AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The Austin area is moving closer to Stage 5 in Austin Public Health's COVID-19 risk-based guidelines, with the 7-day moving average of new hospitalizations reaching a critical threshold of 50 new admissions a day.
That development - and a shortage of available intensive care beds - is causing local health officials to urge the community to act.
As of Friday afternoon, the 11-county Trauma Service Region O, which covers 2.3 million residents, only had 16 staffed ICU beds available.
“We are running out of time and our community must act now,” said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County Health Authority. “Our ICU capacity is reaching a critical point where the level of risk to the entire community has significantly increased, and not just to those who are needing treatment for COVID. If we fail to come together as a community now, we jeopardize the lives of loved ones who might need critical care.”
In a joint statement by Ascension Seton, Baylor Scott & White and St. David’s Healthcare, the hospitals noted, “The latest COVID-19 spike is putting extraordinary pressure on our hospitals, emergency departments and healthcare professionals, and it has further challenged hospital staffing due to a longstanding nursing shortage.”
In addition to the 7-day moving average of new hospital admissions, health officials are also monitoring other key indicators including the positivity rate of new COVID-19 cases, the doubling time of news cases, and the current number of patients in the ICU and on ventilators.
In just a week, the 7-day moving average of new hospitalizations has jumped more than 47%, from 34 to 50. The number of COVID patients in local ICUs is up 28%, from 91 people on July 23 to 117 people on July 30. Ventilator usage is up 38%, from 47 patients on July 23 to 65 people on July 30.
Health officials are urging vaccinated individuals to choose drive-through and curbside options for restaurants, stick to outdoor activities, return to limited social interactions, and socially distance and wear masks indoors. Those who are partially vaccinated or completely unvaccinated should avoid gatherings, travel, dining, and shopping, and wear a mask when conducting essential activities.
“We know our community has been resilient in fighting this pandemic over the last 18 months, and we are yet again calling on everyone to help one another by taking action that can slow this surge,” said Adrienne Sturrup, Interim APH Director. “Everyone is exhausted at this point, but we will continue to lose loved ones if we don’t heed the warnings the data is showing us and take the appropriate actions of getting vaccinated, wearing a mask, and staying home if we are sick.”