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Coronavirus updates in Central Texas: Dell Diamond vaccine site to increase appointments

Here are the latest COVID-19 updates, closures and postponements in Central Texas for Tuesday, March 16.

AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: This blog is no longer active. For the latest COVID-19 updates, click here.

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 March 16 live blog.

COVID-19 numbers:

  • Texas: More than 2.3 million cases have been reported in the state, and more than 45,500 people in Texas have died, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
  • Central Texas counties: 
    • Travis County: At least 77,775 cases have been reported and at least 788 people have died. At least 75,764 people have recovered from the virus.
    • Hays County: At least 16,784 confirmed cases have been reported and at least 232 people have died. At least 16,111 people have recovered from the virus. 
    • Williamson County: At least 36,452 cases have been reported in the county and at least 423 people have died.

For a look at COVID-19 data across all of the state's counties, click here.

Updates:

6:30 p.m. – Vaccine provider Curative now has the capacity to give 5,000 vaccine doses each day at its Dell Diamond site, Williamson County said. Those who qualify for a COVID-19 vaccine under phases 1A, 1B or 1C are encouraged to register on the county's waitlist to get an appointment as early as this week.

5 p.m. – Austin Public Health (APH) says after working with its vendor throughout the day, it has identified the issue that occurred during scheduling Monday night as related to a new program code. APH is continuing to test the system to have a successful first dose appointment release on Thursday evening.

APH said it has also determined that it is unable to see who was in the queue, as that is maintained by a third-party system that doesn't collect user data.

"We understand this is frustrating and we are working to proactively schedule those who made it past the waiting room and were unable to confirm their appointments due to technical issues," APH said. "We are also continuing to schedule through the Health Equity Line."

4:45 p.m. – Hays County reported 26 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday along with one new hospitalization and five new hospital discharges. There are 75 additional people considered recovered.

4:40 p.m. – Texas reported 4,279 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 2,351,382. The seven-day average is at 3,176 new cases per day, down 2.5% from a week ago. The state reported 130 more COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total to 45,700. There are 3,999 COVID-19 patients currently in Texas hospitals statewide, down 15% from a week ago. The state's positivity rate average is at 6.06%.

Almost a quarter of Texas's 16+ population has had at least one dose of a vaccine. An estimated 58% of the 65+ population has been vaccinated. Texas has administered 82% of everything it’s been shipped, which has now surpassed 10 million doses.

The Austin metro area is at an average of 226 new cases per day over the past week. The metro's positivity rate average is at 2.55%.

2:44 p.m. A coronavirus variant first detected in the U.K. has been confirmed in three cases in Williamson County, the Williamson County Cities Health District (WCCHD) said on Tuesday.

2:40 p.m. – A waiver that allowed Texans to postpone vehicle titling and registration during the pandemic will soon expire. Residents must complete their vehicle registration and apply for vehicle titling by Wednesday, April 14.

“It is not realistic to think if you procrastinate to the last week that we have enough people to service everyone before the deadline,” Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant said. “If you miss this deadline, law enforcement can cite you for expired registration and if you failed to apply for a title by April 14, state financial penalties automatically kick in that can cost you up to $250.”

2:28 p.m. The day after many reportedly waited for hours to get through Austin Public Health's appointment portal, the City of Austin released a statement, saying, "we remain committed to correcting the issue for future appointment releases." 

The City said that technical issues resulted in only 2,300 appointments being scheduled, and as the City works with the vendor on addressing the problem, Austin Public Health is working to proactively schedule people who made it past the waiting room "and are also continuing to schedule through the Equity Line."

5 a.m. – Austin Public Health said it had paused its scheduling system due to technical difficulties.

"We are disappointed and share your frustration in the technical difficulties tonight and the time it wasted," APH said. "To make-up for the unscheduled appointments, we likely need to add an additional day of appointment scheduling. Please check back for updates by 5 PM tomorrow, March 16."

WATCH: Travis, Williamson counties falling behind on vaccine distribution

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