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Hospital admissions and cases of coronavirus continue to rise, reaching levels Monday night that Travis County is likely to return to the stricter Phase 4 of Austin Public Health’s risk-based guidelines, according to Austin Public Health officials.
Austin and Travis County hit the threshold to enter Phase 4 Monday night, when the seven-day average for new daily hospital admissions is between 30 and 49. The average on Monday was 30, according to the city’s dashboard.
Austin Public Health’s guidelines – from lowest threat of coronavirus spread at level 1 to highest threat at level 5 – have been used for about a year to help residents understand the level of coronavirus risk to the community , while offering guidelines that they should follow to avoid transmission or contagion of the disease.
More:4 cases of delta variants confirmed; Austin will return to level 3 COVID guidelines as cases increase
In addition to the average number of new admissions, Austin area health officials are also monitoring the seven-day average for new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, every day. On Monday night the average was 159, compared to just 33 in early July.
Under Level 4, Austin Public Health would recommend fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks again when gathering in groups indoors and outdoors, when shopping, dining, or traveling. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents should no longer gather in groups and only shop, eat and travel when absolutely necessary.
Level 4 business owners can still choose whether or not to require their customers to wear masks. Dr. Austin-Travis County’s health department Desmar Walkes said Friday it had no immediate plans to try to restore the previous mask mandate that required companies to have a mask wear policy.
More:3 Texas Democrats test positive for COVID-19 in Washington, DC
Walkes is likely to speak about the possible Phase 4 move during the Travis County Commissioners Court session at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Walkes had said Friday that the surge in hospital admissions, along with an increase in confirmed cases, is likely due to a highly contagious mutation in the virus that is spreading across the country known as the Delta variant.
Austin and Travis Counties have confirmed four cases of the Delta variant in residents. However, it is likely that there are more cases of the variant in the region as the state did not fully test for the mutation on Monday, according to local health officials.
The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle Walensky warned last week that almost all hospital admissions and deaths across the country are among those who haven’t been vaccinated, according to a report released Friday by the Associated Press. Walensky called the crisis “a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the report said.
Walkes said Friday that most Austin and Travis Counties hospital stays are also not vaccinated.
More:Austin area health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated amid concerns about the Delta variant
As of Monday night, 71.6% of Travis County’s residents 12 and older had received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Of these, 61.9% are fully vaccinated.
Austin public health officials say between 70 and 90% of all Austin and Travis Counties residents need to be fully vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity, which means the virus is unlikely to spread easily any further as enough People are immune.
Herd immunity is important because it protects young children who cannot be vaccinated, as well as people who have been vaccinated but are still at risk of becoming infected due to a weakened immune system.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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