACK TO THE SOCIAL DISTANCING THAT EXISTED AND HELP KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE, HELP KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE, HELP KEEP YOUR GRANDMOTHERS SAFE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL CAN CONTINUE TO THRIVE AS THIS GREAT COMMUNITY AS WE ARE.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN THAT OVER TO DR.
MY NAME IS ROSS TOLD WOMEN, AND I'M THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN FOR BAYLOR SCOTT AND WHITE.
UM, AND ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF GOING LATER ON IN THIS PRESENTATION IS THAT I CAN ECHO, UH, WHAT SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID.
UM, AS A SECOND GENERATION AUSTINITE, I HAVE SEEN MANY CHANGES IN OUR CITY, UM, AND NONE MORE STRIKING THAN THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS AS WE'VE BEEN FACING.
I WANT TO REITERATE THAT, YOU KNOW, AS AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, WE ARE TRAINED TO SEE AND TAKE CARE OF ANYBODY WHO WALKS IN THROUGH OUR EMERGENCY DOORS.
AND WE CAN, AND STILL ARE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF ANYBODY THAT COMES IN TO SEE US, WHETHER THAT IS SOMEBODY WITH CHEST PAIN, SOMEBODY WITH A HEADACHE OR SOMEBODY WITH COVID-19.
WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE PATIENTS.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE PATIENTS NOW IS BECAUSE OF ALL THE HARD WORK THAT WE PUT INTO FLATTENING THE CURVE EARLY IN THIS DISEASE PROCESS, BY WEARING OUR MASKS BY SOCIAL DISTANCING AT THAT POINT.
AND WE ARE AT A CREPITUS AT A, AT A, AT A, UM, JUNCTURE IN THIS DISEASE WHERE WE HAVE A CHOICE.
WE CAN EITHER MAKE THE HARD DECISION TO CONTINUE TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE, TO WEAR OUR MASKS AND BE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE, OR WE CAN CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE THOSE HARD CHOICES AND SEE WHERE THE DISEASE TAKES US.
I KNOW THAT WE DON'T WANT TO SEE ALL OF OUR HARD WORK THAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
AND THEN, AND THEN CONTINUE TO HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN NEW YORK AND OTHER PLACES.
SO I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO WEAR YOUR MASK.
YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU DON'T ALWAYS THINK THAT YOU NEED YOUR SEAT BELT UNTIL YOU GET IN THAT CAR WRECK.
AND THEN YOU REALLY WISH THAT YOU HAD THAT SEATBELT ON.
YOU MAY NOT THINK THAT YOU NEED IT, BUT IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO KEEP NOT ONLY YOU SAFE, BUT YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS SAFE.
UM, I KNOW THAT THESE TIMES ARE CHALLENGED.
UM, HAVING YOUNG KIDS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS HERE IN AUSTIN, IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT, NOT BEING ABLE TO GO TO SCHOOL, NOT FOR THEM TO SEE THEIR FRIENDS, BUT IF WE CONTINUE TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE, IF WE CONTINUE TO PUSH THAT CURVE FLATTER THAN WE WILL BE ABLE TO DO THOSE THINGS THAT WE LOVED MUCH SOONER THAN WE WOULD OTHERWISE.
AND NOW I, UM, AND THE SOBER DEDUCTORS AND MORE, MOST OF US WERE
[00:30:06]
MOST OF US
SO YOU WANT A PERSON AT UNIT CORONA? YOU SORT OF ASKED THAT.
THIS PERSON IS, HE HAS A MASS AND NUMEROUS MEANT ONLY ON THE PERSONAS AS
MULLIN, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD BEFORE WE BEGIN THE Q AND A PORTION? YES.
UM, YEAH, SO I'D LIKE TO START BY SAYING I'M SO HAPPY TO REINFORCE THE MESSAGE OF EVERY ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES ON THIS CALL.
GUL MULLIN FROM DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL.
I'M A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR, AND I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME WORKING IN PUBLIC HEALTH.
WHEN I WAS LITTLE, MY FAMILY USED TO CALL ME THE SURGEON GENERAL BECAUSE I WAS BIG ON TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM GETTING SICK.
I DIDN'T LIKE TO SEE MY PARENTS SMOKE.
I THOUGHT PEOPLE SHOULD WEAR THEIR SEAT BELTS.
AND SO WHAT I WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW IS SAY IN PRACTICING WITH MY PATIENTS, I DIDN'T ONLY WANT TO TAKE CARE OF THEM WHEN THEY WERE SICK.
I WANTED TO DO EVERYTHING THAT I COULD TO KEEP THEM FROM GETTING SICK.
SO THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT CORONAVIRUS IS JUST MY NEXT, NEXT BIG ATTEMPT TO SAY EVERY ONE OF US HAS TOOLS.
THE TOOLS THAT EACH ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES HAS TALKED ABOUT TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND TO PROTECT ONE ANOTHER.
THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING A DOCTOR FOR ME HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT PEOPLE TRUSTED ME, THAT THEY TRUSTED ME WITH THEIR HEALTH AS A PUBLIC HEALTH DOCTOR.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT CONCERNS ME THE MOST RIGHT NOW IS THAT THERE'S SO MUCH SWIRLING IN OUR COUNTRY AND OUR STATE IN OUR CITY AND OUR COMMUNITIES THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHO TO TRUST.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT I LIKE ABOUT BEING A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL IS AT LEAST THE LAST TIME THAT I CHECKED DOCTORS AND NURSES WERE STILL CONSIDERED SOME OF THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY.
MY PLEA, MY SUGGESTION, MY MESSAGE.
HAVING HEARD ALL OF THIS ADVICE ABOUT COVERING YOUR FACE, WASHING YOUR HANDS, KEEPING YOUR DISTANCE, KNOWING THAT YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF IN ONE ANOTHER'S IS GOOD SOUND, MEDICAL ADVICE.
THE ADVICE THAT I'D LIKE TO ADD IS TO YOU CHOOSE YOU, CHOOSE WHICH TRUSTED MEDICAL ADVICE YOU LIKE, WHICH SOUND EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICAL ADVICE THAT, YOU KNOW, ISN'T JUST POLITICAL TALK OR MUMBO JUMBO, AND STICK WITH IT.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO TURN, YOU JUST HEARD FROM A WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHO ARE OFFERING THAT KIND OF ADVICE.
AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS OFFERING THAT ADVICE.
MAYBE YOUR OWN DOCTORS ARE OFFERING THAT ADVICE.
AND IF YOU FOLLOW IT, YOU'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF.
YOU CAN GET MORE REASSURANCE ABOUT HOW PROTECTING YOURSELF MIGHT BE KNOWING WHEN TO GET TESTED, UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT REALLY MEANS.
IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO ASK YOU WHO YOU'VE BEEN AROUND SO THAT YOU CAN HELP PROTECT THEM TOO.
AND BEING REALLY CLEAR ABOUT HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF FROM GETTING ANY SICKER.
TWO THINGS THAT WORRY ME ARE OVERCONFIDENCE AND FEAR.
PEOPLE WHO ARE OVERCONFIDENT, THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET SICK OR PEOPLE WHO ARE AFRAID THAT THEY WILL SOMETIMES GO INTO DENIAL AND THEY DON'T DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO FOR THEMSELVES.
TRY TO AVOID BOTH OF THOSE THINGS, OVERCONFIDENCE AND FEAR.
[00:35:01]
A TRUSTED MESSENGER, THAT CAN HELP YOU.MULLIN, FOR THOSE WORDS, WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO THE QUESTION AND ANSWER PORTION.
SO I WILL INVITE OUR POOR PORTER TO BEGIN THAT SEGMENT.
UM, SO WE TACKLED ICU CAPACITY.
SO I'M GOING TO NIX THAT FROM MY, THIS IS QUESTION FROM KUT.
UM, AND I'M GOING TO ASK, WHAT ABOUT STAFFING, EVEN IF THERE'S ADEQUATE ROOM AT THIS POINT FOR MORE COVID PATIENTS IS THERE TO STAFF TO HANDLE ALL THESE PATIENTS.
I CAN START OFF WITH, IF SOMEBODY ELSE WANTS TO JUMP IN.
UH, THEY'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME.
UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT STAFFING, UH, NOT ONLY, UH, IN PREPARATION FOR THE SURGE PIECE, BUT ALSO, UH, WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THE CASE HAS CONTINUED TO RISE PARTICULARLY QUICKLY, THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE ON THIS SCREEN, CERTAINLY THEIR COLLEAGUES, UH, HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE SICK AND NOT ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF OTHERS.
UH, SO IN TALKING WITH THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS, UH, THEY HAVE, UH, PREPARED FOR THOSE THEY'VE PLANNED IT FOR THOSE.
UH, WE ARE CERTAINLY PLANNING, UH, FOR THOSE, UH, POSSIBILITIES FROM THE CITY AND THE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE, NOT ONLY IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR, BUT ALSO IN, IN, IN PUBLIC SAFETY.
UH, SO THESE ARE THAT, UH, THAT QUESTION OF PERSONNEL AVAILABILITY IS PART OF THE PLANNING AND, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO, UH, TO IDENTIFY NEEDS AND, AND FILL GAPS.
UH, AS WE SEE THEM, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE, UH, CHRIS OR, OR AN IF, IF Y'ALL HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD, I MEAN, I CAN ECHO JUST WHAT SHE SAID.
YOU KNOW, THE STAFFING IS CAPABILITY.
IS THERE NOW, AND THERE ARE SURGE PLANS IN PLACE FOR BOTH NURSING STAFFING, AS WELL AS PHYSICIAN STAFFING, SHOULD WE NEED, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE, AS PHYSICIANS HAVE ABILITY TO COVER PHYSICIANS.
IF THEY GET SICK, WE HAVE A ADVANCED PRACTICE CARE PROVIDERS THAT CAN HELP.
UM, SO I THINK WE'RE AT A GOOD PLACE THERE.
WE'VE BEEN PLANNING FOR THIS FOR MONTHS IN ANTICIPATION OF A SURGE.
AND WE'RE WE HAD, WE ANTICIPATE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE ANY DIFFICULTY IN THAT COVERAGE.
I WANT TO PUT IN A LITTLE PIECE OF CAUTION WITH THAT AS WELL THOUGH, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT AS THE CONDITIONS BECOME MORE CROWDED, WE KNOW THIS FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES, THE MORTALITY RATE DOES GO UP.
AND SO I DON'T WANT THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE REGION TO GET THE FEELING THAT OKAY, THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS HAD THREE MONTHS TO PREPARE.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GET COVID.
UM, THAT, THAT IS NOT THE MESSAGE TODAY.
THE MESSAGE TODAY IS, UM, WE'RE MAKING PLANS FOR THE WORST AND YOU ARE BETTER OFF IF WE DON'T GET THERE.
AND I'LL ADD THAT OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, AS WE'VE SEEN THE NUMBERS RISE, WHEN I'M IN THE HOSPITALS, I'M ALWAYS HOLDING MY COLLEAGUES AND ASKING THEM, HOW WERE THINGS LAST NIGHT? AND I'LL COMMONLY HEAR.
WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE COME IN, BUT THEY OPENED UP NEW UNITS AND THEY CALLED IN MORE STAFF AND WE MANAGED IT.
UH, THE QUESTION IS, AT WHAT POINT DOES THAT BECOME DIFFICULT? AND, UM, ARE WE GOING TO LET OURSELVES GET TO THAT POINT, UH, WHERE, UM, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE STAFFING SUPPLIES AND THINGS THAT WE NEED.
UM, AND THAT'S WHY NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO DO SOMETHING, UH, BECAUSE OF THE DELAYED DEVELOPMENT OF SYMPTOMS, WHAT WE DO NOW, WE'LL TAKE A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO HAVE EFFECT.
SO THE SOONER WE START THE BETTER.
IT APPEARS OUR POOR REPORTER MAY BE HAVING AN ISSUE.
SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND READ THE NEXT QUESTION FROM REPORTS, AUSTIN.
WE HAVE SEEN BIG, BIGGER, OH, YOU'RE HERE.
I WAS, I WAS MUTED AND IT WOULDN'T LET ME UNMUTE MY, I THINK YOU, THE HOST TEST ON MEET ME.
UM, THIS IS FROM ROBERT, THEY AUSTIN.
THEY SAY WE HAVE SEEN BIGGER ENFORCEMENT BY TABC AND BARS.
HOWEVER, THEY SEEM TO BE FOCUSED IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
CAN WE EXPECT MORE PRESENCE FROM THE AUTHORITIES ALL OVER THE CITY TO MAKE SURE BARS, CLUBS AND RESTAURANTS ARE FOLLOWING THE SAFETY GUIDELINES? UH, SO I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE THAT ONE.
UH, LOOK RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN THE STAGE WHERE WE'VE GOT TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN SHORT OF CLOSING THINGS DOWN TO REALLY GET A LID BACK ON THIS,
[00:40:01]
LET THE LIDS OFF.UH, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT INVOLVES TRANSITIONING FROM, FROM REINFORCEMENT TO ENFORCEMENT.
I THINK IT DOES INVOLVE, UH, YOU KNOW, BARS AND, AND OTHER PLACES THAT, THAT POSE A HIGHER RISK FOR DISEASE TRANSMISSION.
