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(Levan/Adobe)
Waning off a summer surge, Austin is seeing declining hospital admissions in the wake of a high number of deaths and as the new Mu variant is in town.
Here's what you need to know to be caught up with the COVID-19 situation in Austin.
Hospitalizations
In the past several weeks, hospital admissions for COVID have been on a week-on-week decline for all age groups, Austin Health Authority Desmar Walkes said at a Tuesday special joint meeting between the Travis County Commissioners Court and Austin City Council.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the most hospitalized age group has been those in the 50-69 age group.
Pediatric cases continue to be a concern to health officials as there are 133 kids hospitalized with 15 admissions on just Monday. None of the hospitalized children were vaccinated, although only those 12 and older are eligible.
Deaths
Deaths peaked this month with a record 23 COVID-related fatalities on Sept. 8. Since the start of the year until Sept. 10, there has been a total of 447 deaths.
The rise in deaths is being attributed to those unvaccinated and the Delta variant, according to Walkes; 7.3% of vaccinated people have died of COVID between Jan. 1 to Sept. 10.
Of the deaths, 50% have been Hispanic and 58% have been male.
Mu vs. Delta
The Delta variant continues to be the predominant variant in the community at 99% of cases.
The Mu variant, discovered in Colombia back in January, has spread across the U.S. Research suggests it is more transmissible and vaccine-resistant than the Delta variant. However, it currently makes up .1% of lab-confirmed cases in Travis County.
Austin health officials continue to encourage the community to get vaccinated to have protection against variants. Research shared by Austin Public Health shows those vaccinated were 5 times less to contract the Delta variant, 10 times less likely to be hospitalized and more than 10 times less likely to die from it.
Breakthrough cases
Of the 750,000-plus that are fully-vaccinated in the county, 5,964 have had breakthrough cases. APH's disease surveillance team interviewed 1,378 of those with breakthrough cases and found only 59 were hospitalized, or 1%. Thirty two of those cases resulted in death from ages 17-98.
Those hospitiziiled as a breakthrough cases ranged from ages 19-96. Here's the breakdown of what vaccine they had:- 13 Johnson & Johnson
- 18 Moderna
- 28 Pfizer
Why some are vaccine hesitant
APH conducted a survey in Austin-Travis County among those unvaccinated and found that 68% of survey respondents were vaccine-hesitant.
Of that number, the top reason for hesitancy was not sure if safe (55%), followed by not sure if effective (49%).
APH is continuing with outreach efforts to reach the herd immunity threshold.
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Popular
From turtles sunbathing on Lady Bird Lake to bats feeding on the Congress Bridge to animals that make bumps in the night, you can find it all in the Central Texas habitat. Very few of our animals are harmful but almost all of them are a sight to see.
These are just a few of the critters you’re likely to spot while you’re in Austin, but you can click here for more information.
Mammals
We didn’t include coyotes on this list, as you’re likely to see them all over North America.
Bats
(USFWS Headquarters)
Danger level: ✅ Low, just don’t touch
The symbol of the city, Austin is home to more than a million Mexican free-tailed bats depending on the time of year, with the most visible around July and August. Both the Congress Avenue bridge and Round Rock’s McNeil bridge are maternity colonies, where females give birth to pups in the summer. Austin is famous for bat-watching when the creatures feed, which tends to fall around sunset between March and August.
Fun fact: Bats tend to live up to 11 years in the wild.
Bobcats
(Linda Tanner)
Danger level: ⚠️ Medium, admire from a safe distance
Texas is home to a number of wild cats—bobcats tend to prefer habitats in the Hill Country but you’re unlikely to spot one in the wild in Austin. An adult bobcat measures about 3 and a half feet in length, weighing 12-36 pounds, and eats small mammals, birds, domestic sheep and occasionally deer. Bobcats typically don’t cause great damage or attack humans, but it's best not to disturb one if you spot it. Mountain Lions are also native to the southern parts of the Hill Country.
Fun fact: Bobcats are the only native Texas cat important to fur production.
