AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: This blog is no longer being updated.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 4.2 million cases have been reported in the state, and more than 75,300 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 112, and an average of 498 people are hospitalized. The community transmission rate is 1,243 and the positivity rate is 33%. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 141,049 cases have been reported and at least 1,223 people have died.
- Hays County: There are currently 7,154 active cases, and 22 people are currently hospitalized. Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 38,776 confirmed cases have been reported and at least 420 people have died.
- Williamson County: There are 1,008 new cases of coronavirus in Williamson County. Fifteen percent of hospital beds are available, and 6% of ICU beds are available. Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 84,927 cases have been reported and at least 762 people have died.
For a look at COVID-19 data across all of the state's counties, click here.
GRAPHS: COVID-19 data for Jan. 12, 2022
Updates:
8:55 p.m. – Marble Falls ISD announced it canceled classes for Friday, Jan. 14, due to a staff shortage caused by "a surge in viral infections." School is set to be out on Monday, Jan. 17, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so classes won't resume until Jan. 18.
The district said via Facebook that it does not have enough staff available to monitor students and maintain safe school environments.
Extracurricular activities and events will go on as previously scheduled, per the district, unless students and parents receive work from coaches or directors that indicate otherwise.
8:25 p.m. – Meals on Wheels Central Texas said it will continue its modified food delivery schedule that started when the pandemic first began in early 2020.
Volunteers will continue delivering three weeks' worth of meals, with the next delivery set for Friday, Jan. 28, in an effort to preserve the health and safety of clients and volunteers.
The announcement comes just about a week before the organization was set to resume its daily meal delivery schedule. The regular schedule was originally set to go back into effect on Jan. 24. But now, it's not clear when the organization will resume daily deliveries.
8:05 p.m. – Hays County reported four COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday – a man from Buda in his 50s, a man from Buda in his 70s, a woman from Kyle in her 90s and a woman from San Marcos in her 80s. Health officials also reported 362 new confirmed cases, 11 new hospitalizations and 10 new hospital discharges.
5:55 p.m. – Travis County reported 1,080 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and no new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 141,049 cases and 1,223 deaths since the start of the pandemic. At least 133,684 people have recovered from the virus.
Travis County currently has 555 people hospitalized with COVID-19, with 128 in the ICU and 68 on ventilators.
5:50 p.m. – Two employees at the Giddings State School have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) said. The TJJD has 186 active cases across its facilities at this time (112 staff and 74 youth).
12 p.m. – Here are the latest COVID-19 data in Texas, courtesy of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS):
TEXAS
- 61,113 new cases … a single-day record
- 7-day average: 44,036 per day over the past week (also a new pandemic high)
- Up 7% from yesterday
- Up 23% from a week ago
- Up 1,282% from a month ago
- 7-day average: 44,036 per day over the past week (also a new pandemic high)
- 136 new deaths
- 75,533 total to date
- 11,571 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals
- Up another 5% from yesterday (+531)
- Up 42% from a week ago
- Up 272% from a month ago
- Pediatric COVID-19 patients statewide is up to a new pandemic high of 429
- 35.60% positivity for the state
LOCAL
- 3,512 new cases for the Austin metro (Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop counties)
- 7-day average: 3,415 per day
- Five consecutive days of day-to-day decline. Down 1.6% from yesterday.
- Up 0.5% from a week ago
- Up 1,540% from a month ago
- 7-day average: 3,415 per day
- The CDC measure of ‘Community Transmission’ (new cases over the past 7 days per 100,000 population) improved today to 1,254
- Down from 1,880 yesterday. The ‘High’ category (and Austin’s ‘Stage 5’) starts at 100.
- 617 COVID-19 patients in Austin area (TSA O) hospitals
- Up 14 from yesterday
- 13.7% bed availability
- 14.6% COVID/capacity
- ICU number flat (146)
- Availability dwindling some … down to 7.5% (36 beds, 27 adult + 9 pediatric)
- Up to 31% COVID/capacity
11:06 a.m. – Austin Animal Center (AAC) announced it will be temporarily closed on Sundays beginning Jan. 23 due to staffing concerns related to COVID-19 and the difficulty in filling open vacancies.
The Center will remain open for adoption and reclaim Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm, and for intake Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm. Owners looking to reclaim their pet(s) on Sundays can contact 311 and request an Animal Protection Officer.
AAC is hiring for several vacant positions. Interested candidates can apply through the City of Austin website.
7 a.m. – Travis County is having to use alternate funding to help people who applied for the county's rental assistance program. The County will use $400,000 from the local Fiscal Recovery Fund to close a gap in funding and need because there is no longer funding for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
The program was started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to help renters avoid eviction. Right now, additional funding for that program has been denied by the federal government. The County says leaders will now draft a proposal for another program to help renters in the future.
OTHER COVID-19 HEADLINES:
- Dell Children's sees unusual trend of kids infected with COVID-19, other viruses at the same time
- SXSW 2022 to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test
- UT modeling consortium predicts COVID-19 omicron cases will peak this month
- OSU study suggests hemp compounds could help block coronavirus
- Red Cross declares 1st national blood crisis; says donations urgently needed