OBVIOUSLY IT'S HARD TO BE IN A BAR WITH A MASK ON IT'S HARD TO DRINK AND SOCIALIZE WITH A MASK ON, IN A BAR.
UH, SO THAT IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST CONCERNING THINGS THAT WE HAVE OPEN RIGHT NOW.
UH, CERTAINLY MY ADVICE TO, TO THE PUBLIC IS DON'T GO TO A BAR.
I'D LOVE TO BE IN ONE MYSELF, BUT NOW'S NOT THE TIME.
WE'VE GOTTA BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL.
AND, YOU KNOW, MY RECOMMENDATION, UH, TO, TO THE CITY MANAGER AND TO THE MAYOR HAS ALSO BEEN THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT AT INCREASING ENFORCEMENT OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN, UH, BECAUSE IT'S CLEAR THAT YOU KNOW, THAT SOME FOLKS ARE TAKING LIBERTIES WITH, WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, THE REGULATIONS THAT HAD BEEN PUT IN PLACE THEY'VE, THEY'VE BEEN HURTING.
THEY'RE CONCERNED THAT THEIR BUSINESSES IS, UH, MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE.
UH, SO THEY'RE, THEY MAY BE TAKING SOME LIBERTIES WITH, WITH THE OCCUPANCY LIMIT.
UH, THE ONLY THING THAT RISKS IS US GOING BACK INTO A SHUTDOWN AND NONE OF US WANT THAT.
SO WE ARE PLEADING WITH PEOPLE WITH BAR OWNERS, RESTAURANT OWNERS, BUSINESSES OF ALL KINDS, THINK OF THE PERMISSIBLE OCCUPANCY AS THE ABSOLUTE CEILING OR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CAN BE IN YOUR, AT YOUR SITE.
IF YOU CAN TOLERATE SOMETHING LESS THAN THAT CEILING, PLEASE DO.
SO IF YOUR CEILING IS 50% AND HE CAN STAY IN BUSINESS AT 25%, MAKE THE CUT NOW, UH, BECAUSE AGAIN, AND I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, IF WE DO NOT MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE RIGHT NOW, AND WE ARE GOING TO BE IN A SITUATION WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK TO TWO WEEKS WHERE I'M GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION TO THE MAYOR AND JUDGE THAT WE SHUT DOWN AND I DO NOT WANT TO DO THAT.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN, WE HAVE SEEN AND RECEIVED REPORTS OF LONG LINES AT TESTING LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND COUNTY ARE MORE PEOPLE SEEKING TESTING THAN WE CAN HANDLE RIGHT NOW.
HOW LONG DO MOST PEOPLE WAIT FOR A TEST AND OR TO RECEIVE RESULTS? HOW ARE HEALTH OFFICIALS ADDRESSING THE INCREASED DESIRE FOR TESTING AS CAPACITY INCREASES? SO WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME VARIABILITY AND THE DURATION OF TIME IT TAKES FOR FOLKS TO SCHEDULE A TEST.
AND, YOU KNOW, QUITE FRANKLY, RIGHT NOW, WE ALSO HAVE FOLKS WHO, WHO HAVE THE MEANS TO GET TESTED AT PRIVATE PLACES, UH, THAT ARE UTILIZING COMMUNITY CARE AND AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, FREE DRIVE THROUGH TESTING, UH, TO GET THEIR TESTING DONE.
UH, AND THAT'S, THAT'S CREATING A BIT OF A BACKLOG, UH, ON SOME DAYS.
SO WHAT WE'RE ASKING IS THAT IF FOLKS HAVE RESOURCES, IF THEY'RE INSURED, SEE IF YOU CAN ACCESS TESTING AT OTHER PLACES, UH, THERE'S A NUMBER OF SERVICES, UH, AROUND TOWN.
THERE'S AUSTIN REGIONAL CLINIC THAT DOES A HUGE AMOUNT OF TESTING.
UH, AND, AND WE'LL HAVE THOSE RESOURCES ON OUR WEBSITE FOR FOLKS TO LOOK AT.
SO IF YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO TO A PRIVATE, UH, TESTER, PLEASE DO SO IF YOU CAN'T, THEN DON'T USE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH OR COMMUNITY CARE, BUT WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THAT HAVE NO OTHER ACCESS OTHER THAN THE PUBLIC TESTING, UH, CAN ACCESS THAT.
UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SYMPTOMATIC.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE KNOWN CLOSE EXPOSURE TO A COVID-19 INDIVIDUAL, UH, AND IT'S LESS IMPORTANT AT THIS STAGE FOR THOSE WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC.
UH, SO PLEASE CONTINUE TO GO TO THE WEBSITE.
WE'LL HAVE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES UP THERE, UH, WHERE WE CAN POINT FOLKS TO OTHER, OTHER LOCATIONS FOR TESTING.
SCOTT'S POINT, YOU KNOW, SINCE CENTRAL HEALTH HAS MANY CLINICS, OFTEN I'M SPEAK IN SPANISH, NONE OF MY SPANISH PATIENTS, UNLESS THIS ONE IS GOING TO THOSE OUT OF COMMUNITY CARE, I FIND THE MOST UNIQUE AS A COMMUNITY
SO YOU WANT TO CRITIC AND COMMUNITY CARE OR REGIONAL
I MOVED JUST, I OPENED WHICH SEPARATELY AS PER SAMPLE.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM KVU,
[00:45:01]
UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IS KEEPING US UPDATED ON A GOOD RUNNING TALLY FOR HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS, CURRENT HOSPITALIZATIONS, ICU PATIENTS, AND VENTILATOR PATIENTS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A GRASP.WELL, WE DON'T HAVE A GRASP ON IS THE PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL CAPACITY.
THOSE TALLIES REPRESENT WHAT IS THE TOTAL CAPACITY FOR EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES, AND IS THAT DATA THAT CAN BE MADE PUBLIC FOR OUR TRACKING PURPOSES? UH, SO WE ARE WORKING ON, UH, A GAUGED STYLE, UM, DISPLAY FOR OUR DASHBOARD THAT WILL HAVE EACH OF THOSE CAPACITIES, AS WELL AS WHERE WE ARE.
UH, AGAIN, IT'S, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THE, THE HOSPITAL CAPACITY IS PORTRAYED AS WELL.
AND THE ANSWER IS, IT DEPENDS.
I MEAN, THERE'S THE PHYSICAL SPACE, BUT THERE IS THE EQUIPMENT AND THERE'S THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE TO BE FACTORED IN.
SO THERE HAS TO BE PREDICTIONS ON, OKAY, WELL, WE HAVE A BED.
