COVID UPDATE

Austin officially moves back to Stage 5 risk level for COVID-19

Mask up, Austin. We're back at Stage 5.

CDC

KVUE — For multiple days, Austin and Travis County have surpassed the threshold for Stage 5 of the city's COVID-19 risk-based guidelines. Now, leaders have officially placed the city under Stage 5.

As of Wednesday, August 4, the seven-day average for new hospital admissions is at 67 and an average of 389 people are hospitalized, according to Austin Public Health. The threshold for Stage 5 in Austin-Travis County is 50 to 90 new hospital admissions, depending on the rate of increase.

"This surge is by far the fastest and the most aggressive that we've seen," said Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes on August 5, weeks after another surge of coronavirus cases hit the Austin area.

Earlier this week, Austin Public Health said it's considering rethinking the Stage 5 guidance in light of the delta variant.

At a joint meeting with the Travis County Commissioners Court and Austin City Council Tuesday, Walkes said there are some guidelines she knows will be included in the “Stage 5 Delta Recommendations.” Walkes said vaccinated people will be asked to wear a mask.

Walkes said recommendations will include asking that vaccinated, high-risk individuals avoid large gatherings where masks aren’t required. APH will also encourage vaccinated people to talk with their unvaccinated loved ones about getting the vaccine.

Unvaccinated people are recommended to avoid all gatherings and travel and choose curbside and delivery options when possible. They are asked to wear a mask if “you must go out” to conduct essential activities.

Austin-Travis County moved to Stage 4 on July 23.

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health

keep austin healthy

Austin is the 2nd 'healthiest' city in America, Forbes says

Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash

There are plenty of places for Austinites of varying abilities to be active.

The city's abundance of yoga studios, health-conscious restaurants, and run clubs is paying off: Austin was just named the second healthiest city in the nation in a new study by Forbes Advisor.

The report, "Cities With The Least Healthy (And Healthiest) Populations, Ranked" examined 2021 health data from the City Health Dashboard for 46 of the most populated cities in America. Eight metrics were analyzed for each city, such as the number of heart disease or opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents, the percentage of adults with diabetes or high blood pressure, among others.

The study focuses exclusively on physical health, and leans on broad risk factors more than the actual occurrence of specific diseases or conditions.

Austin ranked second to San Jose, California, which was dubbed the No. 1 healthiest city in America.

Forbes found that Austin has the lowest percentage of adult high blood pressure out of all 46 cities in the report, at just 22.5 percent. Only 7.4 percent of Austin residents have diabetes, which is the fourth-lowest rate nationwide. The city also boasts the fifth-lowest percentage of adults who smoke (11.3 percent).

Here's how the report ranked four other metrics for Austin:

Eighth-lowest number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 residents (175.5)
Eighth-lowest number of opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents (9.6)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report having obesity (28.2 percent)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report being physically inactive (18.5)

Austin has a reputation for being an accommodating city, whether it's through restaurants expanding their culinary offerings for vegans and vegetarians, or through local organizations adding exercise equipment to outdoor trails. And you can't forget about all the new gyms and country clubs opening around the city.

At the opposite end of the study, Detroit, Michigan landed as the most unhealthy city in the country.

Elsewhere in Texas
Though Austin is one of the healthiest cities in the U.S., and the healthiest in the state, several other Texas cities fell far behind. Houston appeared as the No. 12 most unhealthy American city on the list, and unhealthiest in Texas. The report attributes this to a high percentage of adults who report binge drinking (18.2 percent), smoking (17.2 percent), and more.

"Houston has the seventh-highest percentage of adults who report having obesity (37.7 percent) and the eighth-highest percentage of adults with diabetes (12 percent)," the report said.

San Antonio ranked as the 15th unhealthiest U.S. city, followed by Dallas (No. 18), El Paso (No. 22) and Fort Worth (No. 25). Arlington appeared as No. 30, technically making it the No. 18 healthiest city in the U.S.

The top 10 cities with the most healthy populations are:

No. 1 – San Jose, California
No. 2 – Austin, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – San Diego, California
No. 5 – Denver, Colorado
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – Boston, Massachusetts
No. 8 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 9 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
No. 10 – Minneapolis

The full report can be found on forbes.com.

austin healthy reports rankings