[COVID-19: Press Q & A ]
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I'M KALILLE BN AND I WILL BE THE MODERATOR FOR TODAY'S MEDIA AVAILABILITY, SPANISH INTERPRETATION OF THIS ON ATX N THREE TO START AWESOME.
STEPHANIE HAYDEN WILL FIRST SAY A FEW WORDS FOLLOWED BY DR.
MARTIN SCOTT, INTERIM AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY THAN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, CHIEF EPIDEMIOLOGIST, JANET BECHET.
AND THEN WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE POOL REPORTER WHO ASKED QUESTIONS FROM THE MEDIA.
I WANT TO START TODAY BY TALKING ABOUT FAMILY GATHERINGS.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT FAMILY GATHERINGS, I AM THINKING ABOUT WHEN WE TRAVEL OVER TO OTHER EXTENDED FAMILY MEMBERS OUTSIDE OF OUR HOME TO HAVE GATHERING.
SO WHETHER IT'S A BIRTHDAY OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF CELEBRATION, WE ARE, WE HAVE MADE A DECISION AS A COMMUNITY TO DO THOSE IN PERSON.
WELL, THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE WITH THEM IS WHEN YOU HAVE EVENTS WHERE YOU ARE WITH FAMILY OR OTHERS, BETTER IN YOUR PERSONAL CLOSE CIRCLE, YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO LET DOWN YOUR GUARD.
THINGS ARE HAPPENING, SUCH AS INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT WEARING THEIR MASK.
THEY ARE NOT SOCIALLY DISTANCING BECAUSE WHAT YOU FEEL LIKE IS, IS THIS IS MY FAMILY AND I AM VERY CLOSE TO THEM.
THIS IS YOUR FAMILY AND FAMILY IS SO IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US, BUT IT IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO CONTINUE AS IF YOU ARE GOING IN PUBLIC WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW, IT IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALLY DO THINGS DIFFERENT.
WE REALLY NEED TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WAYS OF HOW WE CAN SOCIALLY DISTANCE, WHERE I'M ASKED AND PRACTICE GOOD HEALTH HYGIENE.
WE ARE SEEING MORE CASES THAT ARE CONNECTED TO INDIVIDUALS, HAVING PARTIES, ET CETERA, WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS, PLEASE MAKE GOOD DECISIONS.
SO YOU DON'T CAUSE AN INCREASE IN COVID-19 CASES.
LASTLY, I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE ABOUT OUR TESTING LOCATIONS.
PLEASE GO TO THE WEBSITE, SCHEDULE A TEST.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO SCHEDULE THE TEST, PLEASE CALL THREE ONE, ONE OR NURSING HOTLINE AND GET THEM TO SCHEDULE A TEST.
WE HAVE SATURDAY TESTING AT WONG CREEK ALPHA RUNDBERG AND AT GIVENS PARK PARK ON SATURDAY AND, AND DOVE SPRINGS AT THE LIBRARY.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'VE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THESE LOCATIONS.
HEY, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE, UH, WHAT DIRECTOR HAYDEN JUST SPOKE ABOUT, ABOUT THE, THE SOCIAL GATHERINGS.
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT DISEASES SPREAD THROUGH PERSON TO PERSON CONTACT AND THAT SPREAD IS MORE EASILY HAPPENING WHEN PEOPLE ARE FACE TO FACE, WHICH TENDS TO HAPPEN MORE OFTEN.
ONE AROUND PEOPLE THAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH.
WE'RE NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING, WE'RE NOT WEARING THE MASKS.
UH, AND AGAIN, I THINK IT, IT GOES BACK TO A FEELING OF COMFORT THAT SOMEONE DOESN'T LOOK SICK.
UH, SO THEY CAN'T POSSIBLY HAVE COVID-19.
WE KNOW THAT ALMOST HALF OF THE COVID-19 CASES ARE ASYMPTOMATIC OR MILDLY SYMPTOMATIC OR, UH, IN A STAGE WHERE THEY'RE NOT YET SYMPTOMATIC SOMETHING CALLED PRESYMPTOMATIC WHERE THE DISEASE CAN STILL SPREAD, BUT THE PERSON DOESN'T LOOK SICK AS DIRECTOR SAY, HAYDEN SAID, WE HAVE TO PRACTICE THOSE SOCIAL DISTANCING THAT MASKING IN ALL THOSE ENVIRONMENTS.
NOT ONLY WHEN WE'RE AT THE STORES OUT, SHOPPING FOR GROCERIES OR FOR CLOTHES FOR BACK TO SCHOOL, BUT WHEN WE'RE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS, UM, WITH, WE'VE GOT TO PUSH PAST THIS PLATEAU THAT WE'RE SAYING WE HAD A GREAT RUN OF THE OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS OF RAPID DECLINE IN CASES, THANKS TO THOSE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS THAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN TAKING, BUT WE'VE HIT A WALL AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF A BOUNCE IN TERMS OF NEW ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITALS, AS WELL AS NEW CASES.
AND WE'VE GOT TO PUSH THROUGH THAT, WHICH MEANS WE HAVE TO TAKE EVEN MORE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS.
WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO OUR MINDSET THAT WE HAD IN MARCH AND APRIL
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WHEN WE WERE ALL STAYING HOME.WHEN WE WERE REALLY LIMITING OUR TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE HOME, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE IN A BETTER PLACE TO GET OUR KIDS BACK IN SCHOOL AND HOPEFULLY GET BUSINESSES, UH, OPEN MORE IN THE FUTURE.
UH, AND I I'M CONCERNED THAT IF WE DON'T DO BETTER, WE'RE GOING TO BE BACK IN STAGE FOUR TERRITORY IN TERMS OF THE HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS.
IN THE SHORT TERM, I DO ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT, UH, AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN MENTIONED, WE HAVE LOTS OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR TESTING, AND WE'VE BEEN SEEING A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN SIGNING UP FOR TESTING.
AS A RESULT, WE ARE GOING TO LOWER THE THRESHOLD FOR TESTING, WHICH WILL ALLOW SOME ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING TO OCCUR AGAIN.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ENCOURAGING FOLKS TO, TO GO TO OUR AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV FORWARD SLASH COVID-19 WEBSITE TO TAKE A SELF ASSESSMENT.
EVEN IF YOU'VE BEEN THERE BEFORE, YOU CAN TAKE IT AGAIN, UH, AND MAKE A DETERMINATION IF, IF YOU'RE ELIGIBLE FOR A TEST, UH, WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT OVER TO JANET PICHET, UH, UM, MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN ABOUT, UH, SOCIAL GATHERINGS AND POTENTIALLY EXPOSING YOURSELF TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE OUTSIDE YOUR HOME, INCLUDING YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS.
UH, WE AT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING NUMEROUS, NUMEROUS, UH, CASES WHERE, UH, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN, UH, AFFECTED BECAUSE OF SOCIAL GATHERINGS OR FAMILY GATHERINGS IN THEIR HOME.
AND SO NOW'S THE TIME, EVEN THOUGH THE CASES MAY BE DECLINING FOR US TO REMAIN VIGILANT, JUST LIKE WE SAID LAST WEEK, UH, WE'RE IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO, TO BE VIGILANT IN OUR PREVENTATIVE MEASURES.
UH, AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, THOSE MEASURES THAT WILL PROTECT YOU.
AND EVEN IF IT IS EXPOSURE TO YOUR OWN FAMILY MEMBERS.
SO, UH, THOSE THINGS ARE VERY IMPORTANT AND ALSO WANT TO ADD THAT TODAY MARKS SIX MONTHS SINCE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH ACTUALLY ACTIVATED THEIR DEPARTMENT OPERATION CENTER, UH, TO RESPOND TO COVID-19.
UH, WE EARLY ON HAD STAFF WORKING IN JANUARY, FOLLOWING UP ON NUMEROUS PASSENGERS WHO WERE RETURNING FROM MAINLAND CHINA AND OTHER AREAS THAT WERE CONSIDERED HOTSPOTS IN THE WORLD.
UH, AND WE WERE MONITORING THOSE INDIVIDUALS TWICE A DAY.
UH, SO YOU DO HAVE A PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE.
WHO'S BEEN HARD AT WORK AND OFTEN UNSEEN BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS FAR AS, UH, THE RESPONSE TO COVID-19.
AND I JUST WANT TO, UH, GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY STAFF AND THE STAFF OF PUBLIC HEALTH WHO HAVE WORKED VERY, VERY HARD ON THIS RESPONSE.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO, UH, AND, AND TO GET OVER THIS HUMP, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN REMAIN VIGILANT IN OUR PREVENTATIVE MEASURES.
THANK YOU NOW TO OUR POLL REPORTER, CHRIS NEELY FROM COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWS WITH THE QUESTIONS.
UM, THE FIRST QUESTION IS FROM COMMUNITY IMPACT IS FOR DR.
SCOTT, YOU SAID THAT YOU WANT THE COMMUNITY TO BE AT A STAGE TWO OR LOWER BY THE TIME SCHOOL RETURNS, UH, DOES GETTING TO STAGE TWO, ALLOW THE COMMUNITY TO AVOID THE EXPECTED SPIKE IN TRANSMISSION.
I THINK WE NEED TO GET AS LOW AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
BEFORE WE INTRODUCE STUDENTS BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM, UH, YOU KNOW, W WE HAVE A STAGE THREE OR STAGE FOUR, UH, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE DIFFICULT TO NOT ONLY OPEN SCHOOLS, BUT TO KEEP SCHOOLS OPEN.
WE'VE SEEN IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ACROSS THE GLOBE, THAT WHEN WE REOPENED TOO QUICKLY, WHILE THE DISEASE IS STILL SPREADING EFFICIENTLY IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, THAT, THAT OPENING IS SHORT LIVED AND, UH, CLOSURES COME SOON AFTER.
AND AS SOON AS A WEEK AFTER, UH, SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN REOPENED, THEY'RE CLOSED DOWN AGAIN.
AND WE DON'T WANT A REOPENING PLAN.
THAT'S GOING TO RESULT IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT.
UH, WE VALUE IN PERSON EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS.
UH, WE RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE FOR THE EDUCATION, UH, THE SOCIALIZATION OF, OF STUDENTS, AS WELL AS THE NUMBER OF INCREDIBLE SUPPORT SERVICES PROVIDED BY OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
UM, AND WE ALSO VALUE THAT THE CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS, UH, WE DON'T WANT TO BE IN A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE TURNING SCHOOLS ON AND TURNING THEM OFF IN A REPETITIVE CYCLE FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR.
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UH, SO OUR GOAL WAS TO FIND A PLAN, UH, WORKING WITH OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO ENSURE THAT WHEN WE REOPEN, WE DO IT SLOWLY AND PROGRESSIVELY AS THE SITUATION ALLOWS.CERTAINLY IF WE ARE IN A STAGE TWO BY SEPTEMBER 8TH, IT WILL PUT US IN A MUCH BETTER SITUATION TO REOPEN SCHOOLS AND KEEP THEM OPEN.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM KX A N A UT ANNOUNCED IT'S PURCHASED THREE NEW MACHINES THAT WILL ALLOW IT TO TEST 5,000 PEOPLE PER DAY AND GET RESULTS BACK IN 15 MINUTES AS AUSTIN CONSIDERED A SIMILAR MOVE TO HELP SPEED UP TEST RESULTS.
AND HOW MUCH OF A GAME CHANGER WOULD THIS BE? UH, SO AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS A, UH, AN ID NOW ANALYZER, UH, YOU CAN'T DO 5,000 TESTS A WEEK ON THAT MACHINE.
IT TAKES ABOUT 15 MINUTES PER TEST PER PERSON.
UH, SO IT'S VERY, VERY LIMITED IN THE NUMBER OF TESTS THAT COULD BE DONE, UH, EVEN IF YOU RUN IT AROUND THE CLOCK.
UH, SO MY UNDERSTANDING OF UTS PLAN IS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO USE, UH, THE RAPID ANALYZERS FOR SOME TESTS, UH, BUT STILL HEAVILY RELY ON OTHER, UH, TESTS FOR THE BULK OF, OF THE 5,000 THEY INTEND TO DO PER WEEK.
UH, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE MORE RAPID TESTING.
IN ADDITION TO THE PCR TESTING, THERE ARE RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS, WHICH CAN ALSO PROVIDE THOSE RAPID RESULTS.
UH, BUT WE NEED A, A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN THE AVAILABILITY OF RAPID TESTS AND THE COST OF RAPID TESTS IN ORDER TO REALLY OPEN THINGS SUBSTANTIALLY AND DECREASE THE RISK.
IT REALLY ALLOWS TO, UH, TO, TO BOX IN THE DISEASE AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM THE STATESMAN.
UM, CAN YOU DISCUSS WHAT TRENDS HAVE EMERGED IN THE PAST WEEK AND ANY INDICATORS THAT CONCERN YOU BASED UPON OTHER COUNTRIES AND STATES THAT HAVE BEEN THROUGH PERIODIC SURGEONS? WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO, I'LL START WITH THAT.
AND, UH, UH, JANET MAY WANT TO COMMENT ON AS WELL.
UH, THE, THE FUTURE IS A BIT HARD TO PREDICT.
UM, WE'VE CERTAINLY SEEN MANY, MANY CIRCUMSTANCES ACROSS THE, ACROSS THE GLOBE WHERE, UH, JURISDICTIONS HAVE SEEN A RAPID DECLINE IN CASES, UH, FOLLOWED BY A BOUNCE.
AND I'M CONCERNED THAT THE PLATEAU THAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW IS INDICATIVE THAT WE MAY HAVE A BALANCE IN THE, IN THE SHORT TERM.
I THINK THE FUTURE IS, IS, IS ABLE TO BE CHANGED BY THE ACTIONS WE TAKE AS A COMMUNITY BY, UH, CONTINUING THOSE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS THAT DIRECTOR HAYDEN SPOKE ABOUT EARLIER, BUT ALSO ENSURING THAT WE DON'T TAKE ADDITIONAL RISKS, WHICH ARE UNNECESSARY, WHICH WILL PLACE THE COMMUNITY AT RISK.
AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE HEAVY DECISIONS THAT ARE WEIGHING ON US IN TERMS OF ATHLETIC PROGRAMS, EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GATHERINGS, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DECIDE ON OUR PRIORITIES AS A COMMUNITY.
IF OUR PRIORITIES REALLY ARE TO GET KIDS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM AND TO ALLOW BUSINESSES TO STAY OPEN, WE'VE GOT TO MINIMIZE THE RISKS THAT WE CAN IN ORDER TO BE AN A AND A SAFE PLACE.
I THINK WHEN WE'VE SEEN A RESURGENCE OF DISEASE IN COUNTRIES AND OTHER JURISDICTIONS, IT'S BEEN BECAUSE THEY'VE TAKEN TOO MUCH RISK TOO EARLY, AND WE WANT TO LEARN THAT LESSON FROM THEM, NOT BY LEARNING IT OURSELVES.
AND, UH, AND TAKE THE ADVICE THAT THEY'VE GIVEN, WHICH IS DON'T BE, DON'T BE TOO HASTY IN YOUR DECISIONS TO, TO REOPEN AND TAKE RISKS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADD, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST FROM OUR OBSERVATIONS HERE AT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, WE DO SEE, UH, IT'S EXACTLY WHAT DR.
PEOPLE ARE LETTING THEIR GUARD DOWN.
UM, AS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REENTERING THE WORKFORCE, WE ARE STARTING TO SEE CLUSTERS WITHIN WORKFORCE SETTINGS AND WORK SITE SETTINGS, UM, UH, ACROSS THE CITY, UM, AND OTHER UNIT CLUSTERS RELATED TO, UH, VISITING, UM, RESTAURANTS OR BARS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, I DO WANT TO, UM, POINT OUT AND I MENTIONED THIS A FEW WEEKS AGO.
WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN 2009, FOLLOWING H ONE N ONE INFLUENZA AT, WHICH WAS A NOVEL STRAIN OF THE VIRUS OF INFLUENCE OF VIRUS BACK THEN, UH, WE HAD CASES OUR FIRST WAVE OCCURRED IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER MONTHS, AND IT DID DIE DOWN ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR.
AND THEN WHEN SCHOOL RE STARTED, WE SAW AN INCREASED, UH,
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SPIKE IN CASES AND A SECOND WAY THAT EXCEEDED THE WAY THAT WE HAD AT THE FIRST WAVE.SO IT CAUSED SURGES TO SOME OF THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND WE WERE WANTING PEOPLE TO, YOU KNOW, KEEP THAT IN MIND AS THEY CONTINUE TO BE VIGILANT IN, UH, THEIR PREVENTION ACTIVITIES.
UM, AND AGAIN, IF WE CAN PUT OURSELF IN THIS SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE THE LOWEST POSSIBLE CASES, AND WE'RE DEFINITELY ON A, ON A DOWNWARD, UH, UH, PATH TO THE NUMBER OF CASES, IT PUTS US IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION AS WE REENTER SCHOOLS.
SO, UM, BUT I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO FORGET ABOUT 2009, BECAUSE I THINK IT IS A GOOD PREDICTOR OF, YOU KNOW, HOW BEHAVIOR INFLUENCES, UH, THE SPREAD OF DISEASE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, AS A COMMUNITY, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED PRIORITIES AND RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, HEALTH AND SAFETY IS NUMBER ONE.
BUT THEN WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, UM, THE ANTICIPATION, UM, YOU KNOW, ABOUT CHILDREN, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THEY ARE, UM, K THROUGH 12TH GRADE OR COLLEGE STUDENTS EDUCATION TO BE OUR TOP PRIORITY.
AND IF WE SET THAT AS OUR TOP PRIORITY, EVERYTHING ELSE FALLS BEHIND THAT.
AND SO OUR GOAL IS, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT AS A COMMUNITY, WE ARE PROVIDING EDUCATION TO PEOPLE THAT NEED IT THE MOST, THERE IS GOING TO BE A NEED FOR, UM, STUDENTS TO HAVE THAT CONNECTIVITY TO THE INTERNET AND ALL THE RESOURCES THEY NEED IN ORDER TO BE EDUCATED.
AND SO EDUCATION, UH, LOTS TO KEY TO POVERTY.
AND SO AS A COMMUNITY, THAT SHOULD BE ONE OF OUR TOP PRIORITIES.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM CBS AUSTIN, UH, ASKING ABOUT THE CONVENTION CENTER, UH, WHAT'S THE LATEST STATUS OF THE ALTERNATIVE CARE SITE AT THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, UH, WITH ICU NAPA LOW SURGE CAPACITY AND THE HOSPITAL BED SITUATION IMPROVING.
ARE YOU CONSIDERING ANY CHANGES TO THE FIELD HOSPITAL? SO THE, THE ACS IS, IS, IS BUILT OUT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NOT STAFFING THE ACS BECAUSE OF THE IMPROVED SITUATION IN THE HOSPITALS, UH, BUT IT STANDS READY TO ACTIVATE.
SHOULD WE NEED IT AGAIN? WE'VE GOT NO PLANS TO DO IT.
THEY MOBILIZE IT AT THIS STAGE.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO, TO WATCH AND WAIT TO DETERMINE IF IT'S NEEDED, IF IT'S NEEDED, WE CAN TURN ON THE SWITCH AT STAFFING AND TAKE PATIENTS AS NECESSARY.
UM, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED RECOMMENDING A MOVE DOWN TO STAGE THREE OF THE RISK BASED GUIDELINES, IF NOT, WHAT TRENDS ARE KEEPING YOU FROM MAKING THAT DECISION? UH, AGAIN, I THINK WE WANT TO WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE TWO WEEKS, AT LEAST WITHIN STAGE THREE, TO MAKE THAT TRANSITION.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE WE'VE HIT A PLATEAU.
WE'RE STARTING TO SEE A TREND TO INCREASE, UH, IN TERMS OF THE HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS YESTERDAY WAS WITH 41, WHICH IS THE SECOND DAY, UH, IN THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS THAT WE'VE HAD MORE THAN 40 ADMISSIONS.
UM, MY CONCERN IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BOUNCE BACK INTO THE STAGE FOUR TERRITORY IN THE SHORT TERM, IF WE DON'T CONTINUE TO TAKE THOSE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS, UH, WE WANT TO BE MEASURED IN OUR, IN OUR CHANGES IN THE, IN THE STAGING, UH, BECAUSE THAT STAGING INDICATES A DECREASED, UH, CONCERN, DECREASED RISK.
I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'RE THERE YET.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT, UM, FOR US AS WELL.
WE, WE DEFINITELY, WE DEFINITELY DON'T MAKE, UM, DECISIONS INDEPENDENTLY OUT OF OUR COLLABORATIVE GROUP.
AND SO WE HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND JUST THIS WEEK WE WERE ALERTED THAT HOSPITALS OR OUT OF SEARCH CAPACITY.
AND AS FAR AS, AS A COMMUNITY, AND WE WANT TO STAY ON THAT PATH BECAUSE WE WANT TO KEEP THINGS AS MINIMAL AS POSSIBLE.
SO WHEN WE MAKE THE DECISION TO GO BACK AND REEVALUATE THAT WE IT'S A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS AND WE WILL BE CONSULTING ALL THE PARTNERS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
NEXT QUESTION IS FROM ASTONIA IT'S FOR DOC DRESSED.
SCOTT, YOU SAID LAST WEEK THAT APH IS CONSIDERING OFFERING RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING IS APH PLANNING ON OFFERING SUCH TESTING BEYOND THE AVID ID NOW MODEL AT UT WHAT EQUIPMENT WOULD THE CITY NEED TO ROLL THIS OUT AND HOW LONG UNTIL SUCH TESTS MIGHT BE AVAILABLE? SO WE HAVE A TEAM EXPLORING THE OPTION OF, OF ANTIGEN TESTING.
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CURRENTLY RUN ON, ON MACHINES, ON DEVICES, UH, WHICH WOULD NEED TO BE ACQUIRED, UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE INVESTING, INVESTIGATING THE AVAILABILITY OF, OF THOSE KINDS OF MACHINES.UH, AND, UH, AND IF IT'S PRACTICAL FOR US TO OPERATIONALIZE THAT, UH, AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN HAS MENTIONED IN THE PAST, WE HAVE CONTRACTORS, UH, WHO ARE DOING TESTING FOR US NOW.
UH, SO PART OF THAT DISCUSSION IS WITH THOSE GROUPS TO DETERMINE IF THEY HAVE ANTIGEN TESTING AVAILABLE, AND IF NOT, IF THEY CAN ACQUIRE THOSE, UH, THAT, THAT TECHNOLOGY AGAIN, ANTIGEN TESTING, ISN'T QUITE AS GOOD AS, AS THE PCR TESTING, BUT IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY GOOD ENOUGH.
AND IF WE CAN INCREASE OUR AVAILABILITY OF RAPID TESTING, IT ALLOWS US TO DIFFERENTIATE THOSE POSITIVE CASES SINGER.
IT ALLOWS US TO DO THE CASE INVESTIGATION SOONER BY, UH, UH, JANET STAFF AND ALLOWS US TO CONTACT TRACE SOONER.
SO IT REALLY WOULDN'T BEING MORE EFFECTIVE AT THE, THE BOXING IT IN STRATEGY.
UH, PARTICULARLY AS WE SEE CASE NUMBERS DECLINE, UM, WE'LL HAVE A GREATER CHANCE OF CONTAINING THIS AND KEEPING IT CONTAINED IF WE CAN GET THOSE RAPID RESULTS.
I WILL SAY THAT, UH, THE, THE TURNAROUND TIME FOR OUR PCR TESTS, THE NASAL SWAB TESTS THAT WE'RE DOING NOW, UH, HAS SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED, UH, TWO, ONE TO TWO DAYS, UM, FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR, UH, TESTS THAT WE'RE SENDING OFF.
UH, SO THAT AS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH SHOULD HELP US, UH, ALSO IN THAT CASE INVESTIGATION, IN CONTACT TRACING PROCESS.
AND JUST TO FOLLOW UP TO THAT, WHAT'S WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF IT? UM, YOU KNOW, THE TURNAROUND TIME, UH, REDUCING FOR THE SWAB TEST, UH, IT'S REALLY DECREASED DEMAND, UH, OF THE TESTING AND INCREASE CAPACITY FROM THE LABS.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK ACROSS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, UH, WE'VE SEEN A DECLINE IN OUR, UH, THE NUMBER OF FOLKS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP FOR CASTING, A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FOLKS WHO ARE COMING TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TESTING SITES.
SO WE'RE AN EVENT THAT WE HAD THIS WEEKEND AT SACRED HEART CHURCH, UH, AND WE'RE GETTING THE SENSE FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT THEY'RE ALSO SEEING A DECREASE IN THOSE WHO ARE SEEKING TESTING.
UH, SO I THINK THOSE ARE, ARE HELPING.
I WILL ALSO SAY THAT, UH, ANTIGEN TESTING IS BECOMING MORE PREVALENT IN THE COMMUNITY AND, UH, FOLKS WHO, WHO, UH, ARE ABLE TO, AND ARE SOMETIMES SEEKING PRIVATE TESTING, UH, OF ANTIGEN TESTING, WHICH IS ALSO INCREASING THE, UH, THE TURNAROUND TIME FOR OUR PCR TESTS.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE SEEING THOSE LONG TURNAROUND TIMES WHERE LABORATORIES, UH, MANY OF THESE LABORATORIES ARE NATIONAL LABORATORIES THAT ARE BEING IMPACTED BY SURGES THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.
SO, UM, WHILE WE WERE EXPERIENCING SURGE HERE, UH, OTHER COMMUNITIES WITHIN TEXAS AND OUTSIDE OF TEXAS, WE'RE ALSO SEEING THAT SAME SURGE.
AND SO THAT DEMAND, IF YOU RECALL, LIKE THE WHOLE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES WAS HAVING A SURGE AT THE SAME TIME.
AND SO THEY WERE ALSO, UM, KNOW HAVING A LOT OF, UH, LAB RESULTS THAT WERE BEING SUBMITTED TO THESE LABORATORIES, WHICH WAS INCREASING THAT, UH, TURNAROUND TIME.
SO HOPEFULLY, UH, THE DECLINING NUMBERS, UH, HELPED IMPROVE THAT CONSIDERABLY AGAIN, LIKE DR.
S SCOTT SAID, UH, THE INCREASE IN THE USE OF RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING.
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW AS TO WHAT KIND OF IMPACT THAT'S HAVING ON OUR NUMBERS.
UH, MANY OF THE RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS THAT ARE SUBMITTED TO AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH AND TO THE STATE ARE CONSIDERED PROBABLE CASES.
AND SO, UH, THEY'RE NOT PRIORITIZED AS CONFIRMED CASES, UH, FOR CASE INVESTIGATION, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO SEE WHAT THE IMPACT ON OUR CASE LOAD IS RELATED TO THAT.
NEXT QUESTION IS FROM UNIVISION TO WHAT DO WE OWE THE RECENT SPIKE IN CASES, REALISTICALLY SPEAKING, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO GO DOWN TO A STAGE TWO BY DECEMBER OR SEPTEMBER 8TH? UH, IF SO, WHAT CHANGES DO WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT NOW? I MEAN, I'LL JUST CONTINUE TO ADD ONTO THAT BY SAYING, YOU KNOW, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF UNKNOWN AS FAR AS WHAT'S CAUSING THE INCREASE.
I MEAN, I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE CONTINUING TO WEAR MASKS WHEN THEY'RE OUTSIDE.
AND THAT'S BEEN MY OBSERVATION WHEN I'VE BEEN OUT, OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO LOOK AT THE RAPID ANTIGEN TEST RIGHT NOW AND SEEING WHAT KIND OF
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IMPACT THAT IS HAVING ON OUR CASELOAD, BECAUSE IT COULD BE THAT SOMEONE DOESN'T WANT TO WAIT IN A LINE FOR A FEW HOURS TO GET A RAPID ANTIGEN TEST.AND THEN THEY, I MEAN, A PCR TEST AND, UH, THEY MAY NOT WANT TO, UM, WAIT A LONG NUMBER OF DAYS TO GET THE RESULTS BACK BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE ABOUT, UH, AND NOT BE CONFINED TO HOME, UH, WHILE THEY WAIT FOR THEIR RESULTS.
UH, AND THE RAPID ANTIGEN TEST DOES PROVIDE THAT ABILITY TO PROVIDE A QUICK TEST.
SO WE'RE TRYING AGAIN, TRYING TO SEE WHAT KIND OF IMPACT THAT HAT IS HAVING ON OUR CASELOAD AND THIS, THE NEXT QUESTION FROM, OH, SORRY, FOLLOW UP AND REITERATE WHAT DIRECTOR HAYDEN SAID IN HER OPENING STATEMENT THAT, UH, HOW WE PUSH PAST THIS PLATEAU THAT WE'RE SEEING NOW IS, IS REALLY PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO HOW WE'RE ACTING OUTSIDE OF WORK AND OUTSIDE OF, UH, OUR VISITS TO GROCERY STORES OR OTHER PLACES LIKE RESTAURANTS.
I THINK THAT THE KEY TO BREAKING THROUGH IS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ELIMINATING THOSE GATHERINGS WHERE WE CAN, UH, NOT HAVING THE BARBECUES, NOT HAVING THE POOL PARTIES, UH, YOU KNOW, DELAYING BIRTHDAY, UH, CELEBRATIONS OR DOING THOSE VIRTUALLY, UH, I THINK THIS IS THE PIECE THAT WE HAVEN'T CRACKED YET BECAUSE IT'S MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT HAPPENS BEHIND DOORS AND PEOPLE'S HOMES.
AND WE REALLY NEED FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS HOW WE GET TO STAGE TWO.
WE'VE GOT ALMOST A MONTH, UH, FOR A LITTLE OVER A MONTH FOR US TO DO THAT, UH, PRIOR TO SCHOOL OPENING.
AND IF WE ALL WORK TOGETHER, IF WE ARE COMMITTED TO THAT PRIMARY GOAL IS DIRECTOR HAYDEN SAID OF GETTING OUR KIDS EDUCATED, THEN WE CAN DO IT.
UH, IF, IF WE ARE DISTRACTED, IF WE CHOOSE TO TAKE RISKS, WE WILL NOT GET THERE.
UH, IT'LL PUT US IN A MUCH MORE DIFFICULT SITUATION TO REOPEN SCHOOLS.
THE NEXT QUESTION FROM COOPERATIVE STAYS ON THIS TESTING QUESTION.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE APPROACH THE END OF TRAVIS COUNTY STATE HOME ORDER, IT'S BEEN SAID THAT THE ONLY WAY FOR PEOPLE TO GO BACK INTO PUBLIC IS WITH A WIDESPREAD FUNCTIONING TESTING STRATEGY.
HOW MANY TESTS MUST TRAVIS COUNTY ORGANIZATIONS THAT MINISTER PER DAY IN ORDER FOR TESTING TO BE ADEQUATE, HOW SHORT A TURNAROUND TIME FOR RESULTS IS NEEDED TO MANAGE THE RETURN.
AND ARE WE PREPARED FOR THE NECESSITY OF EXPANDED TEST VOLUME WHEN THE STAY AT HOME ORDER EXPIRES, I'LL START AND SAY THAT WE WANT TO SAY OUR PERCENT POSITIVE BELOW 5%, UM, HOW MANY TESTS THAT'S GOING TO BE IS GOING TO DEPEND ON HOW MUCH DISEASE IS SPREADING.
UH, BUT THAT'S CERTAINLY OUR GOAL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE NEED RAPID TURNAROUND TIMES, I IDEALLY LESS THAN 24 HOURS, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY IDEALLY IN A PERFECT SITUATION, UH, TEST RESULTS BEFORE THAT PERSON LEAVES THE TESTING SITE, UH, BECAUSE THE, THE, THE TIME TO INTERVENE IS WHEN THE TEST IS DONE AND WHAT WE'VE DONE TO HELP WITH THAT IS TO, TO ENSURE THAT FOLKS ARE RECEIVING THAT INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF TESTING, THAT THEY HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEED TO, UH, TO PROTECT OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS OR WORKMATES BY STAYING HOME, UH, BY ISOLATING AT HOME, OR UTILIZING OUR ISOLATION FACILITY TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS WHILE THEY'RE WAITING ON THOSE RESULTS.
WE'VE ALSO STARTED PASSING OUT, UH, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR FOLKS BEING TESTED, UH, SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE MASKS AND OTHER SUPPLIES, UH, TO STAY SAFE, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN AND THE, AND THE TEAM FROM AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, AS WELL AS OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER ARE, UH, WORKING ON PLANS TO INCREASE THE, THE DISTRIBUTION OF, OF MASKS TO OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO LACK THE RESOURCES TO, UH, TO HAVE MASKS AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MORE WE CAN SUPPORT THOSE PROTECTIVE MEASURES, UH, THE BETTER SITUATION THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE IN COME SEPTEMBER.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT, UM, IT'S NOT JUST THE TESTING STRATEGY.
IT IS AN EFFECTIVE STEM STRATEGY.
WE NEED TO HAVE AN ONGOING, EFFECTIVE PREVENTION STRATEGY, AND THAT IS A COMMITMENT BY OUR COMMUNITY TO, TO FOLLOW PREVENTION MEASURES, TO PROTECT THEIR LOVED ONES.
AND, AND I'LL JUST LEAVE IT THERE AND LET STEPHANIE CHIME IN.
UH, I ACTUALLY AGREE WITH YOU,
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JANET.UM, BECAUSE TESTING IS VERY IMPORTANT.
THE DEPARTMENT, UM, SUBMITTED A, A TESTING PLAN, UM, THAT WILL TAKE US THROUGH THE END OF, OF DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR, UM, AND NOTED HOW IT'S GOING TO BE ESSENTIAL FOR US TO BE FLEXIBLE AND ENSURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING TESTING AND TARGETED COMMUNITIES.
BUT I ALSO AGREE WITH, UM, WITH JANET AND DR.
ASCOT, WE HAVE, WE, WE MUST ADD ADDITIONAL MEASURES IN PLACE WHERE WE ARE PROVIDING, UM, UM, MASK AS WELL AS, UM, TEACHING HEALTH HYGIENE, UM, HAND WASHING, ET CETERA.
UM, SO WE'RE PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION TO WHETHER THERE'S CAMPS OR WHETHER INDIVIDUALS ARE AT HOME, UM, PROVIDING THOSE SKILLS AND THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TALKING ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING.
SO THE, THE PREVENTION PLAN IS ULTIMATELY TO MITIGATE THE SPREAD OF DISEASE.
SO WE NEED THE TESTING, BUT WE NEED ALL OF THE, OF, OF ADDITIONAL MEASURES IN PLACE AS WELL.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL, WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE TO THE LOWER RATES OF TESTING? WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE LOWER RATE OF TESTING REQUESTS TO? ARE YOU EXPECTING A RELATIVELY IMMEDIATE RISE IN TESTS AFTER THE TESTING THRESHOLDS ARE LOWERED? OR ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT OTHER FACTORS KEEPING, UH, THE RATE OF TEST REQUESTS LOW? WE, WE KNOW, UM, IN THE PAST WHAT WE'VE LEARNED FROM, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE DURING THIS RESPONSES, BECAUSE THAT WHEN WE MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT, UM, TO THE WAY AS INDIVIDUALS GO IN AND ENTER THEIR INFORMATION TO DO THE ASSESSMENT, IT DOES ALLOW FOR MORE INDIVIDUALS TO BE TESTED BECAUSE THEY DO MEET THAT CRITERIA.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US, UM, INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT PROCESS, AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO TAKE A TEST.
THIS WILL OPEN THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HAVE MORE INDIVIDUALS TESTING.
AND SO THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US AS WELL.
AND I THINK THE OTHER, UH, UH, THING THAT FACTOR THAT'S INFLUENCING THAT IS THAT THERE'S JUST THE AVAILABILITY OF MORE TESTING OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO WHETHER IT BE A RAPID TEST, A RAPID ANTIGEN OR ANTIBODY TEST OR A PCR TEST, UH, THERE'S JUST MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT TEST TO THE COMMUNITY.
NEXT QUESTION IS FROM KVU A FEW WEEKS AGO, AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY GOT UP TO A LITTLE OVER 2000 TESTS PER DAY.
ACCORDING TO STATE DATA, BY THE END OF LAST WEEK, TESTING WAS DOWN TO AROUND 1200, A 40% REDUCTION.
NOW IT'S BACK UP TO AROUND 1800 AS OF YESTERDAY.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THE TESTING CAPACITY ALSO AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND WHY ARE WE SEEING IT FLUCTUATE SO WIDELY, ESPECIALLY A BIG DROP, LIKE WE SAW OVER THE COURSE OF JULY, AS I STATED EARLIER, THE DEPARTMENT HEAD DOES HAVE A, A TESTING PLAN AND STRATEGY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US IS, IS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE TESTING INDIVIDUALS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED, UM, TO COVID-19 OR HAVE, UM, FEELING LIKE THEY HAVE SOME LEVEL OF SYMPTOMS. AND SO WE REALLY GOT TO EMPHASIZE THAT IT'S STILL IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO COME IN.
SO EVEN IF INDIVIDUALS MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A DELAY WITH THE TEST RESULTS, COMING BACK TO AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH, IT'S STILL IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO TAKE THOSE MEASURES AND SCHEDULE AND COME IN AND TAKE THOSE TESTS.
THE OTHER THING THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS, IS THAT, UM, WHEN, WHEN INDIVIDUALS GO TO THE TESTING SITE ARE INDIVIDUALLY, OUR STAFF HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT TESTING, AS WELL AS PROVIDING THEM INFORMATION THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE THEIR EMPLOYER, THAT THEY HAVE IN TESTING.
AND WHILE THEY ARE AWAITING, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO, UM, TO ISOLATE AT HOME UNTIL THEY RECEIVE THOSE RESULTS.
AND SO THOSE ARE SEVERAL OF THE REASONS WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE GETTING THE TESTS.
AND SO, AS WE'VE MADE THE CHANGE, WE KNOW WE WILL SEE MORE INDIVIDUALS COME THROUGH OUR TESTING SITES, BUT THERE IS MORE TESTING AVAILABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAN WHAT WE'VE HAD WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TESTING.
UM, ALSO THE PUBLIC HEALTH KNOWS THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE THE ONLY, UM, PROVIDER OF TESTS OF TESTING.
INDIVIDUALS WILL MAKE A CHOICE THAT THEY MAY, THEY WANT TO COME THROUGH OUR SITE, OR THEY MAY SEE A
[00:35:01]
ANOTHER AREA WHERE THEY CAN GO AND TEST AND GET THE RESULTS BACK SOONER AS JANET STATED EARLIER.AND I'LL JUST ADD, WE ALSO HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT, THAT WE HAVE GOOD EVIDENCE THAT, YOU KNOW, OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WAYS, THAT DISEASE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN DECREASING.
SO LESS PEOPLE ARE GETTING SICK, LESS PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED AND IT'S LOGICAL THAT LESS PEOPLE WOULD NEED OR WANT TO BE TESTED IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE.
I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE FLUCTUATIONS THROUGHOUT THE NEXT YEAR IN TERMS OF, OF THAT DEMAND FOR TESTING AND, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS, UH, BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE ADEQUATE CAPACITY RIGHT NOW TO, UH, TO MANAGE THAT THOSE FLUCTUATIONS IN DEMAND.
WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK ON REVISION OF OUR PLANS, LOOKING AT OTHER TESTING OPTIONS IN THE FUTURE.
UH, BUT WE ARE IN A GOOD SITUATION AS A COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF, UH, AVAILABILITY OF TESTING.
ALRIGHT, SO THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM US, LIKE COMMUNITY IMPACT, UM, YOU KNOW, LAST WEEK WE HEARD THAT GREENBELTS WOULD BE REOPENING, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, SOME LIMITED CAPACITY.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING AT PARKS AND FACILITIES LIKE, UH, TENNIS COURTS AND BASKETBALL COURTS AND GOLF COURSES AND POOLS THAT REMAIN CLOSED.
UH, WHERE DO WE NEED TO GET TO AS A COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO OPEN THOSE OPEN THOSE FACILITIES BACK UP? WELL, I'LL, I'LL START, UH, WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR, OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, UH, REGARDING A ROLLOUT PLAN, UH, BASED UPON OUR, OUR STAGE OF RISK AS A COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THE RISK OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES.
UH, WE HAVE DISCUSSED, UH, THE GREENBELTS IN REOPENING.
THOSE WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF GREEN BELTS CLOSED, UH, BECAUSE THEY, THEY HAD ATTRACTIVE NUISANCES IN TERMS OF STANDING WATER, UH, THAT STANDING WATER IS NOW GONE, WHICH MAKES IT LESS OF A THREAT.
UH, BUT OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT HAS DONE A GREAT JOB OF, OF CREATING PROCESSES TO ENSURE THAT, UH, WINDOWS GREENBELTS REOPENED, THEY DO SO SAFELY, UH, THEY'RE LIMITING THE ACCESS.
SO THE NUMBERS OF FOLKS WHO CAN ACCESS THOSE SITES AND, UH, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO REVIEW THOSE PLANS.
UM, I KNOW PEOPLE WANT TO GET BACK OUT DOWN THE TENNIS COURTS AND ALL THE GOLF COURSES, AND WE WANT THEM TO AS WELL, UH, WE BELIEVE IN THE, IN THE VALUE OF THAT PHYSICAL EDUCATION, UH, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND, AND THEY NEED FOR FOLKS TO GET OUT OF THEIR HOUSE.
UM, BUT WE DON'T, AGAIN, WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE RISKS RIGHT NOW, UH, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE ARE TINKERING BETWEEN STAGE THREE AND STAGE FOUR, IN TERMS OF, OF HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS.
UH, I THINK ONCE WE'VE HAD A SOLID TWO WEEKS, UH, IN THE STAGE THREE TERRITORY, THEN THAT BE WILLING TO EXAMINE, UH, TAKING FURTHER RISKS, BUT RIGHT NOW, UH, IF OUR PRIORITY IS GETTING KIDS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM, WE WANT TO BE VERY LIMITED AND MEASURED ON THE RISKS THAT WE TAKE, UH, TO AVOID, UH, CREATING A SITUATION THAT WOULD PUT REOPENING SCHOOLS AT MORE RISK.
SCOTT HAS SAID, HAS WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH, WITH AUSTIN, UM, WITH PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
UM, OUR DEPARTMENT HAS ESTABLISHED, UM, CALLS AS WELL AS, UM, COMMUNICATING VIA EMAILS.
AS, UM, AS WE LOOK AT REOPENING, WE ARE GOING TO DO IT IN A PHASED APPROACH.
SO WE WILL NOT, UM, PUT OURSELVES IN A POSITION WHERE WE WILL OVERWHELM OUR SYSTEMS. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IT IS GREAT FOR INDIVIDUALS TO GET OUT.
WE, WE UNDERSTAND, UM, THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT.
UM, IT'S GREAT TO GET OUT AND EXERCISE AND DO THOSE THINGS THAT ARE REALLY, UM, HELPFUL FOR OUR BODY.
AND WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT AND RECOGNIZE THAT, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO PUT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY.
FIRST, WE CANNOT MAKE THE DECISION TO OPEN ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
AT THE SAME TIME, EVERYTHING HAS TO BE A PHASED APPROACH IN EVERY APPROACH THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT IS OUR, OUR PARK AND RECREATION SYSTEM, WHETHER IT IS OUR SCHOOLS, OUR COLLEGES, OUR BUSINESSES, WE MUST HAVE A PHASED APPROACH AS WE REOPEN.
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU'LL RECOMMEND STUDENTS IN TRAVIS COUNTY DON'T RETURN TO CAMPUS AT ALL THIS SEMESTER OR POSSIBLY THIS YEAR, WE ARE WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND, UM, WE HAVE PROVIDED
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SOME GUIDANCE TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS.IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US AS WE WORK WITH THE SUPERINTENDENTS, HEALTH AND SAFETY IS NUMBER ONE.
AND AS I STATED EARLIER, EDUCATION IS, IS OUR PRIORITY RIGHT NOW.
AND SO W BUT WE MUST KEEP IN MIND OF ALL OF THE OTHER HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS THAT WE MAY HAVE AS A COMMUNITY WITHIN THE GUIDANCE THAT WE PROVIDED.
UM, WE HAVE PROVIDED A STAGE TO APPROACH AS I STATED EARLIER.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO LOOK AT THE ABILITY FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO FULLY OPERATE AND PROVIDE THE EDUCATION AND THE MOST SAFE AND EFFECTIVE WAY.
AND SO AT THIS TIME, WE CANNOT PROVIDE A DECISION ABOUT WHAT WOULD BE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE RECOMMENDATIONS SOLELY DEPEND ON WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE TIME FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE SUPERINTENDENTS, UM, AS WELL AS CHARTER SCHOOLS AND ANY OTHER SCHOOLS THAT MAY REACH OUT TO US AND ASK US FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF VERY PRACTICAL CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH, WITH OPENING SCHOOLS AND KEEPING THEM OPEN.
UH, WE HAVE CAMPUSES THAT DON'T HAVE SCHOOL NURSES, UH, THE CAMPUSES THAT HAVE HAD SCHOOL, WE'VE HAD MANY SCHOOL NURSES IN THE COUNTY THAT HAVE HAVE RESIGNED, OR WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO WORK IN PERSON DUE TO, TO RISK.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE A CHALLENGE WITH OUR STAFFING IN OUR SCHOOLS, UH, TEACHERS AND OTHER STAFF.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR, OUR, UH, OUR TEACHING STAFF, WE SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS ON A GOOD YEAR ON A NON PANDEMIC YEAR.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS IN OUR COUNTY TO, TO FILL IN THE GAPS, UH, THIS YEAR WITH THE PANDEMIC IN PLACE.
UH, THE, THE LIKELIHOOD THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN SCHOOL OPERATIONS WITH ANY SIGNIFICANT, UH, STAFF, UH, OUTAGES IN TERMS OF STAFF WHO MAY BE SICK WITH COVID-19 OR SOMETHING ELSE, UH, STAFF WHO MAY BE EXPOSED AND, AND QUARANTINED DUE TO COVID-19, UH, MEANS THAT IT'S GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS TO HAPPEN ON SCHOOL CAMPUSES.
AND SO WE'VE HAD THIS DISCUSSION WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENTS AND THAT DISCUSSION HAS BEEN THAT THEY NEED TO BE READY.
THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS NEED TO BE READY, UH, FOR THE FACT THAT, THAT AT LEAST AT SOME STAGE DURING, UH, DURING THE FALL IN PARTICULAR THAT THEIR SCHOOL MAY HAVE TO CLOSE AGAIN.
AND THAT MEANS HAVING A DEFAULT, UH, AVAILABILITY OF ALL VIRTUAL, UH, SO THAT WE HAVE THAT CONTINUITY OF EDUCATION.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE INTERRUPTIONS LIKE WE HAD IN THE SPRING TIME.
AND I THINK IF WE PREPARE FOR THAT, I THINK OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS PREPARE FOR THAT.
IT ALLOWS US TO ADJUST AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN SAID, BASED UPON THE RISK IN THE COMMUNITY.
I'LL TELL YOU NOW THAT OUR RECOMMENDATION WILL BE REGARDLESS OF WHERE WE OPEN IN TERMS OF STAGES, WHAT STAGE WE'RE IN, UH, THAT WE OPEN AT 25% MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY OF THE SCHOOL.
SO THAT THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THOSE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS, THOSE TEACHERS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY WITH A SMALL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN PLACE TO WORK THROUGH ALL THE NEW ISSUES, UH, HOW CLASSROOMS ARE GOING TO BE OPERATED, HOW TRANSITION BETWEEN CLASSES IS GOING TO BE DONE, HOW STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE SCREENED, IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE SCREENED ON THE WAY, AND, UH, HOW CHILDREN WILL BE FED, HOW THEY'RE GOING TO BE BUSED.
NOW, THESE ARE ALL NEW CHALLENGES FOR OUR TEACHERS AND OUR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL STAFF ARE AN INCREDIBLY VALUABLE RESOURCE, AND WE HAVE TO RESPECT THAT THIS IS CHALLENGING FOR THEM, AND THAT THERE'S RISK TO THEM.
AND WE NEED TO KEEP THAT RISK AS LOW AS POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY AS WE BEGIN THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR.
OKAY, HANG ON A SCHOOL DISTRICT, QUESTION THIS FROM CBS AUSTIN, UH, THE APH GUIDANCE REPORT TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS IS ABOUT TO COME OUT.
SCOTT, YOU JUST MENTIONED THE 25% CAPACITY RECOMMENDATION, BUT CAN Y'ALL GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF SOME OTHER MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THAT REPORT? UH, SO THE REPORT IS BASICALLY DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A BIT MORE CLARITY ON, ON WHICH ELEMENTS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT AND WHICH ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS
[00:45:01]
COULD DO.IF THE, IF THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITIES.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THE CDC GUIDANCE AND TA GUIDANCE IS THAT IT, IT, THEY, THEY LIST A LOT OF IDEAS, UH, BUT DON'T PROVIDE A LOT OF CLARITY ABOUT WHERE OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOULD PRIORITIZE THOSE EFFORTS.
AND SO WE PRIORITIZE THOSE EFFORTS, UH, AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF SURPRISES, UH, THAT INVOLVES RECOMMENDING A MANDATORY MASKING AND INVOLVES, UH, RECOMMENDING MEN, MANDATORY EDUCATION FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, HAND WASHING, PERSONAL HYGIENE, ET CETERA, UH, INVOLVES SOCIAL DISTANCING.
UH, ONE OF THE MEASURES, UH, INVOLVES, UH, THE POSSIBILITY OF DECREASING THE SOCIAL DISTANCING AS THE RISK DECREASES IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT, UH, THAT SUGGESTS THAT, UH, A DISTANCE OF AT LEAST THREE FEET DECREASES THE CHANCE OF TRANSMISSION BY 80%, UH, AS YOU GO BEYOND THREE FEET, THAT PROTECTION INCREASES.
SO AGAIN, AS OUR RISK IS HIGHER, WE WANT TO BE AS PROTECTIVE AS WE POSSIBLY CAN AS THE COMMUNITY RISK DECREASES.
AND WE HAVE CONTROLLED TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE.
WE MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE RISK BY MOVING STUDENTS CLOSER TOGETHER, ALLOWING ADDITIONAL STUDENTS, UH, TO HAVE IN-PERSON EDUCATION.
UM, AGAIN, THOSE DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN, UH, SENT OUT TO OUR SUPERINTENDENTS AS WELL AS SOME OTHER STAKEHOLDERS FOR INPUT.
AND, UH, ONCE WE HAVE A FINAL DRAFT, WE WILL, WE WILL SHARE THAT PUBLICLY.
FROM KFC, ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT THE NEW ADMISSION AVERAGE HAS PLATEAUED AND WILL STAY AT THIS LEVEL FOR SOME TIME I'M CONCERNED THAT IT COULD LEVEL OFF AND PLATEAU FOR SOME TIME I'M MORE CONCERNED THAT IT'S GOING TO BOUNCE, UM, AND INCREASE AGAIN.
AND, AND THAT'S WHY WE REALLY NEED THAT, THAT RATE DOUBLING OF EFFORTS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT IS THAT WE'RE DOING THINGS SAFELY.
AGAIN, I THINK WE'VE DONE A GREAT JOB WHEN PEOPLE ARE OUT AND ABOUT, UH, WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO THE GAS STATION OR GROCERY STORE, UH, GOING SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES.
I THINK THEY'RE WEARING MASKS.
I THINK THEY'RE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION.
I THINK THEY PERCEIVE RISKS IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES.
I THINK WHERE WE COULD DO BETTER AS DIRECTOR CADEN SAID AT THE BEGINNING IS IN OUR PERSONAL INTERACTIONS WITH FAMILY AND WITH FRIENDS, WE DON'T PERCEIVE OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AS RISK TO US, BUT IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE THEY COULD BE.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE ENCOURAGING FOLKS TO AVOID INTERACTIONS WITH PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD, UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE THOSE INTERACTIONS.
AND IF YOU DO TO FOLLOW THE SAME GUIDELINES THAT YOU WOULD, IF YOU'RE SHOPPING OR AT A GAS STATION WHERE THE MASK SOCIAL DISTANCE BE AS PROTECTIVE OF AS POSSIBLE, WE SIMPLY MUST DO THIS TOGETHER.
IF WE WANT TO GET OUR KIDS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM, ALL RIGHT, THIS IS GOING TO BE THE LAST QUESTION FROM COOPERATIVE.
UH, IT APPEARS THAT ISD IS, AND ESPECIALLY UIL SPORTS ARE GOING THEIR OWN WAYS REGARDING OPENINGS.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO DEAL WITH THE START OF UIL UNIVERSITY SPORTS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR FLARE UPS IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, I'LL START OFF WITH SH I'M SURE THAT, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN AND JANET PICHETTE MAY WANT TO ADD, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, I, I LOOK FORWARD TO REVIEWING, UH, UTS PLAN REGARDING, UH, THEIR, THEIR STADIUMS. I HAVE MET WITH, UH, THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE.
I'VE MET WITH THE TEAM PHYSICIAN AT UT.
WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL.
I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE IDEA THAT ON SEPTEMBER 5TH, THREE DAYS BEFORE SCHOOLS MAY REOPEN THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE 25,000 PEOPLE AT ONE PLACE.
UH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A BIG MISTAKE.
I THINK THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL AS WE TALK ABOUT, UH, EARLY IN THE YEAR OF LIGHTING A FIRE THAT THAT COULD SPREAD THROUGHOUT THIS COMMUNITY.
WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN TERMS OF SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, EARLY ON, WE TALKED ABOUT THE DANGERS OF LARGE EVENTS AND HAVING PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF TOWN, DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE COMING TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THE, YOU KNOW, STADIUMS ARE BIG AND HAVING A SMALLER NUMBER OF PEOPLE IS GOING TO BE MORE PROTECTIVE THAN FILLING IT.
OF COURSE IT IS, BUT WE STILL EXPECT WITH 25,000 FANS THAT MORE THAN A HUNDRED PEOPLE, UM, IF DISEASE TRANSMISSION IS WHAT IT IS TODAY WOULD BE POSITIVE.
AND THAT TURNS FROM HUNDRED, A HUNDRED TO HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS.
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MY MAJOR CONCERN IS THAT IF WE HAVE A FOOTBALL GAME ON SEPTEMBER 5TH, WITH 25,000 PEOPLE, AND BY SEPTEMBER 19TH, WE'RE GOING TO BE CLOSING SCHOOLS AGAIN, AND KIDS ARE GOING TO BE LEARNING VIRTUALLY.AND SO AGAIN, WE HAVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AS A COMMUNITY.
DO WE WANT TO TAKE THE RISK OF COLLEGE SPORTS WITH STADIUMS, WITH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE? DO WE WANT TO TAKE THE RISK OF HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS? WHAT STADIUMS WITH HUNDREDS OR A THOUSAND OR A FEW THOUSAND PEOPLE, OR DO WE WANT TO FOCUS ON EDUCATION? DO WE WANT TO FOCUS ON ENSURING THAT WE CAN GET OUR KIDS BACK WITH THEIR TEACHERS BACK WITH THEIR COUNSELORS, BACK WITH THEIR FRIENDS, UH, IN A SAFE WAY? UH, I GO FOR EDUCATION, IF WE CAN DO EDUCATION WELL, IF WE CAN GET OUR KIDS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM AT THAT STAGE, WE SHOULD HAVE THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES UNTIL THEN IT DOESN'T BELONG ON THE TABLE.
BEFORE WE WRAP UP, WOULD YOU ALL LIKE TO GIVE ANY CLOSING REMARKS? YES.
UM, I WOULD ALSO, AGAIN, LIKE TO EMPHASIZE ABOUT FAMILY GATHERINGS.
UM, WE MUST, AS A COMMUNITY, FAMILY IS SO IMPORTANT AND I, AND I WILL JUST NOT EMPHASIZE FAMILY DOES MEANS THE WORLD TO US.
AND, AND SOME OF US HAVE, UM, FRIENDS THAT WE ARE VERY, VERY CLOSE TO, BUT WE'RE RELATIONAL.
AND WHEN, AND WHEN WE SEE PEOPLE, WE HAVE TO HUG THEM.
UM, WE, WE NEED TO SIT CLOSE TO THEM, UM, BECAUSE THEIR FAMILY, THEIR FRIENDS, AND WE CHERISH THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONTINUE ONE.
I MEAN, THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDATION FOR US NOT TO GO OUTSIDE OF OUR HOME, UM, AND HAVE THOSE GET TOGETHER WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT DON'T LIVE WITH YOU.
SECONDLY, IF YOU MUST, BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE MUST AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION THAT YOU CAN TAKE, PUT THE MASK ON.
AND IF YOU HAVE OTHERS THAT ARE SITTING AROUND, TELL THEM TO PUT THEIR MASK ON AND YOU SOCIALLY DISTANCE AND YOU HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, UM, AND ENJOY THOSE LOVED ONES AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE THAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT THE SPIRIT OF DISEASE.
LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, JUST REMIND INDIVIDUALS THAT FLU SEASON IS SEVEN WEEKS AWAY.
WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO ROLL OUT A FLU CAMPAIGN.
IT IS GOING TO BE ESSENTIAL THAT EVERYONE GETS THEIR FLU SHOT.
IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US AS A COMMUNITY.
LAST YEAR WAS A VERY DIFFICULT YEAR FOR TRAVIS COUNTY WITH FLU CASES.
AND IF WE COMBINE AN INCREASE OF FLU CASES AND COVID-19, WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO OVERWHELM ALL OF OUR SYSTEMS. AND SO IF WE CAN DO SOME THINGS AHEAD OF, TO BE PREVENTED AND GET THE FLU SHOT AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS IN YOUR CIRCLE TO GET THE FLU SHOT AS WELL, THAT WOULD BE A WONDERFUL THING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I'LL SAY THAT, THAT WE'VE GOT TO PUSH PAST THIS PLATEAU.
AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN SAID, WE'VE GOT TO FOCUS ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AND AROUND THE HOME TO REALLY PUSH PAST IT.
UH, WE ALSO NEED TO, TO ENSURE THAT THAT FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO COVID-19 FOLKS WHO HAVE ANY OF THE SYMPTOMS, AND THERE'S LOTS OF THEM NOW, ANY OF THOSE SYMPTOMS NEED TO TAKE A SELF ASSESSMENT, NEED TO SIGN UP FOR TESTING AND GET TESTED.
AND FINALLY, WHEN YOU HAVE A POSITIVE RESULT, WE NEED FOLKS TO HELP US BY TALKING TO OUR DISEASE INVESTIGATORS, BY TALKING ABOUT WHERE THEY'VE BEEN ABOUT WHO THEIR CONTACTS ARE, SO THAT WE CAN BOX IT IN.
AGAIN, THIS TAKES A COMMUNITY EFFORT.
IT TAKES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
IT TAKES COMMUNITY COOPERATION FOR US TO GET BACK IN A SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE CONTROLLED SPREAD OF DISEASE, AND WE CAN GET OUR KIDS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM.
AND FINALLY, I'D LIKE TO JUST ADD THAT IN THE WORDS OF MADAME CURIE, A OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OR A POUND ALTO PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.
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GONE IN AND DIRECTOR, HAYDEN HAS SAID, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO BE VIGILANT IN OUR PREVENTION, ACTIVITIES, AND PREVENTION MEASURES THAT WE'RE TAKING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR, OUR FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES ARE SAFE, UH, AND THAT WE CAN BEAT THIS DISEASE DOWN TO A LOW LEVEL.SO I'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR MEDIA AVAILABILITY FOR TODAY.
MARK S. SCOTT EPIDEMIOLOGIST, JANET BOUCHET AND THE POOR REPORTER FOR JOINING US TODAY.