ARE WE GOING TO HAVE A NURSE ATTACK, A PHYSICIAN TO STAFF THAT BED? AND THOSE ALL ARE CONSIDERATIONS THAT OUR HOSPITALS ARE WORKING HARD TO, TO PROVIDE US A REASONABLE NUMBER FOR, UH, WE THINK WE'RE THERE.
AND I'M, I'M HOPEFUL THAT BY THE END OF THIS WEEK, WE'LL HAVE THE ABILITY TO DISPLAY THAT AND SHARE THAT PUBLICLY, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO THE ESTIMATED SURGE CAPACITY FOR HOSPITAL BEDS, THAT NUMBER IS, IS 1500.
UH, SO THERE'S BEEN SOME CHANGES IN THAT IT WAS 1100 FOR A WHILE.
THE BEST ESTIMATE RIGHT NOW IS 1500 BEDS, WHICH WE CAN REASONABLY EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE FOR, UH, FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS.
THERE OBVIOUSLY MANY MORE BEDS THAN THAT IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SOME ARE PEDIATRIC BEDS, SOME ARE REHAB BEDS, SOME ARE PSYCHIATRIC BEDS.
UH, THERE ARE SOME BEDS WHICH ARE EASILY CONVERTED TO COVID-19 BEDS, AND THERE ARE OTHERS WHICH ARE NOT, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO PASS IT TO, UM, TO ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES, IF THEY WANT TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES IN THE KIND OF BEDS.
WELL, HEY, THIS IS A RUSSELL MAN.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD TO THAT IS THAT RIGHT NOW AS AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN AND ALL THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS AROUND, WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO TREAT ANYBODY THAT WALKS IN THROUGH THE DOOR.
WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT BECAUSE OF THE TRAINING THAT WE HAVE AND BECAUSE OF THE PREPARATIONS THAT WE'VE MADE UP INTO NOW, AND BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO FLATTEN THE CURVE SO WELL, AND I'M NOT SURE THAT IT CAPACITY RIGHT NOW IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT OUR CAPACITY IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE.
AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CAPACITY TO TAKE CARE OF PATIENTS.
THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO PRACTICE OUR SOCIAL DISTANCING, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PRACTICE, YOU KNOW, WEARING OUR MASKS, WASHING OUR HANDS, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT LED US TO THIS POINT, TO BE ABLE TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE.
AND WE CONTINUE TO DO THOSE MEASURES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT CAPACITY.
NEXT QUESTION IS FROM COOPERATIVE LEO, HOW HAS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES AND OTHER STATEWIDE LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITIES TO SUPPORT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, MAINTAIN STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTING COMMUNITIES SPREAD AND SHARE RESOURCES? SO WE, WE TALKED TO OUR COLLEAGUES FROM AROUND THE STATE ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
UH, I'VE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH, WITH COMMISSIONER HELLERSTEDT AND HIS STAFF THIS WEEK ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES.
UH, WE'VE HAD A MEETING WITH METROPOLITAN, UM, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS OVER THE WEEKEND TO TALK ABOUT STRATEGY.
SO THIS IS, THIS IS HAPPENING REGULARLY.
AND AS I SAID EARLIER THIS WEEK, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PROCESS OF CONSTANT REEVALUATION OF STRATEGY.
UH, THERE ARE SOME STRATEGIES THAT HAVE WORKED DURING SOME PHASES OF THIS OUTBREAK AND OTHERS THAT WON'T.
AND SO WE CONSTANTLY HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING, LOOK AT THE STRATEGIES THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE FOR ADDRESSING THE OUTBREAK AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO PIVOT IF IT'S NEEDED.
AND, UH, AND THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING STATEWIDE RIGHT NOW.
UH, I'VE BEEN VERY PLEASED WITH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND, UH, DSHS IN, IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
UH, THEY'VE BEEN VERY ENGAGED AND VERY OPEN AND IN OFFERING, UH, SUPPLIES AND SUPPORT.
AND, UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO COUNT ON THOSE PARTNERSHIPS AS WE, AS WE CONTINUE TO SEARCH.
NEXT QUESTION IS FROM ESTONIA, DR.
S SCOTT TOLD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS YESTERDAY THAT CONTACT TRACING IS NOT AS EFFECTIVE HERE AS IT HAS BEEN IN OTHER, IN OTHER COUNTRIES, WILL AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH CONTINUE ITS CONTACT TRACING EFFORTS? YES.
SO WE ARE CONTINUING CONTACT TRACING THE DISCUSSION YESTERDAY WAS ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES TO CONTACT TRACING.
UH, RIGHT NOW THERE'S A BACKLOG OF, OF TESTING RESULTS.
UH, SO A LAB MAY BE COLLECTED.
[00:50:02]
UH, YOU KNOW, I DID SOME THIS WEEKEND COLLECTED ON THE 15TH OR 17TH OF JUNE BEING PROCESSED AFTER BEING RECEIVED ON THE 21ST OF JUNE.BUT THE PERSON DEVELOPED SYMPTOMS THE WEEK BEFORE THAT.
SO IF IT'S TWO WEEKS, 10 DAYS, EVEN AFTER THE PERSON BEGAN GETTING ILL, BEFORE WE START THE CONTACT TRACING, THEY, THE EXPOSURE TIME IS OVER THE PEOPLE WHO THEY'RE EXPOSED ARE PROBABLY ALREADY SICK.
UH, SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S CHALLENGING.
IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT GOING TO CATCH EVERYBODY.
AND MY CONCERN IS THAT THAT THE PUBLIC MAY BE RELYING ON CONTACT TRACING TO, TO, TO CONTAIN THIS.
WE HAVE UNCONTROLLED UNCONTAINED, WIDESPREAD TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS AND ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
THE MESSAGE THAT PEOPLE NEED TO GET IS WHEN THEY LEAVE THEIR HOME, THERE'S A RISK OF EXPOSURE.
IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY CASES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THEIR ZIP CODE.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF PEOPLE LOOK SICK OR NOT.
IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT, PEOPLE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
THAT'S WHY WE WERE MAKING UNIFORM RECOMMENDATIONS, THAT PEOPLE SOCIAL DISTANCE, IF THEY HAVE TO GO OUT OF THEIR HOUSE, THAT THEY WEAR A MASK AND THEY HAVE A DISCIPLINE IN REGARDS TO THEIR HANDS, RIGHT, WASHING THEIR HANDS FREQUENTLY, AVOIDING TOUCHING THEIR FACE.
UM, YOU KNOW, CONTACT TRACING HAS A PLACE, BUT WHERE WE'VE SEEN IT WORK IN OTHER COUNTRIES IS EX EXHAUSTIVE CONTACT TRACING.
