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(Bert Cash/CC)
A sigh of relief was felt by Willie Nelson fans everywhere after the music legend posted on social media he received the COVID-19 vaccine.
<p>In a Facebook post yesterday, Nelson shared photos of himself getting the vaccine after Family Hospital Systems originally posted the 87-year-old getting vaccinated on its Facebook page. He encouraged Austinites to get the vaccine and protect the community when they are able.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="677220158c3d78606a2e531233737557"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/WillieNelson/posts/10159250800663453"></div></div><p>Although Nelson didn't specify whether or not this was his first dose, fans of his were just glad to see him protected.<br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dd2df3f3f01fbb909eb0b6beec639a6e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="6f39e" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ1NDkxNC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzgyNTcyMX0.UI1FgVrzpf6hS7-xcUukoe3FE99PH1DuWHTG4GjvbqU/img.png?width=980"/>
</p><p><br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1c06d3c554ca1629110b1b5ae7e81f24" id="741ac"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349805327466823680"><div style="margin:1em 0">if anybody needs some good news today @WillieNelson got his covid vaccine 😍😍😍 https://t.co/mIShGtswIA</div> — Margo Price (@Margo Price)<a href="https://twitter.com/MissMargoPrice/statuses/1349805327466823680">1610653642.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Nelson has been making headlines all week with South by Southwest announcing yesterday that the singer would make a keynote speech for the first time at this year's virtual festival.<br/></p>
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Popular
(Pexels)
After reaching a grim milestone of two million COVID-19 cases on Thursday, Texas became the state with the second-highest number of cases, trailing just behind California, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
<p>At 2,040,751 total cases throughout Texas and a 13.33% positivity rate, California's total case count of 2,843,062 tops the U.S., however its overall positivity is only 7.55% in the state. On top of that, the death count between Texas and California is nearly identical: 31,277 and 31,684 deaths respectively.</p><p>Travis County makes up about 2.9% of the overall caseload, with 58,286 cases and a current 16.2% positivity rate. Travis County is currently experiencing its worst surge to date, although still behind other big Texas cities.</p><p>Austin officials have been hitting a disconnect on what regulations are best to help quell the surge; Escott has been calling for a stronger lockdown until the virus is under control, while state officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott, are worried about the effect another lockdown will have on businesses.</p><p>However, offering a glimmer of hope of the end of the pandemic, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced Thursday that Texas had also become the first state to administer more than one million vaccines, exactly one month and one day after receiving the first doses.</p><p>"Texas is leading the way for our nation once again," Abbott said. "This is the biggest vaccination effort we have ever undertaken and it would not be possible without the dedication and tireless efforts of our healthcare workers. We still have a long road ahead of us but Texans continue to prove that we are up to this challenge."</p><p>During a press conference yesterday, Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott said it is imperative that people continue safe practices until they can get the vaccine, which could be a while with a shortage of doses to go around. Ultimately, Escott said, masking and distancing will have to be kept up until the vaccine is more widely available.</p><p>"While we're all frustrated about the numbers of vaccines that we have available, we have something else that works very well and it's those protective measures: the masking, the distancing, the handwashing, it prevents disease also," Escott said. "It's going to have to continue until we can get a substantial portion of our population vaccinated."</p><p>To help alleviate the strain on hospitals, Austin Public Health officials announced the opening of an <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-covid-field-hospital" target="_self">alternate care site</a> at the Austin Convention Center that can accept COVID-19 patients to free up ICU beds. Additionally, the city has rolled out infusion sites to treat recently-diagnosed patients without serious symptoms. </p><p>Escott said Austin could run out of ICU beds any day now and hospitals are currently seeing the repercussions from holiday celebrations.</p><p>"Right now, when we are facing unprecedented surge, unprecedented transmission of disease in our community, which is uncontrolled, we have to work together as a community to drive down the disease spread and flatten the curve again, to put our hospitals in a better situation and buy us time to get more people vaccinated," Escott said. </p>
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Dr. Anthony Fauci discussed what he hopes the U.S. learned in the pandemic, while being honored at The University of Texas's Ken Shine Lectureship.