Nine-banded armadillo
(Rich Anderson)
Danger level: ✅ Low, just don’t touch
As the official small mammal of Texas, you can find armadillos wandering all around the state except the Trans-Pecos. You’re most likely to see an armadillo using its sharp claws to dig for some tasty grubs, which can be harmful to crops, or build a den. They can be quite noisy when foraging and if you startle an armadillo, it might jump straight up into the air before quickly scuttering out of sight. If you see one of these armored little guys, do not touch it, as armadillos are the only animal known to carry leprosy and are illegal to sell in Texas.
Fun fact: Armadillo mothers give birth in springtime to four fully-formed identical quadruplets.
Raccoons
(Tambako the Jaguar)
Danger level: 🆘 High, do not approach
With their unique coats, raccoons can be easily spotted in Austin, likely digging through trash or going through your plants. They’re known for looking cute but raccoons have a high risk for rabies and often act aggressively, so don’t feed or socialize with them. Covering trash cans can be a good way to keep them out of your garbage.
Fun fact: Raccoons will often make dens in logs or tight, enclosed spaces.
Reptiles and amphibians
These little guys are often spotted at Lady Bird Lake.
Frogs, toads and salamanders
Danger level: ✅ Low, just don’t touch
There are a plethora of all three residing in Central Texas, if you’re quiet enough to spot one. The American bullfrog, green tree frog and spotted chorus frog mark the most well-known in town and tend to be harmless. Coach’s Spadefoot and Woodhouse’s toads are common as well, and you might see a Barton Springs Salamander while paddleboarding, but they’ll stay away.
Fun fact: The brighter the colors, the more likely these critters are to be poisonous.
Turtles
(Alan Vernon)
Danger level: ✅ Low, just don’t touch
You’ve probably seen a mix of red-eared sliders, softshell and snapping turtles sunning on a log while on Lady Bird Lake. Turtles can live upwards of 30 years on a diet mostly consisting of small fish, plants and decaying matter. Turtles ribs are infused with its shell, so it never outgrows its home. It’s possible that these little reptiles will bite, but unlikely, and could carry salmonella but they are nothing to be afraid of.
Fun fact: If there isn’t enough space for everyone to sun, turtles will stack themselves on top of each other.
Snakes
(Tom Spinker)
Danger level: Medium, admire from a safe distance.
There are over 105 different types of snakes living across Texas but there are only four you need to be concerned about in Austin: the western diamondback rattlesnake, the broad bandit copperhead, the western cottonmouth and the Texas coral snake are all venomous. The rat snake is often confused with the rattlesnake, since they have similar snaking tails, though it is not venomous. The best way to avoid a bite is to give the snake space and do not handle it.
Fun fact: The shape of a snake’s head is an easy indicator of whether or not the snake is venomous—snakes with triangular heads tend to be venomous but a rounded head is a good sign.
Birds
There are over 660 species of birds living across Texas.
Blue Jays
(Brian Kushner)
Danger level: ☺️ Harmless
These blue beauties look pretty, but don’t be fooled, they’re loud and aggressive toward other birds. Blue jays are known for attacking owls and imitating a hawk call to scare away any threats. However, blue jays are normally tame around humans.
Fun fact: These birds are known for eating the eggs of other birds to frighten them away.Grackles
(Madeline Poster)
Danger level: ☺️ Harmless
More likely than not, Grackles are the source of the bird noises that annoy you most. With a look similar to that of a blackbird, a bit taller and more iridescent. Grackles are known for their cocky struts and eating anything at their disposal.
Fun fact: Grackles are the number one threat to corn crops.
Golden-cheeked warblers
(Duane Angles)
Danger level: ☺️ Harmless
This yellow-cheeked bird only nests in Central Texas, leaving for Mexico in July to spend the winters, and takes up residence in wooded areas. The golden-cheeked warbler is categorized as endangered by both Texas and U.S. standards.
Fun fact: The golden-cheeked warbler is the only bird that breeds in Texas to exclusively nest in Texas.