GENERALLY, WHILE THOSE JURISDICTIONS ARE CLOSED RIGHT NOW, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CALL SOMEBODY WHO'S A POSITIVE AND YOU CAN ASK THEM WHERE THEY'VE BEEN OVER THE PAST WEEK, THEY'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE.
THEY'VE BEEN AT GROCERY STORES AND RESTAURANTS AND BARS AND FRIENDS' HOUSES.
THEY'VE HAD CONTACT WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, CONTACT TRACING IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE IS NOT GOING TO BE AS EFFECTIVE.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE NOT TO DEPEND ON THE CONTACT TRACING AT THIS STAGE OF THE OUTBREAK.
WE NEED THEIR SUPPORT, WE NEED THEIR ENGAGEMENT.
WE NEED THEM TO JOIN US ON THIS MISSION.
I JUST WANT TO REINFORCE THE CONTACT TRACING DOES HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE GOING FORWARD AND THIS PERIOD OF EPIDEMIC SPREAD, IT'S NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE MESSAGE THE DOCTOR HAS GOT, JUST GAVE THAT WE NEED TO REDUCE TOTAL CONTACTS AND RISK OF ANY TRANSMISSION, BUT WE NEED TO BE BUILDING THAT CONTACT TRACING INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE'RE WORKING EVERY DAY TO GET BETTER AT IT SO THAT WHEN WE GET PAST THIS PEAK, WHEN PEOPLE DO MAKE THE CHANGES TO SLOW SPREAD, THE CONTACT TRACING WILL HELP SPEED THE DECREASE IN THE RATE OF INFECTIONS SO THAT WE GET CLOSER TO BEING SAFE AND ABLE TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO EVERY DAY.
UH, SO ABSOLUTELY CONTACT TRACING IS IMPORTANT GOING FORWARD.
WE'VE HAD SUCCESS HERE IN AUSTIN DOING IT WHEN WE WERE IN A PERIOD OF LOCKDOWN AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT GOING IN THE FUTURE.
THAT'S FROM KX A N WHAT IS THE CAPACITY OF AUSTIN HOSPITALS TO TAKE ON COVID-19 PATIENTS OVER SEVERAL MONTHS? WHY HAVE THE HOSPITALS NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME TO AGREEMENT ON A SINGLE NUMBER SO THEY CAN HELP LOCAL GOVERNMENT PREPARE FOR A SURGE? THE EMPHASIS HERE IS GETTING A SINGLE NUMBER.
UH, THE NUMBER WE'VE ARRIVED AT IS 1500, UH, AND I'LL ASK YOU, WE'VE GOT SOME, SOME COLLEAGUES ON THE LINE HERE.
UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, WE CAN DIRECT IT, THEM, UH, I KNOW THEIR TIME IS VALUABLE.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE VERY SOON.
SHOULD I GO AHEAD TO THE NEXT QUESTION? OR IS SOMEONE ELSE? YES, PLEASE.
HOW ARE AREA HOSPITALS PREPARING FOR SURGEON HOSPITALIZATIONS? IS THERE ENOUGH BEDS AND WHAT ARE THE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE FOR IF, WHEN SLASH IF THEY REACH CAPACITY? THIS IS
UM, I'VE BEEN, UH, THE LEAD IN OUR GROUP OR HOSPITALIST GROUP AT DELTA MEDICAL CENTERS SINCE MARCH AND DEVELOPING OUR SURGE PLANNING.
UM, I CAN ASSURE EVERYONE THAT WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE, UM, APPROPRIATE MEDICAL CARE, PROTOCOLIZED, MEDICAL CARE WITH THE BEST EVIDENCE POSSIBLE IN THE CURRENT STATE.
UM, I CAN ALSO ATTEST TO THE INCREDIBLE COLLABORATION AMONG OUR HOSPITAL SYSTEMS, UNLIKE THAT, THAT QUITE FRANKLY SURPRISED ME WITH BAYLOR SCOTT AND WHITE, UM, SAINT DAVID'S AND, UM, THE SEAT LEADERSHIP
[00:55:01]
REALLY JOINING TOGETHER, UM, TO, UM, ENSURE THAT WE ARE ABLE AS A COMMUNITY TO ACCOMMODATE WHATEVER ILLNESS WE SEE, UM, AND ALSO WITH THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE AND, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE CARE SITES THAT DO EXIST.UM, THE, THE PLANNING THAT WE'VE DONE IS EXTENSIVE.
IT MIRRORS THAT OF OTHER LARGE CITIES AND PANDEMICS, BUT AS EVERYONE ON THIS CALL HAS MENTIONED, WE DON'T WANT TO GET THERE.
WE DO NOT WANT TO PROVIDE CARE FOR YOU AND AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER.
WE WANT YOU TO STAY HOME, PLAY IN YOUR BEAUTIFUL OUTDOOR WEATHER, UM, BE WITH YOUR FAMILY AND NOT SPEND A MONTH IN OUR HOSPITAL.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM LUCIEN.
UM, AND THEY ASKED THAT FOR SOMEONE TO RESPOND IN SPANISH, IF POSSIBLE, THERE IS INFORMATION THAT FUNDING FOR TESTING SITES MIGHT BE ENDING SOON.
AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTED STATES WILL BE TEXAS.
HOW WILL THIS IMPACT OUR AREA? WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO WEAR FACE MASKS? WHEN IS IT IMPORTANT TO REPORT BUSINESSES THAT ARE NOT REQUIRING THE USE OF FACE MASKS? I'M GOING TO I'LL RESPOND IF DR.
X GOT AN ANSWER FOR IT, BECAUSE I HAVE NOT HEARD THAT JESSICA.
I'M NOT AWARE OF THE DISCUSSION ENDING FUNDING ON, ON TESTING.
UH, WE ARE, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TEST, UH, WE WILL SORT OUT WHERE THEY, WHERE THE FUNDING COMES FROM.
UM, IT'S, IT'S ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL AND, AND, UH, IT IS, UH, IT IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND COMMUNITY CARE AND OTHERS WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE.
UM, WHAT WAS IT? YOU HAD A SECOND PART OF THAT QUESTION, OTHER THAN THE TESTING.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO WEAR FACE MASK? WHEN IS IT IMPORTANT TO REPORT BUSINESSES THAT ARE NOT REQUIRING THE USE OF FACE MASKS? UH, SO FACE MASKS ARE IMPORTANT AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SUSPECTED THAT FACE MAX, WE'RE GOING TO WORK, BUT AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLY ON, WE'RE GONNA LEARN A WHOLE LOT VERY QUICKLY ABOUT, ABOUT SOME OF THESE PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERIMENTS.