<p>The annual lecture held on Thursday by Dell Medical School at UT Austin features the winner of the Ken Shine Prize in Health and Leadership—this year, Dr. Fauci was the honoree.</p><p>"You've been a shining light for those of us in our communities that have been working hard to advance science and without you, I think many of us would have felt really completely abandoned," said Dell Medical School's Dean Clay Johnson of Dr. Fauci's leadership. </p><p>Throughout the pandemic, Dr. Fauci has been the voice of reason for many and has pushed for more effective COVID-19 projects and procedures every step of the way. Moving forward, he hopes people don't soon forget the damage caused by a lack of preparedness.</p><p>"I would hope that we do not forget that and realize that we really do have to take a serious look at pandemic preparedness," said Dr. Fauci in the Zoom-facilitated lecture. "Including the ability to do massive testing, including the ability to restrengthen our local public health system."</p><p>While he never laid out any new plans for the forward movement of handling COVID-19, Dr. Fauci certainly had some ideas on how to increase readiness for catastrophes in the future and how the next administration can better inform Americans. In the discussion, he suggested putting out a consistent message.</p><p>"When you have a consistent message from leadership, from those who implement, it becomes much easier because there are no chinks in the armor, no gaps that people can capitalize on," Dr. Fauci said.</p><p>He went on to speak about a closer working relationship between the states and the federal government. While Dr. Fauci believes there have been "some successes" in that area, there is still significant improvement to be made.</p><p>At the end of the lecture, Ken Shine, M.D., former Vice Chancellor for health affairs at the University of Texas System and the man whose name the award bears, was also in attendance and said the closing words in honor of Dr. Fauci:</p><p>"In terms of the integrity ... and the candor and the honesty which you represent, those are values, which are critical to our society. No matter how, what area we're talking about, those are values, which you represent to the nth degree."</p>
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Everything you need to know about the (chaotic) COVID vaccine rollout in Austin right now
13 January
(Ascension Seton)
Halfway through the fifth week of the vaccine rollout in Texas, eligible Austin residents continue to report long waitlists, line cutters and confusion as they try to access shots.
Here are answers to some of your most pressing questions at this stage.
<p><br/></p>
1. Austin Public Health debuted a pre-registration portal for its supply for 12,000 COVID vaccines on Wednesday. Are they any spots left?
<p>Probably not. </p><p>APH debuted <a href="https://www.austintexas.gov/aph-vaccine-reg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a pre-registration portal</a> for its remaining doses on Wednesday morning. By 11 a.m., more than 20,000 residents had signed up for appointments, far outnumbering the number of available doses. And the portal was experiencing technical issues because of high demand. </p><p>APH is a safety net provider and focused on distributing its vaccine supply to the area's most vulnerable residents, including those who are uninsured, who live in poverty and who lack access to transportation as well as communities of color, which have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. APH encourages people with private insurance to contact their primary care provider about being vaccinated.</p><p>The Texas Department of State Health Services allocated 12,000 doses to APH as part of this week's allocation. By Tuesday, APH had administered around 4,000 of those doses to individuals in group 1A, which includes frontline healthcare workers, long-term care facility residents and first responders, and some in group 1B, which includes people 65 years of age and older and those with a chronic medical condition. </p><p>Until the state distributes more doses to APH, those on the waitlist will have to be patient, local public health officials said.</p>2. How is APH ensuring that those getting vaccinated are eligible members of the priority groups?
<p>APH is relying on residents to determine their own eligibility for the vaccine at this stage and to be truthful in their pursuit of a shot.</p><p>"We can't check a blood sugar (level) on someone to prove that they have diabetes," EMS System Deputy Medical Director Dr. Jason Pickett said. </p><p>Local public health officials pleaded with the public to respect the priority groups and not jump ahead in the line.</p><p>"We're asking people to follow the rules and follow the strategy," APH Chief Epidemiologist Janet Pichette said. </p>3. Where else can I get vaccinated in Austin?
