COVID: Past Delta’s Peak, A Return to Stage 3: Nearly 72% of vaccine-eligible Travis County residents are fully vaccinated – News

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A COVID-19 vaccine tent at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 2nd (Photo by John Anderson)

Earlier this week, Austin and Travis County fell back to Level 3 of their local risk-based COVID-19 guidelines as the number of people hospitalized for the disease continued to decline across central Texas. The last time Austin was in Phase 3 was between March and May before that unprecedented spike this summer was fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant and low vaccination rates.

Since the peak of the spike in August, the seven-day moving average of COVID-19 hospital admissions – the key metric Austin Public Health relies on to assess local risk levels – has declined by more than 60%, as has ICU hospital admissions . “Although our numbers are dramatically better than they were at the height of this surge, we must continue to get involved,” said health authority Dr. Desmar Walkes calling for masking vigilance and social distancing as Austin goes into winter flu season.

The overwhelming majority of hospitalized patients are not fully vaccinated, although some qualified, high-risk individuals can now receive booster vaccinations. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, as of October 13, nearly 72% of Travis County’s eligible residents were fully vaccinated.

At Level 3, fully vaccinated individuals can attend private outdoor gatherings and dine and shop without masking if the company allows. However, it is recommended that you mask yourself for indoor gatherings and travel. Fully vaxxed high risk individuals should wear a mask when eating indoors. Health officials strongly recommend that those who are not fully vaccinated use a mask when attending private outdoor gatherings, eating, shopping, and traveling.

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