AND ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE LESSONS IS FACE MASKS ARE EVEN BETTER THAN WE THOUGHT IN RELATION TO DECREASE IN THE TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE.
UM, IT'S, IT WORKS BEST WHEN THE PERSON WHO HAS COVID IS WEARING IT.
AND THE PERSON WHO DOESN'T HAVE COVID IS WEARING IT, UH, IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL.
AND WE'VE SEEN SOME CASES LIKE IN, UH, IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI, WHERE WE HAD TWO HAIRDRESSERS THAT BOTH HAD CODE AND INTERACTED WITH 140 CLIENTS OVER THE PERIOD OF TIME WHERE THEY WERE INFECTIOUS, BUT IN THEIR, IN THEIR FACILITY, THEY DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE IN THE WAY THEY WERE, THEY REQUIRED MASS OF THE HAIRDRESSERS AND THE CLIENTS, AND THEY HAD ZERO TRANSMISSIONS.
SO, YOU KNOW, JUST AS A, AS A CAKE CASE EXAMPLE OF HOW EFFECTIVE IT CAN BE, UH, UH, REGARDING ENFORCEMENT OF, UH, FACILITIES THAT ARE NOT, UH, REQUIRING MASKS, UH, THOSE CALLS SHOULD GO TO THREE, ONE, ONE, I'LL TELL YOU THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAVE, UH, OVERSIGHT OVER FOOD, PERMITTED BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS IN PARTICULAR, PLACES THAT SERVE FOOD.
AND IF, UH, IF, IF I LEARN OF A, OF A BUSINESS, SUCH AS A RESTAURANT, IT WAS NOT REQUIRING MASKS.
THEN, THEN I WILL TAKE ACTION AGAINST THAT RESTAURANT.
UH, W WE SIMPLY MUST MOVE TO THE STAGE OF ENFORCEMENT RATHER THAN REINFORCEMENT.
WE'VE GOT TO HAVE THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED IN, IN BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION THAT INCLUDES OUR, OUR BUSINESSES
SO THERE MUST REALLY BE IN YOUR
I SAW A DEPARTMENTAL IS SOMETHING THAT LIKE IN AUSTIN, HE TOLD ME IN THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COUNTY THAT THEY CALLED OUT.
SO
[01:00:01]
YOU, DOCTORS AND MAURA, UH, WE UNDERSTAND AT THIS TIME THAT SOME OF YOU MAY NEED TO JUMP OFF THE CALL.WE WILL CONTINUE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
SO AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF OUR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, UH, FOR JOINING US TODAY.
AND WE'LL MOVE ON WITH THE NEXT QUESTION.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM COMMUNITY IMPACT, WE SAW A SPIKE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS, BOTH LOCALLY AND ACROSS THE STATE, FOLLOWING LARGE GATHERINGS OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT A REPETITION OF THIS TREND, BUT THE 4TH OF JULY APPROACHING, ARE THERE PLANS FOR ANY ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS OVER THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND TO LIMIT RESTRICTIONS TO LIMIT RISK? OH, WELL, I WAS PLEASED WITH THE ACTION YESTERDAY TO, UH, TO DROP THE, THE, UH, THE RECOMMENDATION TO A HUNDRED, AS FAR AS WHEN LOCAL, UH, AUTHORITIES CAN, UH, TAKE ACTION OR FURTHER RESTRICT THAT LARGE GATHERINGS.
UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I, I THINK WE'RE AT THE PHASE WHERE WE SHOULDN'T BE GATHERING IN MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE, UH, FOR THOSE AT HIGH RISK, IT REALLY SHOULD NOT BE ANYBODY OUTSIDE THEIR HOUSEHOLD HOUSEHOLD.
UH, WE HAVE TO TAKE THOSE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS.
I KNOW IT'S, IT'S INDEPENDENCE DAY.
WE WANT TO CELEBRATE OUR COUNTRY.
WE WANT TO CELEBRATE WITH OUR FAMILY, BUT WE ARE PUTTING PEOPLE IN DANGER.
AND WHEN WE DO THAT, AND IT MAY NOT BE THE YOUNG PEOPLE GETTING AT WHO, WHO BEAR THE BRUNT OF IT, IT MAY BE THEIR PARENTS OR THEIR AUNTS OR UNCLES OR FRIENDS.
UH, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EACH OTHER.
AND, AND WE JUST CAN'T TAKE THE CHANCE AT THIS STAGE OF HAVING SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES AS A RESULT OF INDEPENDENCE DAY OF THE 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS.
UH, WE NEED PEOPLE TO BE SENSIBLE.
WE NEED THEM TO, IF THEY WANT TO WATCH A FIRE SHOW, FIREWORK SHOW, DO IT FROM A CAR WITH ONLY YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS IN A WATCH THEM ON TV, FIND OTHER WAYS TO CELEBRATE OUR HISTORY.
UM, WE ARE AT A CRITICAL POINT RIGHT NOW AND, AND WE SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE MISTAKES.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM TELEMUNDO AND THEY ASKED, UH, FOR SOMEONE TO RESPOND IN SPANISH, IF POSSIBLE, HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS THE CITY AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S EFFORTS BEEN WHEN TRYING TO REACH THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY WITH, WITH INFORMATION AND RESOURCES? HAS THERE BEEN A GREAT RESPONSE FROM THIS DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP WHEN IT PERTAINS TO MORE TESTING? HAVE THERE BEEN ANY IMPROVEMENTS WHEN IT COMES TO HOSPITALIZATION NUMBERS AND OR RECOVERY RATE, JESSICA, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THAT AND I'LL TRANSLATE? YES.
UH, YOU KNOW, I HAD THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, BE A PART OF A, AN EVENT THIS WEEKEND TO TEST A GROUP OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, UH, WITH SOME COALITION MEMBERS, UH, FROM THE LATINO COMMUNITY.
I, I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT DISPLAY OF, OF A COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER AND DEMONSTRATING STRENGTH IN, IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY.
UH, I THINK WE'RE SEEING POWERFUL, UM, AND PASSIONATE PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER TO, TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR COMMUNITY AND TO DO DIRECT OUTREACH TO THEIR COMMUNITY.
UH, YOU KNOW, I, I, WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO.
I THINK THAT'S CLEAR, WE'RE STILL SAYING, UH, OUR, OUR HISPANIC COMMUNITY BEING OVERREPRESENTED IN TERMS OF CHASES AND HOSPITALIZATIONS.
UH, SO I THINK IT'S UP TO ALL OF US TO, TO SHARE THE MESSAGE, TO ENSURE THAT, THAT OUR LATINO COMMUNITY, UH, HAS THE, THE ABILITY TO WEAR A MASK.
