[1. Update on Covid-19 related matters.]
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NINE OH EIGHT YEAR, UH, ON MARCH 2ND, TUESDAY 2021.UH, I'M GOING TO CALL TO ORDER THE SPECIAL CALL, THE, UH, MEETING WITH, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, FOR THE, UH, REPORTS ON, UH, ON COVID.
I'LL CALL TO ORDER THE JOINT MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL AND TOKYO TO AUDREY.
DO WE HAVE ANY CALLERS ON THIS ITEM? WE HAVE NO COLLEAGUES ON THE LINE AT THIS TIME, JUDGE.
UH, TO HELP ENSURE THE EFFICIENT USE OF DR.
S SCOTT AND DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD'S TIME AND MANAGE THE LINKS OF THE BRIEFING.
UH, AGAIN, ASKING YOU FOLKS TO LIMIT OURSELVES TO ONE QUESTION IN THE ORDER BELOW AS TIME PERMITS, WE CAN HAVE A SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS.
SO THE WAY WE'LL GO ABOUT IT TODAY IS THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT MEMBERS.
THEN THE COUNTY JUDGE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND THE MAYOR, AND THEN A CLOSING OF THE CITY COUNCIL BY THE MIRROR, AND THEN CLOSING OF THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT BY THE COUNTY JUDGE COLLEAGUES, WE'RE GOING TO GO AND COUNCIL DISTRICT ORDER AT THIS TIME, WE'RE BACK TO THAT.
PRESENCE WILL BE DISTRICT ONE.
SCOTT, IF YOU ARE IN THIS, UH, MEETING SOMEWHERE, ARE YOU READY TO KICK IT OFF FOR US WITH YOUR BRIEFING? YES, SIR.
LET ME SHARE MY SCREEN AND I WILL GET STARTED.
NO, THANK YOU, JUDGE AT MAYOR FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE, UH, THE COUNCIL IN COURT, UH, REGARDING OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE.
UM, UH, AGAIN, THE SLIDES THAT YOU'RE USED TO, SORRY, THE SLIDES THAT USED TO, OR ARE UPDATED THIS WEEK, UH, BASED UPON OUR NEW DATA.
I, YES, THEY REPORTED 265 NEW CASES WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF NEW CASES OF 242.
AND OBVIOUSLY WE HAD A GAP IN THAT DATA, UH, OVER THE, THE WEEK OF THE ICE STORM OF WERE VERY FEW, UH, TESTS WERE PERFORMED AND RESULT OF THAT WEEK.
BUT OVERALL SINCE FEBRUARY THE FIRST WE'VE HAD A 57% INCREASE IN THAT MOVING AVERAGE OF NEW CASES.
AND SO AGAIN, WE CONTINUE TO MOVE IN A BETTER DIRECTION IN TERMS OF OUR NEW CASES DIAGNOSED.
SIMILARLY, OUR ADMISSIONS ARE ALSO ON THE DECREASE YESTERDAY, REPORTED 15 NEW ADMISSIONS WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 29, WHICH DROPS US DOWN INTO THE STAGE THREE TERRITORY.
AGAIN, THIS IS THE KEY INDICATOR FOR, UH, FOR STAGING.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT ADMISSION DATA, UH, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS LATER THIS WEEK OR EARLY NEXT WEEK.
IF WE CONTINUE IN THAT STAGE THREE TERRITORY, UH, TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE STAGES.
SO WE'LL, UH, HOPEFULLY HAVE SOME UPDATES LATER THIS WEEK OR EARLY NEXT WEEK REGARDING THAT.
UH, BUT SIMILAR TO OUR CASE DATA ADMISSIONS ARE DOWN 57% AS WELL SINCE FEBRUARY THE FIRST, THIS GRAPH IS SHOWING THREE THINGS OTHER THAN THE BLUE IS OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS, THEY ORANGE OR ICU UTILIZATION, AND THE GRAY IS VENTILATOR USAGE YESTERDAY.
OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS WERE 248, BUT A MOVING AVERAGE OF 284, THAT'S A 47% INCREASE SINCE, UH, FEBRUARY THE FIRST ICU USE YESTERDAY 76 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 93, UH, DOWN 40% SINCE FEBRUARY 1ST AND THEN VENTILATOR USE YESTERDAY 58 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 65 AND THAT'S DOWN 33%.
SO AGAIN, ALL OF THESE INDICATORS MOVING IN A BETTER DIRECTION, WHICH GIVES US A REASONABLE HOPE THAT THESE NUMBERS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE IF THOSE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS, THE MASKING DISTANCING, UH, AND THE, THE HAND HYGIENE THAT CONTINUE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR, UH, REGIONAL INFUSION CENTER, WHICH IS HELPING TO, UH, KEEP INDIVIDUALS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL AGAIN, UH, THIS IS A FREE SERVICE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR HOSPITALIZATION.
UH, WE SEE THAT, UH, SINCE THE OPENING 693 INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN TREATED AT THAT FACILITY, UH, STILL PLENTY OF CAPACITY, MUCH MORE CAPACITY THAN, UH, THE FOLKS WHO ARE GETTING IT.
SO WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE, UH, INDIVIDUALLY IN OUR COMMUNITY, IF THEY ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR DEVELOPING SEVERE DISEASE, TO CONTACT A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER AND GET A REFERRAL TO THAT REGIONAL INFUSION CENTER FOR THAT THERAPY.
UH, SO WE'RE, WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE STATE PER TDM FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP, WHICH IS HELPING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS DECLINE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS, A QUICK UPDATE REGARDING OUR ALTERNATE CARE SITE.
UH, AS OF YESTERDAY, WE HAD 32
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INDIVIDUALS, UH, HOSPITALIZED THERE 168 TOTAL TREATED AND RELEASED.UH, SO A TOTAL OF 200 INDIVIDUALS, UH, WHO HAVE BEEN, UH, RECEIVED SERVICE THROUGH THE ALTERNATE CARE SITE.
CURRENT CAPACITY IS UP TO 50 RIGHT NOW, UH, AS THE, THE, UH, HOSPITALIZATION NUMBERS FALL, WE WILL START TO LOOK AT PLANS FOR, UH, DECREASING THE CAPACITY THERE AND EVENTUAL, UM, UH, DEMOBILIZATION.
UH, BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE OF AN UPDATE ON THAT NEXT WEEK.
NOTHING, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR SORRY OF OUR PROJECTIONS FROM THE UT VOLUN CONSORTIUM.
THIS IS KIND OF ZOOMED IN ON THE NOVEMBER TO APRIL TIMEFRAME.
UH, AND IT DOES SHOW THAT, UM, THAT WE CONTINUE TO MOVE IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION.
THIS HASN'T BEEN UPDATED SINCE THE 22ND OF FEBRUARY.
SO WE MAY SEE AN UPDATE TODAY OR TOMORROW TO THIS, TO REFINE THIS DATA LITTLE BIT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IF, AGAIN, IF THE SAME PROTECTIONS THAT ARE IN PLACE TODAY, UH, CONTINUE THAT WE COULDN'T SEE STAGE TWO TERRITORY BY THE END OF MARCH OR EARLY APRIL AGAIN, UM, WHAT WE'VE SEEN HAPPEN BEFORE IN OUR JURISDICTION IN TEXAS AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS THAT WHEN FOLKS RELAXED TOO SOON, THESE NUMBERS BOUNCE AND THAT'S, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR RIGHT NOW, WHILE WE'RE FOCUSED ON VACCINATIONS, WHILE WE'RE FOCUSED ON GETTING OUT OF THIS AND BEING NORMAL AGAIN, NOW IT'S TOO SOON TO RETURN TO NORMAL.
NOW IT'S TOO SOON TO TAKE AWAY.
MASKING NOW IS TOO SOON TO FORGET ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING, UH, AND THE OTHER PROTECTIVE MEASURES.
NOW'S THE TIME TO CONTINUE THOSE THINGS SO THAT WE CAN PUT OURSELVES IN A BETTER POSITION, PARTICULARLY IN ADVANCE OF, UH, SEVERAL THREATS FOR SERVERS THAT WE HAVE COMING UP THAT INCLUDES SPRING BREAK.
THAT INCLUDES ST PATRICK'S DAY.
UH, SO IF WE CAN RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO RELAX TOO MUCH RIGHT NOW, THEN WE CAN PUT OURSELVES IN A BETTER POSITION GOING INTO APRIL AND MAY, UH, AND, UH, AVOID, UH, ANOTHER SURGE.
WE SEE SIMILAR TRENDS, UH, IN RELATION TO HOSPITALIZATIONS, CONTINUE TO DECLINE OVER THE NEXT MONTH.
UH, AND THE SAME IS TRUE FOR OUR ICU UTILIZATION.
AGAIN, UM, CONTINUING DOWN ON A DOWNWARD TREND, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY THROUGH THE, UH, THROUGH THE MONTH OF MARCH, UH, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS BASED UPON AGE.
UM, THERE'S NOT MUCH CHANGE A NET CHANGE IN THE OLDER AGE GROUP, SO THAT 60 AND OVER AGE GROUPS, UH, WEEK OVER WEEK.
NOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT HOWEVER, THE YOUNGER AGE GROUPS, SO THAT UNDER 20 AGE GROUPS, UH, THERE IS A, AN INCREASE IN THOSE INDIVIDUALS, UH, IN TERMS OF THEIR PERCENTAGE OF HOSPITALIZATIONS.
AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT AND WHY THAT IS, UH, IN SUBSEQUENT SLIDES.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS IN EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES HOSPITALIZED WEEK OVER WEEK.
WE CAN SEE THAT WE, UH, WE DIDN'T SEE A, AN INCREASE AS COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS WEEK, AGAIN, THIS WEEK OF FEBRUARY 15TH TO 21ST, UH, DURING THE ICE STORM IS A BIT OF AN ANOMALY.
UM, SO WE MAY SEE SOME, SOME FOLKS WHO ARE HOSPITALIZED, UH, IN THIS, THIS LAST WEEK THAT, THAT WOULDN'T HAVE GONE TO A HOSPITAL THAT PREVIOUS WEEK.
SO AGAIN, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WATCH THAT TREND.
AND I EXPECT THAT WE'LL SEE A DECREASE IN THAT NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED, UH, UH, NEXT WEEK IN NEXT WEEK'S UPDATE.
UH, WE HAVE SEEN A DECREASE IN THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE 80 PLUS AGE GROUP MOVING FROM 34 TO 25, SOME SLIGHT INCREASES IN THE 60 TO 69, 70 TO 79 AGE GROUPS, AS WELL AS THE 50 TO 59.
UM, IF WE LOOK DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GRAPH ON THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN, WE START TO SOME LAYERING HAPPENING.
UH, SO AN INCREASE IN THAT 10 TO 19 AGE BIRD MOVING FROM THREE HOSPITALIZATIONS THE PREVIOUS WEEK TO EIGHT LAST WEEK, UH, AND ALSO SOME ADMISSIONS IN THE YOUNGER AGE GROUPS THAT ONE TO NINE AND THE LESS THAN ONE AGE GROUPS.
UM, AGAIN, I'LL TALK A BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN, UH, IN SUBSEQUENT SLIDES, NO SHOWING YOU HERE IS THE, UH, HOSPITALIZATIONS BASED ON RACE AND ETHNICITY.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE LATIN X, UH, PERCENTAGE OF HOSPITALIZATIONS, 39.5% LAST WEEK, UH, ARE WHITE, NON-HISPANIC 38.2%, UH, AND ONGOING, UH, INCREASES IN OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN, UH, PERCENTAGE OF HOSPITALIZATION.
SO 15.9% OF HOSPITALIZATIONS LAST WEEK FROM OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE CONTINUE TO SEE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS ON OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW, THE MOST, UH, DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT IS HAPPENING IN OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
UH, THAT 15.9% IS SIGNIFICANTLY OVER,
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UH, THE REPRESENTATION OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, UH, IN THE OVERALL TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY.UH, THIS IS COUPLED WITH, UH, THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, UH, DISPROPORTIONATELY GETTING FEWER VACCINES, UH, THAN THEY SHOULD BE GETTING IN TERMS OF THEIR, UH, THEIR MAKEUP OF, OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY POPULATION.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE'VE GOT MORE WORK TO DO IN OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR TO ENSURE THAT NOT ONLY ARE WE, UM, PREVENTING HOSPITALIZATIONS THROUGH THINGS LIKE PPE ADVOCACY INFORMATION, BUT ALSO ENSURING THAT WE'RE FOCUSING MORE AND MORE, UH, VACCINE EFFORTS TO, UH, OUTREACH TO THOSE COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE BEEN DISPROPORTIONALLY IMPACTED THROUGHOUT THIS PANDEMIC.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS IN THOSE RACES AND ETHNICITIES HOSPITALIZED, UH, AGAIN, UH, OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY MOVED FROM 67 INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED THE PREVIOUS WEEK TO 87 LAST WEEK, UH, A SMALL INCREASE IN OUR WHITE NON-HISPANIC NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED 82 TO 84, UH, OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY MOVING FROM 29 TO 35 INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED LAST WEEK.
UM, SO AGAIN, MORE WORK TO DO IN TERMS OF, OF OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS, UH, IN, IN PARTICULARLY IN THOSE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
LOOK AT OUR POSITIVITY NUMBERS.
UH, AGAIN THAT THE WEEK BEFORE LAST WEEK, UH, IS A BIT OF AN ANOMALY BECAUSE THERE WERE SUCH A SMALL NUMBER OF TESTS PERFORMED SO LESS THAN 5,000 TEST RESULTS FOR THAT WEEK ACROSS ALL OF ALL THE ENTITIES THAT WERE FEEDING IN TEST RESULTS INTO AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH.
UH, SO YOU SEE THAT 10.2%, UH, PROBABLY SOME OF THAT IS RELATED TO THAT, UH, VERY LOW NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS TESTED ABOUT LAST WEEK.
HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF TESTS PERFORMED.
AND RIGHT NOW THAT POSITIVITY IS 6.9%.
SO AGAIN, MOVING IN A BETTER DIRECTION, UH, AGAIN, THAT NUMBER IS CENTRAL TO CHANGE BECAUSE WE EXPECT TO SEE ADDITIONAL TESTS COMING IN THIS WEEK FROM LAST WEEK.
UH, BUT AGAIN, CERTAINLY ANOTHER INDICATOR THAT WE'RE MOVING IN A BETTER DIRECTION IN TERMS OF THIS PANDEMIC IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE POSITIVITY BY RACE AND ETHNICITY, AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING IN PROGRAMS, UH, OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY, UH, PREVIOUS WEEK, 13.6% POSITIVE LAST WEEK, 13.3, SO SMALL, AND A SMALL DECREASE.
THERE ARE A NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER HAD AN INCREASED 16.7% TO 23.1% ARE ASIAN AMERICAN, UH, COMMUNITIES 7.6% TO 7.0%.
UM, SORRY, OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY 7.6% TO 7.0% ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY 8.5% TO 4.4%.
AND OUR WHITE NON HISPANIC COMMUNITY 8.2% TO 5.6%.
SO WE'RE ALL MOST RAISED IN ETHNICITIES HAVE SEEN A DROP WEEK OVER WEEK, UH, IN, UH, IN TERMS OF POSITIVITY.
UH, WE HAVE A, UM, A, YOU KNOW, OUR ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY UNDER THE 5%.
EVERYBODY IS STILL SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THAT 3% THAT GREEN DOTTED LINE THAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE IN ORDER TO MOVE DOWN INTO STAGE TWO.
UH, SO AGAIN, MORE WORK TO DO, UH, TO CONTINUE THOSE PROTECTIVE EFFORTS SO THAT WE CAN FURTHER SUPPRESS DISEASE TRANSMISSION IN THE COMMUNITY.
UH, THIS IS A GRAPH OF THE POSITIVITY BY AGE GROUP.
