COVID UPDATE

Austin moves to Stage 4 of risk-based guidelines amid latest COVID-19 surge

Austin is in the midst of another COVID-19 surge. Stay masked up!

Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images

KVUE — Austin-Travis County leaders announced on Wednesday, December 29 that the area has moved from Stage 3 to Stage 4 of its COVID-19 risk-based guidelines.

On the City’s dashboard, officials track the seven-day moving average of new hospital admissions, the community transmission rate, and the positivity rate when determining the stages of COVID-19 risk-based guidelines. As of Tuesday, December 28, two of those three indicators were in Stage 5 territory: community transmission rate and positivity rate, with 405 and 15.7 percent respectively.

The seven-day moving average of new hospital admissions crossed the Stage 4 threshold on Tuesday.

Just before Christmas, two of the three key indicators crossed their respective Stage 5 thresholds, but the seven-day average of hospital admissions remained in Stage 3 at the time, with 16. As of December 28, the seven-day moving average of hospital admissions had grown to 36.

“One of the greatest traits of Austin-Travis County is how we have consistently been one of the leaders in the state when it comes to lower community transmission rates. Our people have continually stepped up for the greater good and been the example of how to navigate the COVID-19 surges with masking, social distancing, and vaccinations,” says Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County’s health authority. “However, as our vigilance begins to wane, our community is falling behind. We can’t afford to be lax in our prevention efforts, and I’m confident that Austin-Travis County will once again lead the way.”

What is the difference between Stage 3 and Stage 4?

The main difference is that masking becomes recommended in all circumstances, regardless of vaccination status or whether you’re considered low risk or high risk.

Health leaders continue to urge the community to get fully vaccinated, including getting a booster shot.

“The omicron variant is moving fast through our community and we must do what is necessary to help slow community transmission,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown says. “As we get closer to the new year celebration, I encourage everyone to follow the Stage 4 guidelines and mask up when recommended. These small preventive measures will go a long way when it comes to keeping our entire community safe.”

“COVID-19 hospitalizations and the community transmission rate are surging once again. This means our ICUs are filling and that emergency care could become compromised for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. We must act now to protect both,” says Austin Mayor Steve Adler.

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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