After SXSW, numbers show a slight uptick in new COVID-19 infections – KVUE.com

The local threat level remains at Stage 2 across the area as hospitalizations remain low.

AUSTIN, Texas Data from Austin Public Health showed a 47% rise in coronavirus transmission rates Monday, a week after the conclusion of South by Southwest and just a day after the end of Dell Match Play and NASCARs events at Circuit of the Americas.

In spite of this pattern, hospitalizations remain low 41 people were in Austin-area hospitals for COVID as of Monday.

A report from KVUEs news partners at the Austin-American Statesman explains that Austin Public Health officials use community transmission rates as a key indicator to develop risk-based guidelines. Those numbers track new cases per 100,000 residents, which APH officials say were more accurate than hospitalization numbers in assessing risk during the delta variant outbreak.

On Friday, the transmission rate was 37.8 before jumping to 61.1 on Sunday. As of Monday, that rate sat at 55.7.

More people also tested positive for COVID over the last few days, with the rate jumping from 4% on Friday to 6.3% at the start of the week.

Last week, municipal leaders lifted all COVID-19 orders related to mask use in most city spaces and the risk level remains at Stage 2.

State health officials reported nine new deaths from COVID as of Monday.

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After SXSW, numbers show a slight uptick in new COVID-19 infections - KVUE.com