UH, WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO SEE THAT OUR OLDER AGE GROUPS HAVE THE LOWEST POSITIVITY, WHETHER OUR 80 PLUS AGE GROUP, UH, BEING THE LOWEST.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S CERTAINLY A, UH, A CHANGE THAN WHAT WE SAW EARLIER, UH, IN FEBRUARY, UH, WHEN WE WERE SAYING THOSE OLDER AGE GROUPS LEANING POSITIVITY, I SUSPECT THAT SOME OF THAT IS DUE TO THE FOCUSED VACCINATION EFFORTS ON THOSE 60 PLUS AGE GROUPS, UH, WHICH MAY BE STARTING TO SHOW, UH, IN, UH, IN THE POSITIVITY RATES.
HOWEVER, WE ARE SEEING THE HIGHEST POSITIVITY IN OUR THREE YOUNGEST AGE GROUPS.
SO THE LESS THAN ONE, ONE TO NINE AND 10 TO 19 AGE GROUPS.
UM, SO AGAIN, AS WE VACCINATE OUR COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A LARGE POPULATION WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINES YET, AND THAT'S INDIVIDUALS, TEENAGERS, AND YOUNGER.
AND I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE, UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT OTHER COUNTRIES WHO HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL AND VACCINATION EFFORTS LIKE ISRAEL, NOW LET'S HAVE VACCINATED, MAYBE 60% OF THEIR POPULATION.
THEY'RE SEEING A SURGE RIGHT NOW, AND THAT SURGE
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IS RELATED TO INDIVIDUALS 19 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER.UM, SO AGAIN, WHEN WE CONSIDER THINGS LIKE MASS MANDATES AND ALTERATIONS, AND THESE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS CHANGES AND, AND MOVING BACK TO NORMAL, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THERE IS VERY, THERE ARE VERY FEW INDIVIDUALS IN THOSE SCHOOL AGE GROUP, UH, SCHOOL, AGE GROUPS, AND YOUNGER THAT HAVE PROTECTION.
SO THERE'S STILL CONCERN ABOUT SEARCH AND THAT COMMUNITY THAT WILL CONTINUE UNTIL WE HAVE PRODUCTS WHICH ARE APPROVED FOR YOUNGER AGE GROUPS.
I WANT TO LOOK AT THE POSITIVITY A BIT MORE DETAIL BY, UH, UH, POSITIVITY IN, IN, UH, OUR SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN.
NOW WE CAN SEE THAT ALL OF THEM ARE SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE COMMUNITY POSITIVITY RATE, UH, HIGH SCHOOL, MORE THAN DOUBLE THE COMMUNITY POSITIVITY, 15.2% MIDDLE SCHOOL, 11.9% FOR LAST WEEK, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 14.2% PRESCHOOL 9.3%.
AGAIN, SOME OF THIS IS GOING TO BE RELATED TO THE FACT THAT RELATIVELY FEWER INDIVIDUALS IN THIS AGE GROUP ARE TESTED, WHICH IS GOING TO DRIVE UP THE POSITIVITY A BIT, BUT CERTAINLY CONCERNING TREND, BECAUSE THESE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST POSITIVITY RATES THAT WE'VE SEEN IN SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN.
AND AGAIN, THIS REINFORCES THE MESSAGE THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE, UH, TO ENCOURAGE OUR CHILDREN, TO MASK AND DISTANCE, TO AVOID THE SOCIAL GATHERINGS SO THAT WE CAN AVOID OUTBREAKS WITHIN THESE YOUNGER AGE GROUPS.
UH, WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF SOME OF THE COMPLICATIONS, UH, THAT ARE HITTING CHILDREN, UH, AND YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE POTENTIAL FOR VARIANCE AND THAT IMPACT ON, ON YOUNGER AGE BIRDS.
THAT'S AGAIN, TAKE HOME MESSAGE THIS WEEK IS WE HAVE TO REMAIN VIGILANT.
WE HAVE TO REMAIN CAUTIOUS UNTIL WE CAN DRIVE DOWN, UH, THESE DISEASE, UH, THIS DISEASE TRANSMISSION FURTHER LOOK AT POSITIVITY.
UH, ARE THEY, UH, UH, CASES REPORT BY SCHOOLS.
WE CAN SEE THAT WE HAD 70 REPORTED LAST WEEK AND A COUPLE OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT DID NOT REPORT LAST WEEK, UH, 42 STUDENT CASES, 28 STAFF CASES, UH, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANT DECREASES FROM PREVIOUS WEEKS IN TERMS OF, UH, OF POSITIVE CASES RELATED TO SCHOOLS AGAIN, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HAD THE, THE WINTER EVENT AND THEN AN EXTENSION OF, OF THE CLOSURE, UH, THAT EXTENDED INTO LAST WEEK FOR MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WHICH LIKELY IS IMPACTING THE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE SEEING FOR LAST WEEK.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CLOSE CONTACTS, AGAIN, SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN WE'VE SEEN IN PREVIOUS WEEKS, ABOUT 300, UH, IN STAFFING QUARANTINE, UH, WHERE WE WERE, UH, MORE THAN 1,015 HUNDRED, UH, IN PREVIOUS WEEKS.
UH, SO AGAIN, LIKELY IMPACTED BY THE WINTER EVENT, QUICK UPDATE ON OUR, UH, NURSING HOME LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY DASHBOARD.
UH, AGAIN, UH, AS WE'VE SEEN POSITIVE IN THE COMMUNITY DROP, WHEN YOU'VE SEEN CASES IN LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES DROP REMARKABLY AGAIN, UH, I THINK PART OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE, THE MAGNITUDE OF IMPACT ON THESE FACILITIES ARE DUE TO THE FOCUSED VACCINATION EFFORTS IN THESE, AMONGST THE RESIDENTS AND STAFF.
AND SO 12 CASES IN THE PAST 14 DAYS, ONLY 57 IN THE PREVIOUS 28 DAYS.
UH, SO REMARKABLE CHANGES IN THE CASES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE FACILITIES OVER THE PAST MONTH.
AGAIN, UH, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF FLU SEASON.
SO I'LL GIVE A COUPLE OF SLIDES OF UPDATE REGARDING OUR INFLUENZA SITUATION, UH, WEEK 7.8, 4% POSITIVE, A TOTAL OF A 1.19% POSITIVE FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON.
UH, SO LESS THAN A HUNDRED CASES OF FLU DIAGNOSED TODAY, UH, AS YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, UH, FOR THE CDC EARLIER THIS WEEK, UH, THIS IS A RECORD LOW FLU FLU SEASON.
YOU HAVE TO THINK A TESTAMENT TO THE EFFICACY OF VACCINATIONS COMBINED WITH A NON-PHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS THAT WE'VE SEEN WITH COVID-19 THE MASKING DISTANCING AND THE PERSONAL HYGIENE THAT ARE IMPACTING THE FLU NUMBERS.
UH, AGAIN, COMPARING IT TO OUR PREVIOUS THREE FLU SEASONS, UH, IT IS DEFINING THE BASE OF, OF THIS CURVE.
AND SO, AGAIN, WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE THIS, UH, WE'RE STARTING TO, TO ENTER THE, UH, THE LATER STAGES OF, OF FLU SEASON.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN CONTINUE, UH, THIS LOW RATE OF FLU.
AND, UH, CERTAINLY IT HAS NOT HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON OUR HOSPITALS AS WAS OUR CONCERN IN THE FALL.
AGAIN, UH, MAYOR, JUDGE, UH, WE CONTINUE IN STAGE FOUR, UH, FOR NOW, UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH THE DATA, UH, LATER THIS WEEK AND INTO NEXT WEEK TO MAKE
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A DETERMINATION RECOMMENDATION, TO TRANSITION TO STAGE THREE.UH, OUR HOPE IS THAT THAT WILL CONTINUE, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS ALL POSITIVE INDICATORS OF WHAT, UH, THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
UH, THERE ARE STILL SOME UNKNOWNS.
UH, WE HAVE AN UNKNOWN RELATED TO THE IMPACT OF THE WINTER STORM, WHICH WE CAN, UH, EXPECT TO SEE THIS WEEK.
OUR HOPE IS THAT NUMBERS WILL CONTINUE TO DROP.
UM, BUT TO, AGAIN, IF WE ALL CONTINUE THOSE PROTECTIVE EFFORTS CONTINUE THE VIGILANCE THAT WILL PUT AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY AND CENTRAL TEXAS IN A BETTER POSITION GOING INTO THE SPRING AGAIN, AS A REMINDER, THEY, SO THEY, UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STAGE FOUR, UH, ESSENTIAL TRIPS ONLY, NOT PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE AT HIGHER RISK, UH, LIMITING NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL, UH, MASKING AND DISTANCING.
WHEN I WENT OUTSIDE THE HOUSE, UH, WE'RE STILL RECOMMENDING THAT OUR BUSINESSES OPERATE AT A MAXIMUM OF 50% TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY TO DISTANCE, UH, AND TO PREVENT THAT, UH, THAT PERSON THAT PERSON'S SPREADING.
UH, WE'RE ALSO CONTINUING TO RECOMMEND THAT THE SCHOOL IS LIMITED ATTENDANCE AT SPORTING EVENTS TO THE MINIMUM NECESSARY PLAYERS, COACHES, AND PARENTS WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD.
UM, GOOD MORNING, UM, NEAR COUNCIL, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS COURT.
UM, WE WANT TO JUST PROVIDE AN UPDATE OF VACCINES THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED KIND OF GIVEN A SNAPSHOT, UH, BETWEEN, UH, FEBRUARY 21ST THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH, WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE 33,000, UM, VACCINES.
UM, AS WE SHARED, UH, LAST WEEK WE OPENED ADDITIONAL SITES, EXTENDED OUR HOURS IN, UM, IN DAYS OF OPERATION, UM, A SIGNIFICANT MOST OF THE BACKLOG ON DOSES, UM, HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED.
WE DO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, UM, THERE, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SYSTEM INPUT DELAYS.
AND SO, UM, WHAT WE ARE, UM, JUST COMMUNICATING TO THE PUBLIC IS, IS THAT IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR FIRST DOSE, UM, VACCINE WITH PUBLIC HEALTH, AND IT IS BEYOND THE 42 DAYS, YOU CAN, UM, SHOW UP AT ONE OF OUR SITES, YOU WOULD NEED TO BRING YOUR CARD WITH YOU.
TYPICALLY, WHAT OUR STAFF WILL DO, UM, IS, IS, IS LOOK AT YOUR CAR, LOOKING UP IN THE SYSTEM, UM, AND ASSURE THAT YOU RECEIVED THE FIRST DOSE FROM AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, AND SO THE OTHER THING IS, IS THAT WE HAVE, UM, RESTARTED OUR, UH, DATA ENTRY, UH, PROCESS SO WE CAN UPDATE OUR DASHBOARDS.
UM, WE STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A DELAY WITH OUR VACCINE DASHBOARD AND OUR STAFF IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT, UM, WOULD LIKE TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, THE PHOTO HERE.
THIS WAS A GRANDMOTHER THAT CAME IN TO RECEIVE HER SECOND DOSE AND, UM, WAS VERY GRACIOUS TO ALLOW US TO INTERVIEW HER AS WELL AS SHARE HER PHOTO.
ONE OF THE THINGS, UM, WE, WE WOULD LIKE TO ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, AISD IN THEIR, UH, BEING VERY FLEXIBLE WITH US.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, WE WERE AT THE ASD PERFORMING ARTS CENTER ON LAST WEEK.
UM, AND, UM, BASICALLY WITH, WITH THE SETUP, UM, WE BASICALLY HAVE THE CLINIC, UM, COMMON CENTER STAGE, AS YOU CAN SEE.
UM, IT WAS A REALLY GOOD PROCESS.
WE PLAN TO RETURN THERE, UM, THIS WEEK AND CONTINUE PROVIDING THOSE VACCINES.
AND WE PROVIDED ABOUT 85,000 VACCINES, WHICH THAT DOES INCLUDE OUR FIRST AND SECOND DOSE, UM, VACCINES WANTING TO JUST PROVIDE A SNAPSHOT, UM, BECAUSE I KNOW THIS WAS ASKED LAST WEEK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE PRE-REGISTERED AND ELIGIBLE IN THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM, UM, OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE AGES, UM, 60 AND OLDER, UM, OUR, OUR 12, UH, UH, K UM, DOSES HAVE NOT COME IN YET.
UM, BUT WE ARE ANTICIPATING, UM, THAT THEY WILL ARRIVE EITHER TODAY OR TOMORROW.
AND, UM, WE WILL BEGIN TO ADMINISTER THOSE.
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES HAS ANNOUNCED THAT, UM, UM, 200,000 VACCINES WILL BE COMING TO, UH, THE STATE OF TEXAS.
UM, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN ALERTED THAT SOME ARE COMING TO,
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TO TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY, UH, THROUGH THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AS WELL AS, UM, SOME VACCINES ARE HEAVY SENT TO, TO DALLAS COUNTY, UM, AS WELL AS HARRIS COUNTY.AND SO, AS WE CAN SEE, UM, WITH THE MOVEMENT OF, OF JOHNSON AND JOHNSON, A VACCINE, UM, THAT IS DEFINITELY GOING TO, YOU KNOW, ADD, UM, ANOTHER WAY FOR FOLKS TO RECEIVE THEIR VACCINE.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE BEEN ALERTED THAT, UM, THE PLAN IS, IS THAT THE COMPANY IS WILLING TO SHIP AND PREPARE 20 MILLION SHOTS IN THE U S BY THE END OF MARCH.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S DEFINITELY GOOD NEWS NEXT WEEK, AS SHARED IN MY PRESENTATION ON LAST WEEK, UM, I PROVIDED INFORMATION ABOUT SOME UPDATES.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOME ADDITIONAL CHANGES THIS WEEKEND WITH OUR SYSTEM.
WHAT I WANTED TO SHARE WAS A SCREENSHOT, UM, UH, FOR FOLKS.
AND, UM, AND THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, BASED UPON WHAT WE RELEASED LAST NIGHT, AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS A PART OF OUR QUEUING SYSTEM.
UM, IT ACTUALLY SHOWS WHEN, UM, THAT WE ARE GOING TO RELEASE, UH, 4,000, UM, VACCINES.
AND IT JUST KIND OF IS A WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE AS THEY ARE IN THE SYSTEM WAITING FOR AN APPOINTMENT.
UM, WHAT WE HAVE ALSO DONE IS IN THE SYSTEM IS, IS THAT WE HAVE ADDED A, UM, A SECOND DOSE FORM, UM, THAT INDIVIDUALS CAN ALSO FILL OUT.
UM, AND SO BASICALLY YOU FILL THAT FORM OUT, UM, IF YOU'VE NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM US PROACTIVELY.
AND, UM, AND SO OUR FOLKS WILL, UM, ARE PROCESSING THOSE FORMS AS WELL.
UM, LASTLY, WE, UM, ALSO HAVE PUT A LINK ON FOR FOLKS IF THEY'RE HAVING ANY CHALLENGES WITH THE WEBSITE, UM, AND, UM, THEY CAN COMMUNICATE THAT TO US.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS, UM, WE HAVE ADDED ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES FOR THE CALL CENTER, UM, TO BE ON OUR NINE, SEVEN TWO LINE.
UM, AND SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE, UM, UM, UH, ABOUT 63 FOLKS THAT ARE ANSWERING, UM, MULTIPLE CALLS AND MAKING OUTBOUND CALLS AND, UM, AND STILL WORKING VERY WELL WITH, WITH TRAVIS COUNTY STAFF.
WE HAVE ABOUT 20 AT THAT LOCATION AS WELL.