<p>In addition to APH, seven local providers are offering updates or waitlists for future allotments. But generally most facilities that have received vaccines from the state, at this stage, have already administered them or have reserved any remaining doses for existing high-priority patients. </p><ul><li><strong>38th Street Pharmacy</strong>, 711 W. 38th St., Ste. C3<br>This local pharmacy will contact those who sign up for its <a href="https://hipaa.jotform.com/203644738788067" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Covid-19 Vaccine Contact List</a> as its supply is replenished.</li><li><strong>Austin Regional Clinic</strong>, multiple locations<br>This private medical group offers a <a href="https://request.austinregionalclinic.com/?_ga=2.220792984.1261746439.1610377586-113365655.1609947918" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Covid Vaccination Request Form</a> for non-ARC patients in groups 1A and 1B who wish to request a shot.</li><li><strong>Baylor Scott & White Health</strong>, multiple locations<br>Sign up for COVID-19 vaccine updates from BSW Health, one of the three hospital systems operating in the Austin metro, <a href="https://www.bswhealth.com/covid-vaccine#vaccine-form" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</li><li><strong>H-E-B Pharmacy</strong>, multiple locations<br>Twenty-two H-E-B pharmacies in Travis County have received COVID-19 vaccine allotments so far. Although the San Antonio-based grocery store chain is not currently allowing eligible residents to make appointments, it will provide updates on its vaccine supply <a href="https://vaccine.heb.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</li><li><strong>Lamar Plaza Drug Store</strong>, 1509 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 550<br>This local pharmacy will contact those who sign up for its <a href="https://martinswellness.com/covid-19-vaccination" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">COVID-19 Vaccine Interest Form</a> with more information as it becomes available.</li><li><strong>Randalls Pharmacy</strong>, multiple locations<br>Residents interested in signing up for COVID vaccine updates from this grocery store chain can sign up for updates <a href="https://www.randalls.com/my-vaccine-communication.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</li><li><strong>Tarrytown Pharmacy</strong>, 2727 Exposition Blvd., Ste. 105<br>This local pharmacy has compiled <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxJYkk6gXygJXV8jza1EIaBhGDKLqSfzzihrfTgmVCRouo1g/viewform" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a communication list</a> so it can alert members when its vaccine supply is refilled. </li></ul>4. Austin residents are posting on social media about getting vaccinated even though they are not eligible members of priority groups. Is this happening?
<p>Yes.</p> <p>Last week, Austin Regional Clinic confirmed that it had administered <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-vaccine-distribution" target="_self">a "handful" of vaccine doses</a> to people who were not members of the priority groups. To prevent this from happening, ARC now requires an appointment. </p> <p>On Tuesday, APH vaccinated some individuals who were not members of the priority groups and, having heard about the distribution event from friends or through social media, showed up. The department vaccinated them to avoid wasting doses and "as a common courtesy," Director Stephanie Hayden said.</p> <p>As a result, APH will no longer administer vaccines to individuals without an appointment. "This is a message for anyone who is going to show up there today anticipating they will get a vaccine." </p> <p>Despite these safeguards, there will likely continue to be individuals who are able to cut the line, so to speak, during the vaccine rollout. </p> <p>"The absolute priority for every vaccine provider is: Don't waste vaccine," Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott said, adding that there will continue to be small numbers of non-priority individuals who are able to access shots. "I think we have to have some forgiveness for groups that are trying to do the right thing." </p>5. What are the next steps in the statewide vaccine rollout?
<p>Vaccine providers, such as APH, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, rely on allocations from the state.</p> <p>DSHS expects its allocation supply to increase starting next week. Up until now, the state has been required to set aside a certain number of doses for long-term care facilities. With this obligation fulfilled—and more than 7,000 long-term care residents vaccinated at more than 40 area facilities—DSHS anticipates it will have about 121,000 more doses to distribute across the state next week.</p> <p>For those counting, this represents about a 60% increase over the number of vaccines distributed statewide this week. </p> <p>The state has also shifted its vaccine distribution strategy to focus on large-scale hubs, as opposed to smaller facilities, such as private practices and freestanding ERs. APH was the only facility in Travis County to receive an allocation this week, and local public health officials say they are prepared to set up mass distribution events, including drive-thrus, as more vaccine becomes available. </p> <p>Twenty-two H-E-B pharmacies in Travis County have received vaccine allocations so far, although the San Antonio-based grocery chain is no longer accepting appointments. Once the state allocates more doses, however, it could administer as many as 4,000 doses each day, Escott said. </p>6. Are public health officials concerned about people opting out of getting vaccinated?
<p>Yes.</p> <p>"We do have substantial concerns about that," Pickett said, citing misinformation and conspiracy theories that are being spread on social media and contributing to vaccine hesitancy among Austin residents. </p> <p>He referred those with questions about the vaccine to seek out accurate information from sites such as <a href="https://www.austintexas.gov/covid19-vaccines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">APH's</a> and the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's</a>. </p> <p>"I understand there is a lot of concern about the vaccine," he said. "What I can say is that the negative effects of the virus itself are far worse than the negative effects of vaccine that we've seen. </p>From Your Site Articles
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