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| Austin American-statesman
Coronavirus restrictions in Austin and Travis County could be relaxed over the weekend as the number of hospital patients with the virus continues to decline, according to the region’s top health official.
Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr Mark Escott in his weekly pandemic public briefing on Friday said the proportion of hospitalizations for the coronavirus could for the seventh day on Saturday remain at or below 15% .
This means that businesses would no longer have to operate at 50% of their capacity and could revert to 75% under state law. Doctors’ offices could also start offering elective procedures again, he said.
Governor Greg Abbott, in an executive order last year, said that if more than 15% of the total hospitalizations in a given region for seven consecutive days consisted of coronavirus patients, the state would force companies to reduce the ability of clients and doctors’ offices to limit certain procedures.
Austin and Travis County saw an increase in coronavirus cases at the end of December, which led the state to put these restrictions in place right after the New Year’s holidays. The restrictions end when the area for an additional seven days remains equal to or less than 15%, depending on the orders.
Health executives had tried to prevent the outbreak by recommending Austin Public Health’s stage 5 coronavirus restrictions, which required companies to operate at only 25 percent of capacity. However, state law prevented local authorities from requiring companies to do so.
“It’s great for our community,” Escott said of the possible changes on Saturday. “But, we continue to need this vigilance to protect ourselves and do the masking and distancing.”
As the outbreak recedes in Travis County, Escott said his goal will remain to vaccinate residents while the state continues to allocate doses for the area.
Escott said it would likely be months before everyone who currently qualifies for a vaccination in Austin and Travis County gets one, especially if the state moves forward with its plan to allow essential workers to start getting vaccinated.
Austin public health officials said if essential workers were allowed to get vaccinated along with those over the age of 65, they would likely put essential workers over the age of 65 on the front line.
Escott said he hopes the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which health officials say is easier to store and requires only a single dose to be fully inoculated, will soon receive emergency approval and help to speed up the vaccination process.
Austin public health officials announced on Friday that they plan to open a third vaccination site in northern Travis County to help make the vaccine more accessible throughout the Austin area. But the site won’t accept walk-in visits, Austin director of public health Stephanie Hayden-Howard said.
Residents can visit the Austin Public Health pre-registration website to register for a vaccination. Health officials will then call or message those who qualify and schedule an appointment for them once the vaccine is available.
Austin public health officials on Friday asked residents to stop frequently checking the site for appointments, saying someone would contact them to schedule one.
On Saturday, health officials will work to administer the last of 12,000 doses of Austin Public Health received from the state on Monday. In addition to the first doses received, Austin Public Health also administered a few second doses of the vaccine to healthcare workers, staff and residents of nursing homes.
Austin Public Health is expected to receive an additional 12,000 doses of the vaccine next week before the state begins sending larger shipments of second doses to some of the city’s 28,717 already vaccinated residents, according to Escott.
These patients will be contacted by email, text or phone call three to five days before the scheduled date for a second dose, Hayden-Howard said on Friday.
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