SO IT'S ABOUT 83 FOLKS THAT ARE ASSISTING US WITH EITHER MAKING, UM, ANSWERING CALLS THAT ARE COMING IN TO THE CITY OR MAKING OUTBOUND CALLS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WITH OUR, OUR FIRST, UM, THOSE APPOINTMENTS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE HAVE TYPICALLY, UM, GONE WITH A TUESDAY AND THURSDAY EVENING, BUT WHAT WE DETERMINED, UM, YESTERDAY DURING THE DAY IS THAT, UM, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO RELEASE THE 4,000 ADDITIONAL APPOINTMENTS.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE DID LAST NIGHT.
WE SENT A RELEASE TO JUST LET THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT WE WERE GOING TO RELEASE THESE, THOSE APPOINTMENTS YESTERDAY, UM, AND GET THOSE SCHEDULED FOR TODAY.
THERE MAY BE SOME TIMES WHEN WE MAY NEED TO RELEASE APPOINTMENTS ON AN ADDITIONAL DAY.
UM, IF WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UM, HAVE A BIGGER THROUGHPUT, UM, THERE MAY BE OPTIONS WHEN WE WILL DO THAT WITH THE FIRST DOSE APPOINTMENTS.
UM, AS, AS I SHARED WITH YOU, UM, ON LAST WEEK, UM, WE HAVE, UM, STARTED OUR MOBILE VACCINE PROCESS.
AND INITIALLY WE ARE, UM, REALLY, REALLY, UM, FOCUSING IN ON LOCATIONS WHERE WE HAVE MORE, UM, FOLKS THAT ARE, UM, ARE SENIORS, PEOPLE THAT ARE HOME BOUND, UM, AND, OR, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE, ARE JUST, UH, THAT ARE DISABLED.
AND SO, UM, INITIALLY WHAT WE DID LAST WEEKEND WAS WE WENT TO THE RBJ RESIDENTIAL TOWER.
UH, WE WENT TO A COUPLE OF SMALLER ASSISTED LIVING LOCATIONS.
UM, THIS WEEK WE ARE, UM, WORKING WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CITY OF AUSTIN AND A COUPLE OF THEIR LOCATIONS.
AND WE ARE ALSO PARTNERING WITH ADA, UM, ON ONE OF THESE CLINICS BECAUSE IN OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, UM, WE REALLY FELT THE NEED TO BE ABLE TO INCLUDE THEM AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE VACCINES,
[00:30:01]
UM, TO THEM AS WELL.WE WILL CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS, UM, THIS WAY, BECAUSE WHAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING IS, IS INITIALLY STARTING IN LOCATIONS WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL VACCINES IN A, UM, IN A LOCATION, UM, AND BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT.
SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH, UM, HAKA TO FINISH THEIR SITES.
UM, WE'VE ALREADY HAD A COUPLE OF MEETINGS WITH, UM, WITH NON-PROFIT, UM, PROVIDERS, UM, LOOKING AT, UM, WAYS OF HOW WE CAN ROLL OUT OUR PARTNERSHIP.
FOR EXAMPLE, WITH MEALS ON WHEELS, THEY HAVE BEGAN TO IDENTIFY FOLKS THAT WE CAN, UM, GO OUT AND PROVIDE VACCINES TO THAT ARE HOME BOUND.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WE STARTED CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES AND LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN PROVIDE VACCINES THAT WAY INITIALLY, UM, KIND OF AFTER WE ARE, ARE ALSO WORKING THROUGH THAT, WE HAVE BEGUN TO RECEIVE REFERRALS FROM FOLKS THAT, UM, ARE REFERRING FOLKS TO US THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM A, UM, FROM A VISIT AT HOME.
AND SO OUR STAFF ARE STARTING THAT PROCESS, UM, TO PUT THAT LIST TOGETHER.
AND THEN EVENTUALLY WE ARE GOING TO BE PROVIDING THE VACCINES AT HOME.
SO AS WE GET A LITTLE FURTHER ALONG, WE WILL HAVE OUR MEDIA TEAM TO CREATE A FLYER, AND WE WILL BEGIN TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO PUT THAT OUT SOCIAL MEDIA, ET CETERA, AND GET THAT OUT TO OUR PARTNERS.
UM, IN ADDITION, UM, WE JUST WANTED TO SHARE FROM MY LONGTERM CARE UPDATE, UM, CVS AND WALGREENS HAS PROVIDED OVER 11,000, UM, VACCINES TO STAFF AND RESIDENTS, UM, AT 107 FACILITIES.
AND, UM, BASICALLY WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IS, IS, UH, THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, UM, RETURN TO THOSE LOCATIONS THAT THEY INITIALLY WERE AT.
UM, AND WHAT THEY, AS FAR AS THEY, UM, LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES AS THEY ONBOARD NEW STAFF OR HAVE STAFF THAT MAY HAVE CHANGED THEIR MIND, BUT DIDN'T WANT THE VACCINE INITIALLY THEY ARE ADDING THEM AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE PICKING THEM UP.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE REALLY HAVE A LOT GOING ON WITH VACCINES.
UM, WE KNOW THAT, UH, WE ARE CONTINUOUSLY GOING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, AND SO AS WE MOVE ALONG, UM, THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED FROM, FROM YOU ALL, AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC, UM, AS WELL AS OUR, UM, IT FOLKS, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND CORRECTIONS TO THAT SYSTEM AT THIS TIME.
THAT COMPLETES MY, UM, PRESENTATION.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY I'M AVAILABLE FOR.
THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD, AND DR.
S SCOTT, LET'S JUST GO STRAIGHT TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE FROM COURT MEMBERS, UH, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UH, NO JUDGE.
UH, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW.
UM, UH, I DID, UM, UH, PROBABLY FOR DR.
I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF WHAT YOU AND YOUR STAFFS ARE DOING.
UM, THERE WAS A NEWS STORY THAT, UH, I THINK IT'S A HOUSTON THAT HAS BEEN TESTING FOR, UM, EVIDENCE OF THE VARIANTS OF, UH, OF COVID AND HAS FOUND A VERY, VERY LARGE NUMBER.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY SENSE, ARE WE DOING ANY TESTING LOCALLY? AND IF SO, DO WE HAVE ANY SENSE FOR WHETHER OR NOT, UM, WE ARE SEEING, UH, MUCH EVIDENCE OF, OF THE, THE VARIANCE, THE MUTATIONS, UM, OF THE VIRUS.
AND, UM, IF SO, UH, I AM STILL REALLY UNCLEAR AS TO WHETHER OR NOT, UH, ANY OF THE VACCINES ARE LIKELY TO PROTECT PEOPLE AGAINST THE VARIANCE.
UH, SO ANY, ANY INFORMATION YOU'D HAVE ON THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL AS WELL.
SO COMMISSIONER THERE, TESTING OF, UH, GENOMIC SEQUENCING GOING ON, UH, AROUND THE JURISDICTION, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF IT GOING ON AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AMONGST THEIR COHORT OF, UH, INDIVIDUALS FROM THE CAMPUS.
UH, WE'VE GOT SOME DISCUSSIONS LATER THIS WEEK ABOUT, UH, HOW WE'RE GOING TO MONITOR THAT AND, AND MAKE DETERMINATIONS OF, UH, UH, POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS BASED UPON THE VARIANCE RIGHT NOW, MOST OF THE VARIANTS, UH, SEEN LOCALLY AND IN TEXAS, UH, IT'S THE UK VARIANT, THE VACCINE SHOW, UM, THAT THAT IS, IS EFFECTIVE AGAINST THAT FOR VARIANT,
[00:35:01]
BUT AS WE GO, AS WE GO FORWARD, WE CAN EXPECT THAT MORE VARIANTS WILL EMERGE AND WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE THE EFFICACY OF THE VACCINE.UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PLATFORMS PARTICULARLY MADURO HAS ALREADY STARTED TO FORMULATE, UH, A BOOSTER WITH THE NEW VARIANTS IN IT.
AND, UH, WE CAN EXPECT, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE, THE MAGNITUDE OF, OF THIS PANDEMIC, UH, THAT IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT FOR US TO EVADE A SIGNIFICANT VARIANCE TO DEVELOPING ACROSS THE GLOBE.