THEY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF WEARING MASKS AND THAT, UH, THAT THEY ARE PRACTICING THE, THE IMPORTANT SOCIAL DISTANCING BEHAVIORS.
I WILL SAY THAT THAT ONE OF THE PARTICULAR CONCERNS REGARDING OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND OUR, IN OUR COMMUNITIES, UH, OF IMPOVERISHED INDIVIDUALS, IS THAT AS, AS WE SEE THOSE GROUPS, WE, WHEN WE LOOK AT, AT, AT THEIR HOUSEHOLDS, BECAUSE, BECAUSE OF MULTIGENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS, BECAUSE OF THAT CHALLENGE WITH, WITH REGULAR FINANCES, WE HAVE A LARGER NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN SMALLER PLACES.
AND SO WE ARE SEEING TRANSMISSION, HOUSEHOLD TRANSMISSION, MORE COMMON IN THOSE GROUPS.
AND SO WE ARE WORKING HARD TO TRY TO BREAK THAT CYCLE OF, OF HOUSEHOLD TRANSMISSION BY REMINDING FOLKS THAT WE HAVE A HOTEL, UH, WHICH WE CALL AN ISOLATION FACILITY FOR FOLKS TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS TO DECREASE THAT RISK OF TRANSMISSION.
AND THIS WEEK, WE WILL ALSO BE PROVIDING, UH, SOME PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, PARTICULARLY MASKS, UH, TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE GOING THROUGH AND GETTING TESTED FOR COVID-19, UH, SO THAT THEY CAN BE SAFER EVEN WHEN THEY'RE AT HOME TO TRY TO PREVENT THAT TRANSMISSION TO OTHER OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS.
WELL,
[01:05:01]
I MUST SAY, INCIDENTALLY, THE COVEN AND THIS GROUP WAS, AND LOCALLYAND I LOOKED UP THE ESCAMBIA
AND NOW WE ARE HEARING MORE ABOUT A DELAYED AND SERIOUS SYNDROME THAT OCCURS IN SOME CASES, THE SUMMER ACTIVITIES PICK UP AND A NEW SCHOOL YEAR LOOMS. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE RISK TO CHILDREN AND WHAT SHOULD PARENTS BE LOOKING FOR IN THE WAY OF SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS? I CAN COMMENT BRIEFLY ON THAT.
SO WE, WE ARE, WE HAVE SEEN CASES OF WHAT THEY CALL MIS.
SO THE MULTI-SYSTEM INFLAMMATORY SYNDROME OF CORONA VIRUS, UM, AT DELL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL.
UM, INTERESTINGLY, MOST OF THE CASES WE'VE SEEN HAVE BEEN IN TEENAGERS, UM, AND FORTUNATELY AGAIN, UM, RELATED TO OUR DELAY, UM, AND SEEING CASES DUE TO OUR COMMUNITIES, UM, ISOLATION EFFORTS EARLY ON, WE, UM, HAD THE GRACE OF LEARNING FROM OTHER SYSTEMS, NEW YORK AND SEATTLE, HOW TO MANAGE THESE DISEASES THAT ARE COMPLETELY NOVEL, AND WE'VE HAD GOOD OUTCOMES IN THOSE PATIENTS, BUT THAT DOESN'T TAKE AWAY THE, UM, THE POTENTIAL FOR THAT IMPACTING MORE CHILDREN.
UM, I'M TOLD THIS WILL BE THE LAST QUESTION, UM, FROM THE AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, HOW IS MORALE AMONG YOUR COLLEAGUES AND INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW WITH THE COVID-19 TRENDS OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, AT THIS TIME, HOW ARE YOU ALL COPING WITH THE STRESS APPROACHING SELF CARE, ET CETERA, I'LL START OFF WITH THAT ONE.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
UM, I'M IN TOUCH WITH A LOT OF PHYSICIANS IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I WILL SAY THAT, UH, RIGHT NOW THE, THE MORALE IS HIGH.
UM, EVERYBODY IS WANTING TO CARE FOR PATIENTS AND HELP PEOPLE GET BETTER, UM, AND IS VERY CONFIDENT IN, IN DOING SO.
UH, WE HAVE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND WE, UM, ARE NOT HESITANT TO CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH COVID AND ALL OF OUR OTHER PATIENTS, UM, I'VE CARED FOR PATIENTS WITH COVID MYSELF.
MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE, UM, WE, UH, IN SURGERY, WE HAVE, UH, ALL THE APPROPRIATE EQUIPMENT WE HAVE PROTOCOLS TO FOLLOW.
UM, AND, UH, AND WE JUST CARRY ON PROVIDING THE BEST CARE POSSIBLE.
UM, I WILL SAY THERE'S ANXIETY, THERE'S CONCERN, UM, IN OUR OFFICES, UH, WE ARE SEEING STAFF, UM, BECOMING ILL, HAVING TO STAY HOME FOR A WHILE.
SO IT PUTS A, IT PUTS STRESS ON THE REST OF THE STAFF, BECAUSE FOR A WHILE, THE OFFICE CAN BE SHORTHANDED UNTIL PEOPLE ARE RECOVERED AND CAN COME BACK TO WORK.
UM, SO, SO THERE IS SOME ANXIETY, BUT, UH, BUT THAT'S NOT, UH, OVERWHELMING, AND IT'S NOT PREVENTING US FROM DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
I THINK THE FACT THAT THAT QUESTION GOT ASKED IN THIS FORUM IS, UH, IS, IS VERY HEARTWARMING.
AND, UM, AND I THINK WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE MORALE IS STAYING GOOD AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS.
UH, SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, UH, I'VE HAD FRIENDS FROM PEOPLE THAT I KNEW IN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE THAT I HADN'T HEARD FROM IN 20 OR 30 YEARS, WHO REACHED OUT TO ME JUST TO MAKE SURE I WAS OKAY KNOWING WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING.
UH, AND SO THOSE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO ME IN MY LIFE, BUT ALSO IN THIS COMMUNITY.
UH, AND EVEN WATCHING THE COMMENTS UNDER THE LIVE STREAM HERE TODAY OF PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST GOING OUT OF THEIR WAY TO, UH, TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE POSITION THAT HEALTHCARE WORKERS ARE IN.
AND, UH, AND TO THANK US FOR OUR SERVICE, UM, I THINK IT'S HELPING TO KEEP US ALL
[01:10:01]
ENERGIZED.AND, UM, AND IT IS TRUE THAT THERE IS ANXIETY IN THE RANKS.
UH, MOST OF MY ANXIETY THAT I FEEL IS FOR EVERYBODY WHO'S OUT THERE BECAUSE, UM, UH, I'M EDUCATED ENOUGH TO KNOW JUST HOW BAD THIS THING CAN GET AND WHAT AN IMPACT THAT WILL HAVE.
