WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — On the same day Travis County health officials announced they would be stepping backward to Stage 4 in their risk-based guidelines, Williamson County health officials announced their county would be moving from the "Orange" phase to "Red."
According to the local health leaders, this is the highest level in Williamson County's response and means there is now uncontrolled transmission of COVID-19 in the community.
The Williamson County and Cities Health District said the key indicators for this change included the 7-day rolling average of hospitalizations and new cases, which are all trending upward. As of Thursday, the rolling 7-day average for the incidence rate, or the rate of newly reported infections, has increased from 10.76 to 13.08 per 100,000 residents over the past seven days.
Health officials said these guidelines are for planning purposes and not requirements or changes to the local orders, rules or regulations for businesses that are currently in place.
Instead, they are meant as guidance for individual actions and behaviors based on various risk levels. These risk-level recommendations are different for those who are at higher risk for severe complications and death from COVID-19, such as those over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.
On Thursday, Williamson County reported 126 new cases with 436 cases currently active. Since the start of the pandemic, the county has reported 11,310 confirmed cases, 10,556 recoveries and 159 deaths.
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