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(Pexels)
The Austin metro is not far off from hitting Intensive Care Unit capacity, according to a new report from the University of Texas' COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, which projects city hospitals could be in trouble by the end of the month.
Looking at COVID-19 hospitalizations from March 13, 2020 through July 28, 2021, researchers predict there is a 92% chance Austin's 200-bed ICU capacity will be hit by the end of August and a 94% chance it will be hit by Nov. 1 if transmission stays the same.
ICU capacity for the five-county Austin metro made headlines this weekend for dwindling down to just six available beds, serving 2.4 million people. The influx of hospitalizations is being attributed to the more contagious Delta variants and the spread of the virus among unvaccinated people.
Taking into account several factors, like Delta, the ongoing vaccination effort, the start of the 2021-2022 school year and city-wide compliance with safety measures, researchers said the results of the report "demonstrate the immediate need for heightened social distancing and transmission reducing-precautions" in the five-county area.
"If the Delta variant continues to spread and vaccine uptake continues at the current pace… then we project that COVID-19 hospitalizations will continue to increase exponentially, threatening healthcare capacity in the region, unless measures are taken to slow transmission," the report said.
(UT COVID-19 Modeling Consortium)
Austin area schools are set to reopen shortly: Austin ISD begins classes on Aug. 17 and UT classes begin on Aug. 25. Some are opening their doors even earlier—Leander ISD, Pflugerville ISD and Lago Vista ISD start on Aug. 12. If transmission remains stable, UT researchers said there is a 94% chance at least one student would arrive infected on the first day of class.
If schools open for in-person learning, taking precautionary measures would reduce the risk anywhere from 37-54%, the report states. Fully vaccinated students have a 96% lower chance of infection, though children under the age of 12 are not eligible to get vaccinated.
"In-person schooling is projected to increase transmission among children and throughout the community," the report states.
The report, which said it was written to "support public health decision-making and healthcare planning," said high compliance with masking, ventilation and proactive testing, schools could reduce transmission by 37% and pediatric hospitalization by 50%. Unlike last year, vaccines are available to help slow the spread.
Austin ISD said it would require masks on buses and will implement online learning options for students from kindergarten to sixth grade. The district, like many others around the state, is vying for a mask mandate that has been prohibited under an order by Gov. Greg Abbott. Local districts are highly encouraging students wear masks.
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Popular
(Tesla)
Giga Texas, the massive Tesla factory in southeast Travis County is getting even bigger.
The company filed with the city of Austin this week to expand its headquarters with a new 500,000-square-foot building. The permit application notes “GA 2 and 3 expansion,” which indicates the company will make two general assembly lines in the building.
More details about the plans for the building are unclear. The gigafactory has been focused on Model Y production since it opened in April, but the company is also aiming for Cybertruck production to kick off in mid-2023.
While there is room for expansion on the 3.3 square miles of land Tesla has, this move comes after CEO Elon Musk’s recent comments about the state of the economy and its impact on Tesla.
In a May interview with Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, Musk said the gigafactories in Berlin and Austin are “gigantic money furnaces” and said Giga Texas had manufactured only a small number of cars.
And in June, Musk sent a company wide email saying Tesla will be reducing salaried headcount by 10%, then later tweeted salaried headcount should be fairly flat.
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(Dullnig Ranch Sales)
You’ll have to leave city limits if you’re looking for a proper ranch property like 417 Acres Shipp Lake Ranch, aptly named for its acreage. The property comes built out with three farmhouses, one of which has bedrooms and two bathrooms and two of which have two bedrooms and one bathroom. The nearly untouched property, which surrounds the 100-plus-acre Shipp Lake, has remained in the same family since the early 1900s and gives you picturesque views for the making of a dream home. In fact, the previous owners ran a water ski camp on the property.
Sitting waterside on Lake Austin, this home gives you the unique opportunity to own a piece of the lush Hill Country with views of Mount Bonnell. The 2,750-square foot, three-bedroom, four-bathroom house allows you to integrate indoor and outdoor life with large windows opening to an outdoor living area. The crown jewel is the .76-acre parcel of land that tapers off to your own lakeside resort, featuring an covered outdoor kitchen, fire pit, stone boat house to store your water sports supplies and veranda sitting at the mouth of the water, perfect for an entertainer.
Got dreams of becoming a real Texas rancher? 7814 Brown Cemetery Rd. is the perfect place to start with 40 rolling acres of land and its very own swimming hole. Just east of Austin in Manor, the modest-on-the-outside home clocks at 4,412 square feet with five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, but there are an additional two living structures on the property. The horseshoe-shaped pond sits in the heart of the property and comes equipped with a water slide, diving board and a fishing dock.