I'VE, I'VE SEEN THIS DISEASE AND HOW DEVASTATING IT CAN BE FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.
AND, UM, AND NOT JUST PEOPLE WHO WOULD TRADITIONALLY THINK ARE AT RISK, BUT YEAH, YESTERDAY, UH, WE ADMITTED A COUPLE OF PEOPLE IN THEIR TWENTIES AND THIRTIES WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO BREATHE.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S VERY REAL AND IT'S VERY HEARTBREAKING TO WATCH THAT.
AND, AND SO I WORRY ABOUT MYSELF AND MY STAFF, BUT I KNOW HOW TO KEEP US SAFE.
I WORRY MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE OF THIS COMMUNITY AND, UH, THE RELUCTANCE THAT WE'VE SEEN AMONG SOME SUBSET OF THE POPULATION TO REALLY DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE.
AND I JUST WANT TO ADD ONTO THAT AS YOU KNOW, AS EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS AND EMERGENCY PROFESSIONALS AND HOSPITAL PROFESSIONALS, WE TRAINED FOR THIS.
I MEAN, WE PREPARE FOR THIS FOR A LOT OF TIMES, YOU KNOW, OUR ENTIRE CAREER.
SO WE KIND OF KNOW WHAT WE'RE GETTING INTO.
UM, AND PEOPLE ASK ME ALL THE TIME, HOW AM I DOING? OR HOW ARE YOU DOING? AND MY ANSWER IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M DOING FINE, BUT I WORRY ABOUT LIKE DR.
SAVELLE SAID, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE, THE COMMUNITY, THE FRONTLINE WORKERS AT THE GROCERY STORE, THE AUTO REPAIR PEOPLE, WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME PLANET DURING THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS CRISIS.
AND IT'S TIMES LIKE THIS, WHERE HUMANITY REALLY NEEDS TO GO OUT AND REACH OUT AND CHECK ON YOUR NEIGHBOR, CHECK ON YOUR FRIEND LIKE DR.
THE SAID WHEN HE WAS HEART WARMED, WHEN SOMEBODY CHECKED ON HIM.
SO REACH OUT TO A LOVED ONE AND JUST CHECK AND SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING, BECAUSE THIS IS A CHALLENGING TIME FOR US ALL.
AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO REACH OUT AND, AND, UM, FEEL THAT HUMANITY, THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PLANET AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER.
AND FRANCIS, I WONDER IF YOU WOULD CARE TO COMMENT.
SO AS A PHYSICIAN, WHEN I'M MAKING ROUNDS, I COME IN, I PUT ON MY MAT, MY 95 MASK, MY HAT, MY GOWN, I'M IN THERE FOR A FEW MINUTES WITH THE PATIENT, AND THEN I GET TO TAKE IT OFF AND LEAVE.
THE NURSES ARE THERE ALL DAY ALL SHIFT WITH THAT, WITH THOSE GARMENTS AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT ON ALL DAY LONG, IT'S REALLY HOT.
IT'S REALLY CONFINING AND IT'S TOUGH.
AND I'D LIKE A WONDER FRANCIS WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT.
I THINK THE TEAM HAS DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB OF PULLING TOGETHER AND CARING FOR THESE PATIENTS THAT, THAT PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT CAN GET HOT AND, UH, UH, UH, NEGATIVE AIRFLOW ROOM.
SOME PLANTS ARE, UM, ARE HOT IN RELATIONS TO, UH, THE IMPACT THAT HAS ON, ON THE AIR CONDITIONING.
UM, SO, UH, BUT THAT DOES IMPACT.
I THINK THERE'S, UM, A COMMITTED, EMOTIONAL PART TO IT AS WELL FOR THE STAFF, BECAUSE THE FAMILY CAN'T BE PRESENT IN THE COVID ROOMS, OFTEN TIMES THEY'RE SICK THEMSELVES.
AND SO THEY ARE AN EXTENSION OF THE PATIENT, PERSONAL CONNECTION AND FAMILY.
AND SO IT EMOTIONALLY IMPACTS THEM.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY AFTER, UH, SEVERAL, UH, MONTH OF, UH, CARE TO CELEBRATE WITH FAMILY, TO, UM, UH, TO SEE PEOPLE RECOVER FROM THE VIRUS, BUT IT, IT IS A LONG AND HARD ROAD FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN VENTILATED, UH, TO GET BACK TO, UM, THEIR, THEIR STATE OF HEALTH.
AND SOME FOLKS HAVE BEEN IN THEIR TWENTIES AND THIRTIES AND SAY, I DON'T WANT THERE TO BE A MISCONCEPTION THAT IT ONLY IMPACTS, UM, PEOPLE IN NURSING HOMES.
UH, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPACT ALL OF US.
AND SO THE BEST WE CAN DO TO MINIMIZE OUR RISK AND TRY NOT TO TOUCH OUR EYES, OUR NOSE, OUR MOUTH, UM, WASH OUR HANDS WHERE I'M AT, UM, TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF THOSE GOOD.
I THINK WE ALSO A LOT OF COMFORT IN EACH OTHER, UM, AND JUST, UM, DEBRIEFING WITH EACH OTHER ABOUT THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF THAT.
UM, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WONDERFUL SUPPORT AND AN OUTPOURING FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, THE LACK OF DIFFERENT MECHANISMS, AND THAT HAS GAINED US AS WELL.
UM, W WE FEEL THE LOVE AND THE SUPPORT OF ONE ANOTHER.
AND, UH, AND I THINK THAT HAS GIVEN US A LOT OF THINGS WELL ON BEHALF OF, UH, AUSTINITES, WE APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK AND FOR JOINING US TODAY, UM, ON THE I'LL PASS IT OFF TO DR.
S SCOTT FOR ANY FINAL THOUGHTS.
I JUST WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR, FOR TAKING THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVE.
[01:15:01]
UH, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC'S HEARD FROM ME FOR, FOR TOO MANY WEEKS.AND, UH, AND THESE ARE THE FOLKS WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINES.
SO I HAVE THE LUXURY OF MOST OF THE TIME BEING IN AN OFFICE AND, AND LOOKING AT SPREADSHEETS AND TALKING TO YOU ALL.
UH, BUT THEY'RE DOING THE HARD WORK THEY'RE PUTTING THEMSELVES AT RISK.
AND, UH, AND THEY'RE SAYING THE, THE FACES OF, OF COVID-19.
UH, SO I JUST WANNA THANK THEM FOR, FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND, UH, AND ON BEHALF OF THE CITY AND COUNTY, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE IN, IN, UH, IN THIS COMMUNITY.
I DO NOT TRUST GOD, THAT CONCLUDES TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE.