Austin inches closer to Stage 4 threshold; health chief presses public for COVID vaccinations

The Austin area on Friday inched closer to its goal of reaching down below the threshold to possibly enter Stage 4 of Austin Public Health's risk-based guidelines.

Earlier in the day, public health leaders continued to press residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as hospital resources remained strained. 

Only 34 new daily coronavirus admissions to the hospital were reported Friday, which lowered the rolling seven-day hospitalization average to 52. Austin Public Health uses the average to help determine how the most medically vulnerable can protect themselves against the coronavirus. The new average was the lowest since July 31, when the average was 54.

Austin Public Health is currently in Stage 5 of the agency's risk-based guidelines, which is the most critical stage and is triggered when the rolling weekly average of new daily hospital admissions reaches 50 or above. The guidelines range from Stage 1 to Stage 5, with five being the highest threat level for community spread of the coronavirus. 

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The county's highest average for new daily admissions during the pandemic was 94 on Jan. 9. The average needs to get below 50 for Austin Public Health to consider the community in less danger of community spread.

Austin Public Health at the start of the pandemic determined that Austin and Travis County had enough hospital staff for 200 intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients, but Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, said Friday that ICUs were above capacity, and she implored the community to help stop the numbers from climbing again.

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"Our ICUs are overcapacity," Walkes said. "We have ICU nurses stretched thin. We have people in unconventional places in the hospital receiving ICU care. We have patients in the ERs waiting on stretchers in the hallway. And, we can do something to help that congestion. 

"We're seeing young people succumb to this disease, and that's something we have to stop," Walkes continued. "We're seeing pregnant women (with COVID-19) having babies and men being on life support and that has to stop. We have to get people vaccinated. It's time, Austin." 

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Travis County coronavirus data continued to show little change in hospital numbers for COVID-19.

Austin Public Health was tracking 515 people in the hospital with COVID-19, which was a major improvement over the pandemic record high of 653 patients set Aug. 25.

As many as 220 people were in Austin-area intensive care units for COVID-19. That number hit a pandemic record high of 237 on Aug. 22. The 158 patients on ventilators remained an improvement over the pandemic record high of 174 set on Aug. 29.

Walkes said that, at the start of the week, 20 patients were waiting to be transferred into Austin and Travis County for medical care. Of those, five of the patients had illnesses linked to the coronavirus, and the rest were people that needed help with such things as strokes and heart attacks. 

"Whether you are pro-life or pro-living, getting vaccinated protects people's lives," Walkes continued, adding that hospital staff are now having to pick and choose who gets care first.

"The delta variant of COVID-19 causes severe illness. Those who are unvaccinated are 10 times more likely to end up in the hospital if they get COVID-19. And, they have 10 times more risk of having an undesirable outcome and even dying from this disease."

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Interim Austin Public Health Director Adrienne Sturrup on Friday added that it is every Austin and Travis County resident's responsibility to get vaccinated and wear masks in public to protect those at risk. 

"We need the community to do their part," Sturrup said. "And, so again, as we do every week, I implore you to look beyond what is good for you and think about the broader community. Wear your mask. Stay home when you're sick. Get vaccinated."