austonia newsletter
Most viewed
The Austin Convention Center, which has been prepared as a field hospital should local facilities need more space, will not open yet.
"We've delayed to some extent the opening of the alternate care site to ensure that the hospitals are getting the staff they need to support their efforts before we staff the ACS," Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott told county commissioners on Tuesday.
Hospitalization rates in the Austin area have stabilized recently, with overall hospital occupancy falling slightly. ICU occupancy may be a different story—it was reported at 89% at the end of last week at the same time that social media posts appeared with accounts of stretched resources—but the field hospital is not meant for patients that need a high level of care.
"[Hospital capacity is] not going in an upward direction anymore, but the hospitals are impacted right now," Dr. Escott told commissioners. "Our health care workers, our nurses, our physicians, our allied health professionals in the hospitals are busy, and they're tired."
Because of more severe outbreaks in southern Texas, Austin will likely need to recruit workers from outside of the state. "I think the funds are available," Dr. Escott said. "The challenge is finding the people."
(Austin Public Health)
Mayor Steve Adler told CBS Austin that the convention center facility may still be needed in the future, and he tweeted yesterday to encourage nurses and skilled technicians to sign up to help with pandemic response.
We need available nurses and skilled technicians to register as volunteers to help with #COVID19 response. Register… https://t.co/lEib4AAxdg— Mayor Adler | 😷wear a mask. (@Mayor Adler | 😷wear a mask.)1595286199.0
This article has been updated with new information.
- Reddit users describe full ICUs and morgues in Austin hospitals ... ›
- Austin prepares field hospital, changes strategy amid surge - austonia ›
- Austin's COVID surge, Texas' reopening and hospital capacity ... ›
- Austin prepares Convention Center as a COVID field hospital ... ›
- Austin City Council to move ahead on convention center expansion - austonia ›
- Austin officials prepare COVID field hospital amid 2nd surge - austonia ›
Popular
Project Connect is starting to take shape, Capitol Metro announced, and officially beginning with the scoping phase that includes an environmental report set to go on from now to 2022.
Want to know more about our city? Join Austonia and two special guests for our first 'live event'
Register here...
Austin City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who represents District 2 in Southeast Austin, and Travis County Judge Andy Brown tour the Austin Region Infusion Center earlier this month.
The COVID-19 therapeutic infusion center in South Austin is expanding.
The pop-up center opened outside of the Montopolis CommUnity Care location on Jan. 6 with nine infusion chairs and monoclonal antibody treatments donated by area hospitals. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that the center will now offer 33 infusion chairs, thanks to additional support provided by the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
- We Are Blood requests funding for convalescent plasma program ... ›
- Antibody tests show up in Austin, but not all are FDA approved ... ›
- Plasma may help COVID-19, Austin doctors say as they join national ... ›
- Austin opens COVID monoclonal antibodies infusion center - austonia ›