Austin-Travis County health officials on Tuesday said 380 more people in the area tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the largest single-day increase in cases since July 21, when the county reported 603 cases.
County health officials have been warning residents about social gatherings throughout the holidays after a rising number of cases and hospitalizations were reported throughout November.
According to data provided on the Austin-Travis County online coronavirus dashboard, the county saw more new cases in November than in the two previous months combined.
The county reported 6,234 new coronavirus cases throughout November, compared to 2,627 cases in October and 2,998 in September.
As of Tuesday, 38,757 people in the area have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to health authorities.
Austin-Travis County’s online dashboard for local coronavirus-related data can be found here.
Local health authorities also reported a new coronavirus-related fatality on Tuesday.The county’s pandemic death tollis now 484.
The county’s number of active cases rose from 2,551 on Monday to 2,666 on Tuesday, officials said.
As of Tuesday, the number of estimated recoveries in the county was 35,607, according to local health officials.
Of the 234 people in Austin-area hospitals on Tuesday, 71 were in intensive care and 43 were on ventilators.
County health officials on Tuesday also reported that 45 more people with COVID-19 have been admitted to Austin-area hospitals. The area’s seven-day rolling average of new hospitalizations on Tuesday was 30 — a slight decrease from 31.7 on Monday.
The record for the highest seven-day average number of new hospitalizations for the Austin-Travis County area stands at 75.1, reported on July 8.
The seven-day rolling average of new hospital admissions is one of the main factors health officials look at when considering coronavirus-related restrictions in the city.
Of those who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the pandemic, 47% were Hispanic, according to recent Austin data. Non-Hispanic whites made up about 34% of cases; 7% are Black and 3% are Asian.
According to the 2019 census estimates, the county is about 49% non-Hispanic white, 9% Black and 7.4% Asian, and 33.6% of the population is Hispanic.
On Tuesday, Austin-Travis County health officials said they are still eyeing the impact of social gatherings over the Thanksgiving break.
Local health officials have released pandemic-related safety guidelines for holiday gatherings and activities. The area has also entered into Stage 4 of Austin Public Health’s risk-based guidelines.
Under renewed Stage 4 guidelines:
– Higher-risk individuals (those older than 65 and those who have chronic medical conditions) should limit social gatherings to no more than two people outside their household. They should stay home, except for essential trips such as buying groceries or receiving medical care.
– Lower-risk individuals should avoid social gatherings with more than 10 people and non-essential travel.
– Business and restaurant owners are encouraged to voluntarily reduce capacity by 25% to 50%.
– Schools are encouraged to limit attendance at sporting events to players, coaches and parents.
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