AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- With vaccinations rising and new cases of COVID-19 continuing to decline, Austin-Travis County health leaders say the area could fall to the Stage 2 risk level by next week.
Local health leaders including Dr. Mark Escott, the City of Austin's chief medical officer, gave an update to the media on COVID-19 response Friday morning.
Escott said even though the risk level may be going down and some health authority rules may be relaxed, the community needs to continue to focus on getting vaccinated and wearing masks.
The 7-day moving average of new hospitalizations, one of the key metrics Austin Public Health uses to determine the area's COVID-19 risk, is down to 15.7 as of Friday morning. Officials say the number of new COVID-19 cases is down 50% since last week, and roughly 60% of Travis County's population ages 16 and older has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The two APH mass vaccination sites - at the Toney Burger Activity Center in southwest Austin, and the Delco Center in northeast Austin - are now accepting walk-ups without an appointment. Residents can call 311 to check on times and locations.
