Travis, Williamson counties drop to low level of COVID-19 spread

For the first time since mid-June, Travis and Williamson counties have seen their COVID-19 spread levels drop to what is officially considered a low level. Bastrop County remains in the medium level of spread, where it has been for two months. Hays and Caldwell counties dipped from the high level of spread last week back to medium this week.

The new numbers come as most school districts in the Austin metro area are celebrating the first week of school.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 levels are based on three things: transmission level (the number of recorded cases per 100,000 people), the number of new COVID-19 cases in area hospitals per 100,000 people, and the percentage of hospital beds taken up by people with COVID-19.

With a low level of spread, CDC guidelines recommend that people up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters who are not at risk for severe disease don't need to take precautions such as masking. Those at higher risk or the unvaccinated also could decide not to take precautions.

At the medium level of community spread, precautions are optional for people who are up to date with their vaccines, including boosters, but officials recommend that they wear a mask when social distancing is not possible. Under the medium level, people who are at higher risk or who are not vaccinated or not up to date in their vaccine doses are advised to use precautions while gathering, dining and shopping.

A high level of spread means that CDC guidelines recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, take precautions while gathering, dining and shopping.

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Travis County's transmission rate is now 178.5 cases per 100,000 people, below the 200 level that would push it to the medium level. Last week, the rate was 212.49, while the week before it was 249.62. Williamson County's transmission rate is 168.66, down from 238.42 last week and 297.69 the week before.

Bastrop County's rate has also fallen. It is now 226.55, down from 284.03 last week and 344.89 the week before. Caldwell County's transmission rate is 283.99, down from 393.92 last week and 480.95 the week before. Hays County's transmission rate also fell. It is now 274.99, down from 349.71 last week and 379.68 the week before.

Hospitalizations for Travis, Williamson and Bastrop counties this week was 8.1 for new coronavirus admissions, which was up from 7.5 last week, but down from 9.4 the week before. The percentage of people in the hospital with COVID-19 is down to 3.4%. It was 3.7% last week and 4.6% the week before. If any of these numbers rise above 10, the CDC's spread level would go up a level.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Caldwell and Hays counties have fallen this week, which is why they are no longer in the high level of spread. This week, they are at 4.7 new admissions per 100,000 people. Last week, the hospitalization rate was 11.3; the week before it was 9.5. The percentage of hospital beds taken by people with COVID-19 was 5.4%, down from 8.2% last week, and 9.7% the week before.

Up and down levels:Two Central Texas counties return to high level of COVID-19 spread

These falling numbers come after the CDC updated its guidance on quarantine and isolation for COVID-19. If you have had close contact with someone with COVID-19, the guidelines no longer call for you to quarantine for five days, but instead suggest wearing a mask for 10 days and taking a COVID-19 test five days after you had that contact.

If you have symptoms, you should test. If you test positive for COVID-19, you should isolate for at least five days. If after five days, you are fever-free without medication for more than 24 hours, you can end isolation. You should wear a mask for at least 10 days after testing positive and stay away from people at risk for severe COVID-19.

Austin Public Health continues to recommend that people keep up with their COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters. People 5 and older can get a booster five months after the end of their initial vaccination course. People 50 and older can get a second booster four months after their first booster. Children 6 months and older can now get the COVID-19 vaccine.

This fall, a vaccine specific to the omicron variant of the coronavirus is expected to be approved by the FDA.

Monkeypox cases continue to grow in Austin area

Austin Public Health announced it now has 93 cases of monkeypox in Travis County, up from 68 last week. Williamson County announced it had one case in mid-July. This week Hays County announced it had two cases.

There are now 14,115 confirmed cases in the United States and 1,079 cases in Texas, including 97 in the Central Texas region.

In Texas, there have been five cases in children and 17 in women. The rest have been in adult men.

Austin Public Health, the city and Travis County are asking the community to help control the spread of the virus by washing their hands, avoiding skin-to-skin contact and covering their skin when they can.

Monkeypox spreads by direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs or bodily fluids; respiratory secretions with face-to-face contact during activities such as kissing, cuddling or sex; and touching items such as clothing or linens that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids. Pregnant people can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backaches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters. It can be on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus.

People should monitor themselves and their children for any of these symptoms and not go to public places until they can get a diagnosis. Sometimes the fever, chills and exhaustion begin a day or two before the rash. Sometimes those symptoms don't appear first.

If you have a rash, you should get tested either through your doctor's office or by calling Austin Public Health's nurse line, 512-972-5560. People who are sick or have a rash should stay home until they recover, which can take three to four weeks.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Travis, Williamson counties in Texas see low level of COVID spread