UH, SO I THINK IT'S LIKELY THAT WE WILL SAY BOOSTER SHOTS EMERGED, UH, OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS NEXT YEAR, NOT TO START HITTING SOME OF THOSE VARIANTS UNTIL HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UH, WE CAN ELIMINATE THE COVID-19 UT DELL YESTERDAY COMMISSIONER SAID ABOUT AS THEY'RE DOING THAT WORK AND ON THEIR, UH, UH, ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING ABOUT A THIRD, THEY SAID WAS THE VERY, THANK YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER PAVILION.
UM, FIRST, I'LL START OFF BY SAYING, I APPRECIATE THE SIGNIFICANT WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE, UM, THAT BOTH OF YOU HAVE DONE, UH, THAT YOU'VE BEEN WILLING TO REACH OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND TALK TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND WORK TO BUILD PROCESSES.
I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, MY QUESTION, UM, IS MORE ALONG THE EQUITY LINES ON ONCE AGAIN, AND IT IS, UH, WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE'S A DIGITAL DIVIDE, UH, PARTICULARLY BETWEEN AFFLUENT AND, AND, UM, AND NON AFFLUENT COMMUNITIES.
AND WE DO REALIZE THAT A LOT OF OUR ELDERS, UM, YOU KNOW, DON'T ARE COMPUTER LITERATE AND DON'T SPEND TIME ON COMPUTERS.
AND I WANT TO KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING, UH, TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF, OF OUR ELDERLY POPULATION OVER 70 I'VE.
I'VE GOTTEN, I'VE GOTTEN DOZENS OF CALLS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRIED AND TRIED AND TRIED TO GET INTO THE SYSTEM AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO SO.
AND IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT SINCE WE HAVE GOT LARGE CHURCHES, THOSE CHURCHES ARE THE STRONGEST INSTITUTION WITHIN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
THEY'RE WILLING TO WORK WITH US, AND THEY HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WHERE THEY'RE SICK AND SHUT IN MEMBERS ARE.
WHAT HAVE WE EXPLICITLY DONE WITH THAT COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF A LOT OF OUR ELDERLY POPULATION, WHICH IS NOT BEING MET BY OUR CURRENT PROCESSES, NOT TRYING TO BLAME THAT ON ANYONE.
I JUST WANT TO KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT WE ARE DOING TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF A POPULATION THAT HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN UNDERSERVED.
UM, GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONER.
UM, WE HAVE DONE, UH, WE'VE DONE A FEW THINGS, UM, UM, DURING THE KIND OF THE WEEK OF THE, THE WEATHER STORM KIND OF IN BETWEEN ADDRESSING OTHER ISSUES THAT WERE RELATED TO WEATHER, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A COUPLE OF MEETINGS, INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS, WE'D LEAD PASTORS IN, IN THIS COMMUNITY, UM, AND TALKED ABOUT SOME STRATEGIES THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO PROVIDE ON TUESDAY OF LAST WEEK.
UM, WE HAD A LARGER MEETING WITH FAITH BASED LEADERSHIP.
UM, WE, WE PROBABLY HAD ABOUT 15, UM, REPRESENTATIVES THAT WERE PRESENT, UM, AND HAD A VERY NICE CONVERSATION.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, WAS, WAS ONE, YOU KNOW, GETTING THEM, UM, MORE MATERIALS.
SO THEY WOULD HAVE THAT, UM, ABOUT OUR PROCESS.
UM, WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION PROCESS OF WHERE, UM, WE HAVE, UM, HAVE HAD SOME FOLKS TO REFER FOLKS INTO OUR EQUITY LINE.
UM, WE LET THEM KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UH, HAD ESTABLISHED THAT AREA THAT IS PROVIDING OUTBOUND CALLS TO INDIVIDUALS THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET.
UM, WE HAVE, UM, ALSO HAD A FEW OF THEM THAT HAVE SAID THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO ASSIST US WITH, UM, LOCATIONS TO PROVIDE VACCINES, UM, TO THEIR MEMBERSHIPS.
UM, AND THEN ALSO, UM, ONE OF THE MEETINGS, UM, ONE OF THE, UH, FOLKS THAT WAS ATTENDING WAS A PART OF THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS AREA.
AND, UM, THEY ARE ONE OF THE LEADERS WITH THE, UH, BLACK PHYSICIAN, UM, UH, GROUP.
AND SO I'M WILLING TO BRING IN VOLUNTEERS AS WELL.
[00:40:01]
THOSE MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED AND HAD, UM, AS A RESULT OF THAT, WE DO HAVE, UM, THREE, UH, CHURCHES THAT ARE, ARE WILLING TO, UM, BE ASSIGNED FOR VACCINES.AND SO TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO IS IS THAT OUR STAFF WILL GO OUT AND DO SITE VISITS AND VISIT WITH THEM, LOOK AT THE LOCATION, ET CETERA.
SO IN THE MEANTIME, UM, KNOWING THAT THE, UM, EQUITY LINE WAS A WAY TO, FOR THEM TO REALLY CONTINUE TO REFER FOLKS INTO US, UM, IS GOING TO BE THE KIND OF QUICK WIN AT THIS TIME.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON WITH OUR, UM, FAITH-BASED LEADERS, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK WITH THEM.
UM, AND ONE OF THEM IS EVEN, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO OFFER, OFFER, UM, THE VACCINES AFTER A SUNDAY SERVICE.
SO WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO, UM, MAKE SOME STRIDES IN THAT AREA.
SO MORE TO COME WITH THAT, AND WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION TO SHARE.
I'D LIKE TO WORK WITH YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING, AND I THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER TREVELYAN COMMISSIONER HOWARD, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GOOD WORK OVER THE LAST WEEK.
UM, MINE SORT OF BUILDS ON COMMISSIONER CIVILIANS CONCERN FOR PEOPLE IN THE HIGHER AGES.
I'M ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE COUNTY.
AND SO I WAS, UH, MADE A NOTE ABOUT THE MOBILE VACCINE.
UM, I'D LOVE TO TALK WITH YOU IN THE COMING WEEKS ABOUT EITHER BEING ABLE TO TAKE THE MOBILE VACCINE PROGRAM TO WESTERN TRAVIS COUNTY, OR EVEN IF IT BECOMES, YOU KNOW, UH, THE SMART THING TO DO TO SET UP A MASS VACCINATION CLINIC, UM, OUT THERE IN A, IN A BIG PARKING LOT, BUT THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING AND I APPRECIATE IT.
UH, I THINK MY ONLY QUESTION IS FIRST OF ALL, THANKS, THANKS A LOT.
AND THANKS FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THIS, THE STORM SET EVERYTHING BACK IN THIS COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THE VACCINE, UH, EFFORTS, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GETTING THAT BACK UP AND RUNNING IMMEDIATELY AND SO QUICKLY.
AND I'VE, I'VE HEARD GREAT REPORTS ABOUT, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE GETTING VACCINATED AT DELCO AND THE OTHER CENTERS, UM, HAVING GREAT EXPERIENCES WHEN THEY'RE THERE.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THAT.
COULD YOU, UH, MAYBE GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS JUST ON, BASED ON THE NUMBERS OF THE VACCINES THAT WE'RE GETTING IN THE COMMUNITY NOW AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WITH JOHNSON AND JOHNSON OPENING UP, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF HOW LONG WE'LL BE AT THIS? UH, IF, YOU KNOW, IF THINGS DON'T GET REALLY THROWN OFF COURSE BY VACCINE VARIANTS, IS THIS A SIX MONTH VACCINATION PROCESS FOR THE, OUR LOCAL SORT OF POPULATION OR IS IT LONGER? JUST WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS THERE? UH, SO JUDGE, I, I, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE START TO HIT MAY AND JUNE, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THOSE WHO NEED TO BE VACCINATED DONE.
UH, I DO EXPECT THAT THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE A LONG TAIL TO THIS.
