Numbers tracking the coronavirus pandemic in the Austin area have stopped improving and could worsen, new projections show. The projections, released Friday by UT’s Covid-19 Modeling Consortium, show lines flattening in the weeks ahead and possibly rising. The consortium reports a 32 percent probability that the pandemic will worsen here and a reproduction number of […]
Public Health
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Local organizations step up to expand vaccine access in East Austin
Michele Rountree had reservations about getting the COVID-19 vaccine at first. But the more research she did, the better she began to feel. And when she heard the African American Youth Harvest Foundation was hosting a walk-in vaccine clinic, something clicked. She had known about the organization since she moved to Austin more than a […]
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Austin’s top doctor says possible Covid surge unlikely to overload area hospitals
New Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in the area are declining, but they are still well within the threshold to keep Austin and Travis County at stage 3 of Austin Public Health’s risk-based guidelines. The city’s interim medical director previously had said numbers might drop low enough to move down to stage 2 by mid-April. That […]
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Austin Public Health had 2,800 Covid vaccine appointments left open Thursday
Austin Public Health opened up Covid-19 vaccine appointments Thursday evening, but by the end of the night, it still had 2,800 appointments available, raising questions about how the agency is distributing doses. This is the second week in a row it has had unclaimed appointments after a Thursday night release. Though the state opened up […]
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Austin Public Health leaders ask community to consider virtual Easter celebrations
Austin Public Health leaders are asking the community to consider celebrating Easter week differently than normal to avoid a third surge of Covid-19 cases. During a news conference Wednesday, interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott encouraged people to take part in virtual church services instead of gathering in person. He said those who do choose […]
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Health officials urge Austinites to get tested for Covid if they traveled over spring break
About a quarter of adults in Travis County have gotten at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and the Austin area is seeing record-low numbers of coronavirus cases. But health officials were clear at a news conference Friday morning: “We’re not out of the woods yet.” There are at least two Covid-19 variants now […]
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Austin Public Health to release 4K vaccine appointments Thursday, including for group 1C
Austin Public Health reopened Covid-19 vaccine appointment signups Thursday night, after technical problems Monday left many people frustrated and still waiting for a shot. APH will be releasing about 4,000 appointments to eligible individuals, including those in the 1C group, according to a spokesperson for the department. The 1C group, people 50 and older, became […]
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Austin Public Health to launch pilot drive-thru vaccine site
Austin Public Health is planning to launch a drive-thru vaccination site at Toney Burger Activity Center in South Austin on Saturday. Plans for the pilot program aren’t finalized, but the health department expects to administer 1,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine. APH spokesperson Jen Samp said the site will help improve accessibility. “This way those […]
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Sendero survey finds demographic gaps in willingness to get Covid vaccines
A study of at-risk residents in the Austin area shows large numbers of respondents willing to take a Covid-19 vaccine, with African American and Latino populations showing much more vaccine hesitancy. The survey was conducted in November and December last year among members of the Sendero Health Plans, with just over 1,600 responses received. Nearly […]
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Thousands still waiting for vaccine appointments after Austin Public Health scheduling snafu
People trying to sign up for their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine Monday night faced hourslong delays and were even booted from the queue to get an appointment through Austin Public Health’s site. The glitches were so bad, the health authority had to pull the plug on scheduling. It said it’s working on a […]
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ADRN distributes 25,000 articles of clothing donated by Uniqlo
Last month, Texas endured a historic winter storm that left millions of people across the state without access to power. At one point during the week of Feb. 15, as many as 40 percent of Austin residents were without power. But as anybody on the ground could observe, things didn’t immediately return to normal as soon as […]
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Here’s what you should know as more people in Austin get vaccinated against Covid-19
As vaccinations ramp up a year into the coronavirus pandemic, there finally seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. But we’re not in the clear yet. Morning Edition host Jennifer Stayton talked with KUT’s health care reporter, Ashley Lopez, about what our lives are going to be like as more people […]