AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: This blog is no longer being updated. Click here for Thursday's blog.
KVUE is keeping you updated with the latest coronavirus and COVID-19 news in the Austin area.
Scroll down for the top headlines and latest updates in KVUE's daily live blog.
COVID-19 numbers:
- Texas:
- More than 5.3 million cases have been reported in the state, and around 81,500 people in Texas have died, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
- Central Texas counties:
- Austin-Travis County: The seven-day moving average for new hospital admissions is 51, and an average of 361 people are hospitalized. The community transmission rate is 193 (high) and the positivity rate is 14.5%. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 187,078 cases have been reported and at least 1,329 people have died.
- Hays County: There are currently 2,818 active cases, and 26 people are currently hospitalized. Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 51,354 confirmed cases have been reported and at least 469 people have died.
- Williamson County: There are 103 new cases of coronavirus in Williamson County. Nine percent of hospital beds are available, and 6% of ICU beds are available. Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 108,745 cases have been reported and at least 832 people have died.
For a look at COVID-19 data across all of the state's counties, click here.
GRAPHS: COVID-19 data for Feb. 16, 2022
Updates:
6:50 p.m. – Hays County reported two more COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday – a Dripping Springs man in his 80s and a Wimberley man in his 80s. Health officials also reported 622 new confirmed cases along with two new hospitalizations and one new hospital discharge. There are 760 additional people considered recovered.
5:40 p.m. – The Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) provided the following updates related to COVID-19:
- Five youth at the Giddings State School tested positive for COVID-19 last night.
- Three youth at the Evins Regional Juvenile Center, in Edinburg, tested positive for COVID-19 this morning.
- One staff member at the Evins Regional Juvenile Center tested positive for COVID-19 last night.
- At this time, TJJD has 25 active cases across its facilities (six staff and 19 youth)
5:10 p.m. – Austin Public Health (APH) said it is consolidating COVID-19 testing sites beginning next week. Staff will move to the Metz Elementary campus as testing demand declines.
APH said teams administered more than 42,000 tests at the Travis County Expo Center and Dove Springs Recreation Center during recent COVID-19 surges related to the delta and omicron variants. At the peak of the omicron surge, APH teams administered more than 5,500 tests in three days (Dec. 27 – Dec. 30). Last week, 410 tests were administered.
Federal contractors have been operating a testing site at Metz since Feb. 1 with local and state support. APH teams will assume testing duties at Metz starting on Tuesday, Feb. 22. Clinic hours will be Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with the flexibility to expand if necessary. Patients will be able to use the APH online registration portal to sign up. Tests are provided free of charge, and no proof of insurance or residency is required.
This is in addition to a new Pflugerville testing site that opened on Feb. 14 thanks to a partnership with APH, the city of Pflugerville and Spartan Medical. Free tests are offered at Heritage Park Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Click here to sign up for testing in Pflugerville through Spartan Medical.
Testing operations will end at the Travis County Expo Center on Thursday, Feb. 17 and at the Dove Spring Recreation Center on Saturday, Feb. 19.
3:50 p.m. – Travis County reported seven more COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday along with 699 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 187,078 cases and 1,329 deaths since the start of the pandemic. At least 184,641 people have recovered from the virus.
Travis County currently has 327 people hospitalized with COVID-19, with 87 in the ICU and 48 on ventilators.
3:45 p.m. – Texas reported 4,588 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the seven-day average to 8,104 new cases per day – down 41% from a week ago and down 85% from a month ago. The state reported 299 new COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 81,577 deaths since the start of the pandemic. There are 6,914 COVID-19 patients currently in Texas hospitals statewide – down 26% from a week ago and down 44% from a month ago. The state's positivity rate average is at 11.85%.
The four-county Austin metro area reported 365 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the seven-day average to 550 cases per day – down 37% from a week ago and down 85% from a month ago. The Austin area is reporting an average of 50.7 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per day over the past week. There are currently 435 COVID-19 patients in Austin-area (TSA O) hospitals, with a 7% bed availability. There are 123 COVID-19 patients in Austin-area ICUs, with a 6% bed availability.
6:15 a.m. – Austin ISD is keeping its mask mandate in place for now, according to a letter sent to families on Tuesday. The district said that while COVID-19 cases are dropping, they remain higher than any previous time due to the omicron variant.
AISD said last week, the district had 361 student cases. During the peak of the omicron variant, there were more than 1,500 student cases.
The district plans to follow guidance from public health authorities.
OTHER COVID-19 HEADLINES:
- Alamo Drafthouse Cinema workers unionize, ask management to recognize union
- Yes, there were more COVID-19 deaths in two weeks in January than flu deaths in the past three years
- Beloved 5th-grade teacher in Killeen dies from COVID weeks after having first baby
- Police chief of Ottawa steps down amid 'Freedom Convoy' protests