AND WHAT I MEAN IS THAT, UH, WE'RE GOING TO START TO FACE ISSUES AS WE GET INTO MAY IN, IN JUNE IN PARTICULAR OF, OF TRYING TO RECRUIT MORE PEOPLE TO GET VACCINE.
SO I THINK THAT LAST 10% IS GOING TO TAKE US A WHILE TO GET TO, UM, AGAIN, WE ALSO HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT WE HAVE NO VACCINE SOLUTION FOR OUR YOUTH RIGHT NOW.
UH, SO THAT PARTICULAR PIECE IS ALSO GOING TO LEAD TO A LENGTHY TAIL.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, AS WE APPROACH, UH, MAY IN JUNE, OUR COMMUNITY IS GOING TO BE IN A DIFFERENT POSITION IN TERMS OF, OF RISK OF, OF, UH, AN OVERWHELMING SURGE OF OUR HOSPITAL SYSTEM.
I THINK BY AND LARGE, UH, THAT KIND OF RISK WILL, WILL BE DISSIPATED BY, BY THAT TIME PERIOD.
UH, SO I ANTICIPATE THAT, THAT WE CAN START TO SEE, UH, SOME MORE NORMAL THINGS STARTING TO OCCUR AROUND THAT MAY JUNE TIMEFRAME.
UH, COLLEAGUES, UH, I DON'T SEE, UM, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM, IS SHE WITH US? OKAY.
WE CAN CERTAINLY COME BACK TO HER COUNCIL MEMBER.
SO MY QUESTION IS I SAW ON THE SLIDE THAT WE HAVE ABOUT, I THINK, 12 OR 13,000, 80 PLUS YEAR OLDS ON THE WAIT LIST TO GET AN APPOINTMENT.
AND SO IF I WANTED TO SEE A DIRECTOR, HAYDEN HOWARD, IF YOU COULD TALK US THROUGH, YOU KNOW,
[00:45:01]
WITH THE CALL OPERATORS THAT WE HAD, AND I'M SO APPRECIATIVE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SCALE THE AMOUNT OF COOPERATORS THAT WE HAVE ON HAND TO PROACTIVELY REACH OUT TO OUR SENIORS HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING, UM, THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, BUT HOW MANY, UH, HOW WE MADE IT THROUGH THAT CALL LIST BY NOW, ARE THERE STILL SENIORS IN TRAVIS COUNTY WHO HAVE NOT BEEN TOUCHED OR RECEIVED A CALL FROM US ABOUT THE VACCINE, HOW TO REGISTER, UM, AND THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THAT NUMBER, UH, WHAT MORE SHOULD WE BE DOING AND COULD WE BE DOING TO MAKE SURE WE GET ALL OF OUR SENIORS SIGNED UP ON THE WAIT LIST? AND, UM, AND AS A SIDE NOTE TO THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M STILL RECEIVING VOLUNTEER REQUESTS FROM THE COMMUNITY ON HOW TO HELP WITH MAKING THOSE CALLS.UM, AND SO I'M CURIOUS FOR YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE WEBSITE THAT WAS ROLLED OUT LAST WEEK.
I THINK THAT HAS BEEN SUPER HELPFUL.
UM, BUT I HAVE RECEIVED ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT LITTLE TWEAKS THAT WE COULD DO THAT WEBSITE.
AND I'LL BE SURE TO SEND THAT TO YOU OFFLINE, BUT, UH, BUT I KNOW THAT'S BEEN A WAY FOR THE I'VE BEEN DIRECTING FOLKS TO VOLUNTEER IS TO THAT SITE.
UH, BUT WONDERING IF WE COULD OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOLUNTEER, TO MAKE CALLS, UM, TO HELP US MAKE A GOOD, UM, DENT ON THAT LIST IF NEEDED.
SO SHORT ANSWER, IF YOU COULD TALK US THROUGH HOW WE MADE IT THROUGH THE CALL LIST, UH, REACHING OUR SENIORS IN TRAVIS COUNTY, HOW MUCH, HOW MANY DO WE HAVE LEFT AND WHAT OTHER EFFORTS ARE BEING CONSIDERED AND WORKED ON AT THIS TIME? UM, I WILL SHARE WITH YOU, UM, THAT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THAT ARE RECEIVING OUR VACCINES ARE 60 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER.
UM, AND SO, UM, ON A DAILY BASIS, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE DEFINITELY, UM, PROVIDING VACCINES WHEN WE THINK ABOUT AGE 80 AND OLDER, UM, IT'S ROUGHLY ABOUT 300 PLUS VACCINES A DAY THAT WE ARE PROVIDING TO PEOPLE THAT FIT INTO THAT CATEGORY.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE DOING IS, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CONTINUING TO HAVE FOLKS TO, TO CALL THEM TO MAKE THOSE CALLS.
UM, BUT WHAT WE ARE STILL FINDING IS IS THAT, UM, WE STILL HAVE SENIORS THAT WOULD PREFER NOT TO GO THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE STARTED MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR PARTNERS AND LOOKING AT, UM, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT WHAT, UM, COMMISSIONER HOWARD JUST MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, WE MIGHT NEED TO BE DOING, UM, SOME EFFORTS LIKE THAT WITH FOLKS THAT ARE 80 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER.
UM, THAT WAS ALSO ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE ALSO REACHED OUT TO THE FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY, UM, TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT DONE AS WELL.
BUT WE, WE MAKE, WE, WE WERE LOOKING AT IT AND WE'RE, WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO NEED TO MAKE, UM, SOME CHANGES.
WE HAVE HAD SOME REALLY GOOD SUCCESS.
I WILL TELL YOU, UM, EVERYONE IN OUR SYSTEM, UM, EVEN THOUGH YOU SEE THOSE NUMBERS, THEY'RE NOT TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS.
UM, BUT THEY'RE KIND OF, I, AND I ALWAYS HAVE TO REMIND FOLKS, THE PEOPLE IN OUR SYSTEM ARE FROM ALL ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.
ALSO EVERYONE THAT CALLS OUR NINE 72 NUMBER, UM, ARE FOLKS THAT ARE NOT IN TRAVIS COUNTY, HAYES, WILLIAMSON, ET CETERA, THEY'RE FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO AS A HUB, WE'VE GOT TO BE AVAILABLE TO ALLOW FOLKS THAT ARE NOT IN TRAVIS COUNTY AND OR ARE, UM, NEIGHBORING COUNTIES TO REGISTER IN THE SYSTEM.
SO THAT'S KIND OF THE OTHER PIECE, UM, THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
SO, SO THOSE CALLS ARE NOT ONLY GOING OUT TO FOLKS IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, THEY'RE ALSO PEOPLE THAT ARE REGISTERED IN THE SYSTEM.
AND SO I AM STARTING TO KIND OF FAVOR THE PROCESS OF, OF HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SET UP SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UM, FOR OUR FOLKS THAT ARE LIVING IN, IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, THE STATE HAS EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF, OF MAKING SURE WE'RE PROVIDING, UH, VACCINES TO SENIORS.
UM, AND THEY'RE EMPHASIZING FOLKS THAT ARE 75 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER.
UM, OUR DATA DOES SHOW US THAT WE ARE DEFINITELY HITTING THAT CATEGORY PRETTY WELL AS WELL.
AND SO, UM, CONTINUING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO FOCUS, UM, ALONG THOSE AGE CATEGORIES.
SO, SO WE'LL CONTINUE THAT PROCESS.
A MEMBER OF
[00:50:03]
OR PULL YOUR MIC DOWN, DR.UH, WHAT I, WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS I HAVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN CALLING MY OFFICE AND THEY'RE HOME BOUND VERY SOMEHOW FOR SOME REASON, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET, UH, INTO YOUR, INTO THE SYSTEM TO GO TO REGISTER.
