AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County and City of Austin health leaders said Tuesday that we’re seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases, and hospitalizations have nearly doubled following the Fourth of July holiday.
“We’re seeing more cases, and there have been reports of more cases being seen in the pediatric population and those under 18,” Dr. Desmar Walkes, who is now the health authority for Austin-Travis County, said in Travis County commissioners court Tuesday.
Dr. Walkes said she suspects many of those cases come from family gatherings, especially over the holiday weekend. Children under the age of 12 are not yet approved to be vaccinated.
Dr. Walkes also talked about the delta variant, saying they have not confirmed cases of the variant in Travis County but assume it’s present.
“We do know that it is in Central Texas and many counties have confirmed cases, so we assume that we do have it here and that’s particularly evident in that our case numbers are starting to rise,” Dr. Walkes said.
A little more than 50 percent of people in Travis County are now fully vaccinated.
“I am stressing to everyone that can hear the sound of my voice, it is important to get vaccinated,” Dr. Walkes said.
The health authority reported Tuesday that 333 people who have been fully vaccinated in Travis County have still caught the virus. Only 14 of those people were admitted to a hospital, according to Dr. Walkes.
“People are still dying,” commissioner Jeff Travillion said after hearing from health leaders. “Everybody who wants a shot can get a shot, and can get a free shot, and we’ll come as close to you as we possibly can. This is not over.”
Williamson County also reports COVID-19 spread
The announcement from Travis County officials comes less than 24-hours after Williamson County announced it was dealing with a high rate of COVID-19 transmission.
Williamson county is now at the Orange level of transmission, which is the second-highest level. The highest level, red, means there’s uncontrolled community spread. That does not change local rules or regulations for businesses; they are guidelines for individual actions and behaviors based on levels of risk of exposure in the community.
“Vaccination remains the single most proven effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19 and our best tool to end the pandemic,” Allison Stewart, WCCHD Lead Epidemiologist said Monday. “With the increase in variant infections, and waning immunity from those previously infected, this is a critical time for our community to protect themselves and their families by getting vaccinated.”
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day.
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