AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin Public Health officials say the impact of the Thanksgiving holiday is being felt as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, prompting warnings as Christmas gets closer.
Travis County interim health authority Dr. Mark Escott and other APH officials offered their weekly media availability Wednesday morning.
Chief Epidemiologist Janet Pichette said the case numbers for Travis County are showing a direct impact from Thanksgiving. "We’re hearing story after story after story about families who gathered during Thanksgiving holidays," Pichette said. "They allowed people who lived outside of their immediate home — even if they were family members, they didn’t live in their home — and now multiple people are becoming ill."
As of Tuesday night, 257 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized across the five county metro area, with 82 patients in intensive care and 52 on ventilators. Approximately 2,789 COVID-19 cases are considered to be active.
Escott was also asked about his role in advising Austin Mayor Steve Adler prior to his daughter's wedding and his recent trip to Mexico in early November.
"Obviously things have changed since November," Escott said, noting that Adler's travel was not inconsistent with the Stage 3 guidelines that were in place at the time.
Adler has since issued a formal apology for his travel. "I know that my actions let down the community this week. I should not have taken the trip with my family. It was a bad choice, and I apologize," Adler said.
