Austin moves to COVID Stage 4. Here’s what it means to you.
Decreases in hospitalizations and COVID-19 infections got the Austin area public health officials to move the area to Phase 4 of their pandemic guidelines, indicating a lower threat level for coronavirus.
The Austin area had been in Phase 5 of Austin Public Health’s risk-based guidelines, reflecting the most severe level of viral spread, since January 6, 2021, when the region was seized by the highly transmissible omicron variant of coronavirus.
“With omicron, we saw test numbers and positivity rates that exceeded our previous records during the pandemic,” said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County Health Authority, in a statement Thursday. “This increase posed a threat to our hospital systems and our society as a whole.”
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The rise in omicron cases peaked in mid-January, when as many as 1 in 3 COVID-19 tests taken by Austin Public Health were positive, officials said, leading to widespread labor shortages and infections among children.
What phase of COVID is Austin in? What changes under the Step 4 guidelines?
At the practical level, not much changes in phase 4.
Austin Public Health, after switching a level down from step 5, would not recommend masking in public to anyone regardless of vaccination status.
However, if trends continue to decline at the same pace, it is possible for the Austin area to be within the threshold of Phase 3 – when the rules change significantly – within the next few weeks.
However, the most significant change that will occur during stage 4 is for those who are up to date on their vaccinations but who still have a high risk of severe symptoms of the disease.
Austin Public Health says it will be safe enough for these individuals to gather, travel if necessary, eat indoors and shop indoors if they wear a mask.
Another change is for those who are not up to date on their vaccinations. These residents of the Austin area will be able to safely make important trips and purchases if they wear a mask, according to the guidelines.
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The exciting news about a shift back to Phase 4 is, in fact, how close the area is to Phase 3, where most of the major changes regarding masking and social distancing are happening.
During step 3, those who are updated on their vaccines will be able to deworm with others outdoors and when eating and shopping indoors. Those in this category, but also at high risk, should only be unmasked during outdoor gatherings.
A shift to step 3 will also allow those who are not up to date on their vaccines to safely resume all normal activities if they are masked. Those in this category, but at high risk, should only travel, shop, eat and gather as needed, even if they are masked.
The story continues below.
Why switch to COVID-19 Stage 4 in Austin?
The agency on Thursday recorded a seven-day average of new daily hospitalizations of 29, down from 31 the day before. This figure, a key indicator for determining the stage of the Agency’s risk – based guidelines, was well within the threshold for Phase 4, which is when the seven – day average new daily admissions are between 25 and 50.
Thursday’s numbers also continued the dramatic drop from the pandemic record of 129, which was set a little more than a month since January 19th.
Walkes has also monitored society’s transmission rate, which is another key indicator used to measure society’s risk of getting the virus.
Society’s transmission rate, which tracks new cases per 100,000 people over seven days, was 82.6 on Thursday, down from 91.1 the day before. The number must remain between 50 and 99 to be within the threshold for step 4.
A third key indicator, the COVID-19 testing positivity rate, fell to 8.7% – the first time the rate has been below 10% this year.
“It is thanks to the many community members who were vaccinated, continue to wear masks and follow safe practices that our numbers are moving in the right direction,” Walke said Thursday.
Austin Public Health also sought to remind the community that “the risk-based guidelines correlate with five different risk levels for Austin-Travis County and are not changes to local regulations or corporate regulations.”
The guidelines are for “individual actions and behaviors based on levels of risk to exposure in society,” the agency said in a statement. “Everyone should continue to follow any additional requirements imposed by local businesses, venues and schools, regardless of stage or person’s vaccination status.”
Austin Public Health said a laboratory this week confirmed the first case of the BA.2 subvariant of omicron in the Austin area. The BA.2 sub-variant is 39% more transferable than omicron, according to research, the agency said. But vaccines and boosters still offer the best protection against coronavirus and its current variants, officials added.
Austin COVID vaccine and test information
Although key metrics are improving, Austin Public Health continued to encourage everyone to keep wearing masks, keep social distance and stay up to date with vaccines and boosters.
“We can not just make this virus go away because we are ready to return to normal,” Austin Public Health Director Adrienne Sturrup said in a statement Thursday. “We have to stay the course and that means being boosted.”
Sturrup added that each APH clinic offers all three vaccines and their respective boosters.
• People can find vaccine providers usingVaccines.gov (Vacunas.gov in Spanish) or by writing their zip code to 438829 (822862 in Spanish) to find a nearby clinic.
• Austin Public Health clinics offer COVID-19 vaccinations and tests without an appointment, but officials recommend setting up an account online to save time.
COVID-19 vaccinations are free of charge and do not require identification or insurance. For more information and to schedule an appointment, call 311 or 512-974-2000 or visit AustinTexas.gov/COVID19.
• People who are asymptomatic or experience minor symptoms can inquire about testing options by calling 211 or 877-541-7905 or by visiting 211texas.org.