IT'S
IT'S BEEN
IT'S BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE THE FIRST CASES OF COVID-19 WERE DETECTED IN AUSTIN TRAVIS
COUNTY.
AND IT'S ON THIS ANNIVERSARY
THAT HEALTH AUTHORITIES
MOVED OUR AREA TO STAGE THREE OF
THE AUSTIN PUBLIC
HEALTH'S COVID-19 RISK- BASED
GUIDELINES.
GUIDELINES. KVUE'S DARANESHA HERRON IS LIVE
AT ONE OF THE COUNTY'S VACCINATION SITES.
DARANESHA YOU SPOKE WITH THE TWO
TOP AUSTIN
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN
PERSON TODAY...
PERSON TODAY... YES IN PERSON, I ACTUALLY MET
THEM FACE TO FACE FOR THE FIRST TIME BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN
INTERVIEWING
OVER ZOOM FOR A YEAR.
DURING OUR INTERVIEW AUSTIN
PUBLIC HEALTH
OFFICIALS SAID THEY ARE HAPPY TO
SEE COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIO
NS
NS GO
NS GO DOWN BUT WE CAN'T TAKE OFF OUR MASK AND CELEBRATE JUST YET.
TODAY MARKS THE ANNIVERSARY OF
TRAVIS- COUNTY'S FIRST COVID-19 CASE A
YEAR AGO.
IT ALSO MARKS THE FIRST DAY SOME
GET CLOSER TO
NORMAL
AND AFTER ALL THE PROGRESS WE'VE
MADE, AUSTIN PUBLIC
HEALTH'S DIRECTOR STEPHANIE
HAYDEN-
HOWARD IS REFLECTING ON THE
MOMENT LAST YEAR,
WHEN HEALTH OFFICIALS KNEW
COVID-19 WAS HEADED OUR
WAY.
3:04 "WHAT WE DIDN'T ANTICIPATE
WAS WE THOUGHT
WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET MORE
CONTROL OF IT AND KIND
OF WORK SEEMLESSLY ACROSS THE
FEDERAL, STATE,
LOCAL LEVEL."
IT'S BEEN ROLLERCOSTER OF A YEAR
--- BUT NOW,
COVID-19
COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIO NS ARE DOWN. SO TODAY APH MOVED THE COUNTY
FROM STAGE 4 TO
STAGE 3 OF COVID-19 RISK- BASED
GUIDELINES FOR
THE FIRST TIME SINCE NOVEMBER.
WHICH RECOMMENDS THE FOLOWING
--YOU WEAR A
MASK, SOCIAL DISTANCE, AND
PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE.
HIGHER-RISK INDIVIDUALS SUCH AS
THOSE OVER THE AGE
OF 65 AND THOSE WHO HAVE CHRONIC
MEDICAL
CONDITIONS SHOULD AVOID
NON-ESSENTIAL DINING,
SHOPPING, AND TRAVEL.
KEEP GATHERINGS UNDER 10 PEOPLE
AND
BUSINESSES SHOULD VOLUNTARILY
OPPERATE AT 50
TO 75% CAPACITY.
INTERIM HEALTH AUTHORITY DOCTOR
MARK ESCOTT SAID IF
WE DON'T FOLLOW THESE
GUIDELINES, HE IS AFRAID IT
COULD CAUSE ANOTHER SURGE. 3:24
"IF EVERYBODY TAKES OFF THE
MASKING, IF WE
HAVE THE INCREASE INTRODUCTION
OF VARIANTS
WHICH WE THINK SURTENLT WILL
HAPPEN.WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
A SURGE THAT STARTS IN APRIL AND
CONTINUES TO ESCALTE
INTO MAY AND JUNE AND CONTINUE
INTO A PORTION OF
THE SUMMER AND WE DON'T WANT
THAT." -MARK ESCOTT
APH SAID SO FAR THEY HAVE FULLY
VACCINATED ABOUT 45,000 PEOPLE BUT HAVE ABOUT 200,00 WAITING FOR AN APPOINTMENT.
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE CHOOSING NOT
TO VACCINATE
GROUP 1C DUE TO LACK OF VACCINE
BUT THEY SAID THE
STATE IS NOT TO BLAME.
4:58 "ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE
HAVE IS THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS USING 2018
CENSUS DATA AS
COMPARED
COMPARED TO 2019 CENSUS DATA WHICH LEAVES US WITH 1.5 MILLION LESS PEOPLE THAT'S
COUNTED.THAT'S INDIVIDUALS 18 AND OLDER. - DR.MARKET ESCOTT. ESCOTT SAID THE CITY AND STATE
IS ADVOCATING
FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO
USE 2019
DATA TO GET ACCURATE VACCINE
ALLOCATIONS TO
THE STATE.
GOVERNMENT TO USE 2019 DATA TO
GET ACCURATE VACCINE ALLOCATIONS
TO THE STATE.
I
I ASKED
I ASKED DR.ESCOTT WHAT WOULD THEY DO DIFFERENTLY IF THEY COULD -- HE
SAID THEY WOULD HAVE
FOUGHT FOR MORE FUNDING YEARS
AGO TO HELP OUR
INFRASTRUCTURE BUT THEY WILL BE
DOING THAT IN THE FUTURE.
DARANESHA WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF
DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE STATE AND THE CITY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE NEED TO WEAR MASKS.
DOES TRAVIS COUNTY'S MASK
REQUIREMENT STILL STAND
EVEN THOUGH THE GOVERNOR DROPPED
THE MANDATE AND
THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL IS
SUING AUSTIN
AND TRAVIS COUNTY?
DARANESHA -- YES JAKE IT STILL
STANDS, AT LEAST FOR THE
NEXT TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE CITY,
COUNTY AND
THE STATE CAN GO BACK TO COURT
AND ALLOW A JUDGE
TO DECIDE ON WHICH GUIDANCE
STANDS.
STANDS.