Health officials are pleading with Austinites to avoid gatherings and get tested for Covid-19 as cases and hospitalizations approach the same levels seen in June, right before the first surge. Over the past month, the Austin area doubled its moving average of new cases, hospital admissions and ICU admissions. Austin Public Health said the five-county […]
Austin Public Health
The regional health authority tasked with protecting Travis County residents from infectious disease and other environmental threats.
Posted inPublic Health
Austin’s seeing its highest Covid cases since August. Most of those cases are among younger people.
Active Covid-19 cases in Austin have hit their highest levels since August, a rise Austin Public Health officials have largely pinned on 20- to 39-year-olds. In an announcement Thursday morning, health officials said more than half of positive tests in the five-county Austin area were among folks within that age range and urged people who […]
Posted inPublic Health
City tracks $450M cost of Covid
About eight months in, the Covid-19 pandemic has cost the city $449.9 million. The total, according to an Oct. 30 memo from Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo, represents the initial $271.6 spending framework approved by City Council in May and “five months of actual spending, additional Council direction, refined federal guidance, new grant awards, […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin’s top doctor warns November Covid surge could be worse and last longer than the first
There is a 100 percent probability that the coronavirus epidemic is growing in the Austin metro area, according to modeling from the University of Texas Modeling Consortium. As other areas across Texas – most notably El Paso – experience new surges of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, the city’s interim health authority says Austinites must remain […]
Posted inAustin
Neighborhoods free to reimagine Halloween as APH lays out recommendations
Austin neighborhoods are working to reimagine Halloween, with families and households strategizing how to balance safety and fun in an effort to preserve the spooky holiday amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Austin Public Health issued a statement Oct. 9 regarding recommendations for celebrating Halloween this year. The recommendations are intended to help parents of young children and households […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin Public Health launches coalition to prepare for future Covid-19 vaccine distribution
Austin Public Health is gearing up for when a Covid-19 vaccine becomes available. The health authority announced Friday the launch of the Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution Coalition, a group of health care and community partners that will help APH develop strategies for distributing the vaccine. “Slowing the spread of Covid-19 in Austin-Travis County has been a […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin Public Health official says there’s a 96% chance the Covid-19 epidemic is growing in the area
Austin’s top doctor said Wednesday there’s a 96 percent chance the Covid-19 epidemic is growing in the area, up from about 90 percent the day before. “This is not an Election Day gimmick. This is real,” Dr. Mark Escott, interim health authority for Austin-Travis County, said during a news conference. “We spent several weeks over […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin Public Health official says governor relaxed capacity rules too soon
Lee esta historia en español. Austin Public Health’s interim health authority says he would have rather waited a few more weeks before easing capacity restrictions for businesses in the area. On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that many businesses, including restaurants, gyms and libraries, may open at 75 percent capacity beginning Monday. Dr. Mark Escott […]
Posted inPublic Health
Thousands of free masks and hand sanitizer will be given out in Travis County’s Covid-19 hot spots
Lee esta historia en español. Tens of thousands of face masks and bottles of hand sanitizer will be distributed for free in coronavirus hot spots in the Austin area, public health officials announced Wednesday. The distribution events, the first of which is scheduled for Friday, will be spread over the next several weeks in a […]
Posted inPublic Health
New Austin Public Health plan addresses Covid-19 disparities in Hispanic/Latinx community
Austin Public Health has revealed a new draft strategic plan to tackle disparities in Covid-19 cases in the city’s Hispanic/Latinx community. The plan, developed by the Hispanic/Latinx strike team within APH’s new Social Services Branch, is divided into four strategic goals: Outreach, Prevention, and Communication; Testing and Contact Tracing; Access to Quality Clinical Resources; and […]
Posted inPublic Health
Travis County expands public health orders to unincorporated areas, fines up to $500
The Commissioners Court unanimously approved an order Tuesday making Austin Public Health’s Health Authority Rules enforceable in unincorporated areas of Travis County. Individuals who do not abide by the local health authority’s pandemic mitigation plan may face fines of up to $500 or be subject to a civil lawsuit. Austin Public Health outlined rules earlier […]
Posted inCity Council
City prepares ordinances to tap brakes on reopening and slow virus spread
City Council approved two ordinances Thursday intended to bring local businesses into compliance with regulations near to Phase 1 of Gov. Greg Abbott’s reopening plan. “We can’t take the foot off the gas – we are not clear of this yet,” Mayor Steve Adler said at a special called meeting Thursday. “We are still in […]