AUSTIN (KXAN) — At Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, Austin Public Health interim medical director Dr. Mark Escott told the court at least one person in Travis County is being tested for possible novel coronavirus.
No tests have come back positive for the virus, he said.
“The risk, as of today, is low,” he said regarding the spread of the virus.
Dr. Escott said when APH has confirmed cases, they will share more details.
“We are not going to provide the number or details of people under investigation because it could be many different things other than COVID-19,” he said.
He also stressed that people shouldn’t let the outbreak control what they do.
“This is not ebola,” he said. “This is not even SARS or MERS. It has serious implications, but not everyone is hospitalized. It’s critical to implement personal hygiene measures and understand the risks.”
In a report from the World Health Organization-China Joint Mission on the disease, Dr. Escott said the rate of transmission with those who come in contact with someone infected with the virus is 1-5%.
“Only 1-5% of those people, who had contact with people with confirmed cases, get sick,” he said. “That’s reassuring news that it’s not aerisolized, and that it requires close and likely prolonged contact in order for transmission to happen.”
He also said that 80% of the total cases are mild.
“The vast majority of the people with this aren’t hospitalized,” he said.
When asked about potentially cancelling South by Southwest because of the virus, Dr. Escott doesn’t think it should be cancelled unless “there is evidence of person-to-person spread within the community.”
“There is not strong evidence that cancelling mass gatherings breaks the train of transmission of disease,” he said.
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