AUSTIN, Texas — Health leaders this week applauded the public for continuing to follow health guidelines, to social distance and to get vaccinated. Austin, the State and the U.S. are all seeing a decline in the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.
"We were able to come to a place where we were able to balance the restrictions and open up our event season and get things moving back and to get kids back into our schools," Dr. Desmar Walkes, the medical director for the City of Austin, said.
While all the numbers trend in the right direction for now, health leaders know that COVID-19 comes and goes in waves.
"We don't have the tools to tell us why the waves are occurring or measure exactly how they're occurring," Dr. Charles Lerner, an infectious disease expert and member of the Texas COVID-19 Task Force, said. "We have absolutely no definite proof or idea about what the future will bring. It's a function of how many people are susceptible, how many people are infected, and a whole host of other things."
As Pfizer pitches a vaccine for children ages five and up, Lerner said that age group is a major factor in predicting whether or not another wave of COVID-19 cases is just around the corner.
"It's very difficult to make a model that will understand how disease spreads, but we know that with most respiratory illnesses, they come in waves and they're unpredictable waves," Lerner said.
Health leaders in Austin-Travis County warn people that even as things are getting closer to pre-pandemic life, the holidays will play a major role in how the area handles the coronavirus.
"We are prepared for the holiday season when people will be congregating with family and friends," Walkes said. "For those who are unvaccinated, there is less protection for them as far as eventually ending up in hospitals requiring ICU care. And unfortunately, many have died."
Leaders are still encouraging people to social distance, wear masks and get vaccinated as solutions to preventing another wave of cases of coronavirus – whether it's the original strain, delta variant or a new strain.
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