Page 33 - Mark Escott News Today

Back in May, as the coronavirus pandemic appeared to be intensifying, Austin Public Health unveiled a five-stage chart that would not only provide instructions on how to stay safe but also indicate how much we needed to change life as we once knew it. It established threat levels for those at high risk of experiencing severe symptoms of COVID-19, the disease linked to the coronavirus. Those include people older than 65 or people with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, k...

PRESS RELEASE AUSTIN, TX—Earlier last week, the first round of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Austin-Travis County, through direct shipments to area healthcare facilities. As part of the 1a vaccine distribution group as designated by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) expected shipments of vaccinations for their front-line EMTs and paramedics to arrive in late December, with the goal of rolling out the vaccine to their ...

"This is a critical moment for the community," Escott said. "We must decrease the spread of the virus in the community now. We cannot allow another increase in cases and hospitalizations following the upcoming holidays. Our hospitals will become overwhelmed and people will needlessly die." Travis County Judge Andy Brown echoed the cries for caution and called on businesses to voluntarily limit occupancy, move to contactless operations and not operate between 10:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. Business restr...

Vaccine freezer, Christmas cheer, Iditarod trail switch: News from around our 50 states Read full article December 23, 2020, 9:03 PM·43 min read Oops! Alabama Opelika: At East Alabama Medical Center, located about 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, nurses and doctors who have spent months caring for the ill, are doing what they can to get through the holiday season, which many fear will only spread the disease and add to the U.S. death toll that has surpassed 300,000. That means staff members c...

"We are very concerned about the bars operating as restaurants." Dr. Mark Escott stressed that if bars follow the rules – including keeping patrons seated, at safe distances, and masked – then they hope to avoid implementing a curfew. “It’s not the places; it’s the behavior,” Mayor Steve Adler added. (photo by John Anderson) Austin Public Health announced today that the city and county have moved into Stage 5 – the highest level of local pandemic restriction...

.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... AUSTIN, Texas — Health officials in the Texas state capital on Wednesday again urged people to avoid holiday gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus, as hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients soared heading into the Christmas weekend. There is such a high rate of transmission in Austin that...

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise locally, Austin Public Health leaders are urging residents to avoid gathering outside of their households this holiday season. Health officials continue to cite the outsized impact of Thanksgiving gatherings on the spread of disease in Central Texas. As of Dec. 21, cases are up 86% since the beginning of the month, according to Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott. While Austins positivity rate has fluctuated little over the last tw...

Nadia Chaudhury/EATX During a press conference this morning, city officials announced that Austin and Travis County has been bumped up to Stage 5 of the city’s risk-based COVID-19 restrictions for the first time during the pandemic. Under Stage 5 recommendations, restaurants and bars are asked to roll back to only takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery services, which means shutting down their indoor dining areas. These businesses are also asked to limit their outdoor dining capacities to 50 ...

Dozens of Austin bars fined for violating COVID-19 safety rules Dozens of Austin bars fined for violating COVID-19 safety rules Twenty-five Austin bars recently cited and fined for violating COVID-19 safety rules. Photo by Daniel Cavazos Austin and Travis County have again reached Stage 5 — the highest level of COVID-19 community risk — and more than two dozen Austin bars are in hot water for violating local and state safety rules. Interim Medical Director and Health Authority Dr. Mark ...

KUT Signs in the hallway of the Liberal Arts and Science Academy tell people to wear masks and wash their hands. Austin and Travis County have moved into stage 5 restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, officials announced at a news conference Wednesday. At this level, residents are urged to stay home and businesses are asked to limit capacity and operate only through curbside and delivery if possible. Austin Public Healths interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott said the community had...