Austin-Travis County Marks the 900th Death Due to COVID-19 – AustinTexas.gov

Austin, TexasAs theCOVID-19viruscontinues to surge, especially areaswhere vaccination ratesare stagnating,Austin-Travis Countyyesterdaysurpassedthe grim milestone of900 COVID-19 deaths.

Just this monthin July, over 4,150 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases and 19COVID-19-relateddeaths have been reported to Austin Public Health(APH).Thedata andsciencecontinues to show thatvaccinations arethe most effectiveavailabletool toprevent severe illness, death, andtostop thecontinuedspreadand mutationof this deadly disease.

"We must work together to prevent more deaths from COVID-19,"said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County Health Authority. OneCOVID-19 relateddeathistoo many;we are mourning 900loved ones.Iimploreour community togetvaccinated and follow the basic precautions we know work: wear a mask, socially distance, wash your hands regularly, and stay home if you are sick.

Local deaths rangein age from peopleas young as 20 to over80yearsofage,butareconcentrated among those who areover 60 years old. TheAPH surveillance dashboardprovides more information on the demographics of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.AlthoughAustin-Travis Countyreachedits milestone ofvaccinating 70% of residents with one dose of the vaccineon July7,the rate of vaccination has stalled inrecent weeks.Hospitals haveseen a surge of new cases and admissions among the unvaccinated.

"One simple actcan help avert needlesstragedy.Get vaccinated," said InterimAustin Public Health Director Adrienne Sturrup."The resourcesare in your neighborhoodto protect you, your family, and your community.Whetherit bevaccinations,testing,ormasking -together, we canstop this pandemic now.

Austin-Travis County is inStage 4of theRisk-Based Guidelines

Austin-Travis County iscurrently in Stage4 butcould move to Stage 5as hospitalizationscontinuerise.

TheAPH Risk-Based Guidelines chartoutlines recommended behavior for individuals at different stages of community spread.The most recent guidelines recommend everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks and follow the basic protocols of social distancing and handwashing.

These guidelines applyatgatherings, dining, shoppingand traveling. Thoseunvaccinated shouldtestfor COVID-19 and ifthetest results are negative,and it is medically feasible,get thevaccineas soon as possible.

Testing Information -Showingsymptoms? Exposed to apositivecase? Gettested andquarantine.

APH manages testing sitesand mobile clinicsacross Austin and Travis County.Appointments are not required for the two testing sites currently openhowever,individualsare encouraged toschedule a COVID-19 testing appointment.

Those whodo not have access to the internetcan call 3-1-1to complete theassessment. Testing is also available through localpharmacies. Thosewithhealthinsurance should call their doctor or insurance company to review their options.

Vaccinations are freeand at a location nearby. No identification is required.

COVID-19 vaccinations are free anddo not requireidentification nor insurance.Residents can locate providers in their area usingVaccines.govor they can text their zip code to 438829 (822862 in Spanish) tofind a nearby clinic.

For additional business guidance, visitwww.ATXrecovers.comfor recommendations to help prioritize thehealth and safetyof employees and customers.

Additional information regarding COVID-19, testing, and vaccinations can be found atAustinTexas.gov/COVID19.

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Austin-Travis County Marks the 900th Death Due to COVID-19 - AustinTexas.gov