I WAS WONDERING, CAN I HELP THAT PERSON OUT? AND IF I CAN'T, HOW CAN I GET HIM AND HIS WIFE ON, ON THE REGISTRATION LIST? IS THERE A NUMBER THAT I CAN CALL MY OFFICE CAN CALL THAT COULD HELP THESE PEOPLE OUT THAT HAVE BEEN CALLING AND NOT HAVING SUCCESS IN GETTING INTO THE SYSTEM? UM, I THINK WHAT, WHAT WE MAY WANT TO DO IS JUST FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR OFFICE, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE OF THE CALL, UM, AND SEE HOW, YOU KNOW, WE MAY BE ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU AND FOLKS THAT MAY BE HAVING SOME CHALLENGES.
SO WE'LL DEFINITELY TOUCH BASE WITH YOU AND SCHEDULE MEETING WITH YOU AND YOUR STAFF.
BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE, UH, ARE, HAVE, UH, THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME GETTING IN AND, AND I WANT TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GET THEM INTO THE REGISTRATION AND THESE PEOPLE ARE, THEY ARE SENIORS, YOU KNOW, THE 70 YEARS OLD WENT OVER A WIRE FOR HER HUSBAND THAT'S HOME-BOUND DISABLED.
AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO GET THE, UH, THE VACCINE OR AT LEAST GET THE APPOINTMENT SO THAT THEY CAN GET HIM IN THE LINE TO GET THIS VACCINATION.
SO I REACHED OUT TO MY OFFICE.
I HAVE, UH, A QUESTION ABOUT SORT OF VACCINE ALLOTMENT BY COUNTY, AND THEN A SECOND QUESTION ABOUT, UH, SOME OF THE NEW STUFF ON THE WEBSITE, IF THAT'S OKAY.
UH, SO MY, UH, THE FIRST QUESTION IS JUST WE, UH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE FOLKS ARE LOOKING FOR VACCINES WHEREVER THEY CAN FIND THEM AND LOOKING FOR THEM IN DIFFERENT COUNTIES AND THE, LIKE THAT THERE'S, UM, UH, INFORMATION GOING AROUND ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT SOME COUNTIES ARE GETTING MORE OR LESS PER THEIR SHARE OF THE POPULATION, IS THAT INFORMATION THAT Y'ALL CAN SEND TO US.
I DON'T THINK IT EVEN HAS TO BE A PART OF THE DASHBOARD, BUT DO WE HAVE GOOD INFORMATION ABOUT ACROSS COUNTIES, UM, UH, HOW THE VACCINE ALLOCATION IS GOING, UH, FOR THE STATE SO THAT WE CAN SORT OF CONFIRM FOR FOLKS THAT INDEED THE VACCINES ARE BEING DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE STATE IN A, IN A WAY EQUITABLE, BASED ON POPULATION COUNSELOR.
THERE'S A DSHS DASHBOARD, WHICH HAS THE ALLOCATION FOR THE FIRST AND SECOND DOSES BY COUNTY.
UM, SO ALL THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE PUBLICLY, NOT THROUGH THAT SITE.
WE CAN CERTAINLY SEND OUT LINKS TO, TO THE OFFICES, UH, AN ALLOCATION INFORMATION.
AND LAST TIME WE TALKED, I THINK YOU HAD MENTIONED THERE WAS AN OUT SOME OUTLIERS IN THE PANHANDLE, BUT THAT, OTHER THAN THAT, BUT, UH, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, IT WAS, IT REMAINS WITHOUT OUTLIERS WITHOUT OUTLIERS, EXCEPT FOR THAT EXCEPTION.
UH, THAT WAS THE LAST TIME, UH, THAT I DID CALCULATIONS OVER.
WE CAN CERTAINLY HAVE ANOTHER LOOKUP AT THE METRO JURISDICTIONS TO MAKE SURE IT'S STAYING CONSISTENT.
UM, AND THEN, UM, I, I KNOW THAT Y'ALL CONSISTENTLY GET EMAILS FROM OUR OFFICES, JUST ABOUT THE WEBSITE AND PEOPLE REGISTERING AND HEARD FROM PEOPLE, SOME FOLKS YESTERDAY THAT WERE, UM, THAT APPRECIATED SOME OF THE CHANGES WITH, UH, WITH THE WAITING IN LINE, UM, AND KNOWING WHERE YOU ARE IN LINE, EVEN IF IT'S GOOD NEWS OR BAD NEWS.
SOME OF THE FEEDBACK WE GOT WAS THAT THERE MIGHT MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR THERE TO BE, UM, JUST A LOT OF CLARITY FOR PEOPLE AROUND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE ON PUBLIC HEALTH, SOCIAL MEDIA, IF THAT CAN BE CLEAR ON THE WEBSITE, LIKE IF YOU GET LOGGED OUT TO, WHILE YOU'RE WAITING FOR AN HOUR ON THIS PAGE, IN THE LOG, BACK IN YOU HAVEN'T LOST YOUR PLACE IN LINE, OR EVEN IF YOU'RE A PLACE IN LINE IS FURTHER BACK THAN THE NUMBER OF VACCINES WE HAVE, YOU MIGHT STILL WANT TO WAIT IN LINE BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE MAY DROP, YOU KNOW, SO JUST SOME OF THAT INFORMATION THAT I THINK WAS REALLY HELPFUL ON SOCIAL MEDIA MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR FOLKS, UH, ON THE PAGE.
THAT WAS ONE BIT OF FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT.
AND THEN, AND THEN SOME OF THE OTHER CONTINUED FEEDBACK OR QUESTIONS IS AROUND, UM, UH, PREREGISTRATION, WHICH I THINK IS WHAT SEVERAL OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS HERE HAVE ASKED ABOUT, UH, CAN Y'ALL LAY OUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY THE PRE-REGISTRATION PROCESS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE I'VE HEARD THAT SOME OTHER COUNTIES, UH, DON'T HAVE THAT PROCESS OR HAVE A,
[00:55:01]
UH, A LESS INTENSIVE PROCESS FOR YOUR PRE-REGISTRATION, BECAUSE I THINK PART OF THAT MIGHT BE WHERE SOME OF THE FRUSTRATION IS STEMMING FROM TOO.I THINK SOME OF THIS FRUSTRATION WAS KNOWING WHERE YOU ARE IN THE LINE, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE WORKING ON THAT AND THAT'S REALLY APPRECIATED, BUT I THINK SOME OF THE FRUSTRATION IS GETTING INTO THE SYSTEM IN THE FIRST PLACE WITH, UH, UH, WITH, WITH SETTING YOURSELF UP IN THE SYSTEM.
SO CAN Y'ALL TALK THROUGH WHY WE HAVE THAT, UM, THAT WAY, AND IF THERE'S IMPROVEMENTS WE'RE LOOKING AT MAKING IN THAT AREA, UM, WE, WE, WE TYPICALLY ARE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SYSTEM.
UM, WE MAY, UM, QUITE A FEW OF THEM THIS PAST WE CAN.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WE HAVE FOUND IS BECAUSE WE ARE A HUB PROVIDER, UM, HELLO PROVIDERS MUST HAVE A SYSTEM SET UP WHERE ANYONE CAN ACCESS IT ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, YOU, YOU ALSO, AS A HUB PROVIDER SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF VACCINES OUT TO THE PUBLIC, UM, IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
UM, AND SO, SO FOR THOSE REASONS, UM, WE WENT TO A SYSTEM WHERE WE CAN, UM, BE ABLE TO ONE SET UP A DASHBOARD THAT EVERYONE LIKES TO SEE AND GO TO, UM, AND ARE ABLE TO GET THAT INFORMATION OFF.
UM, AND IT IS ALIGNED WITH THE REST OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE THUS FAR FROM A DASHBOARD PERSPECTIVE.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WE NEEDED TO CREATE A SYSTEM THAT, UM, BASICALLY COULD HANDLE, UM, A LOT OF FOLKS, YOU KNOW, UM, ACCESSING IT.
AND SO, UM, OTHER PLACES, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT HUBS, UM, HAVE DECIDED THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO DO.
UM, EVERYONE MAY NOT NEED TO ACCESS THEIR SYSTEM THE WAY THEY DO WITH A HUB.
SO, SO THOSE WERE SEVERAL OF THE THINGS THAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT AS YOU ALSO KNOW, UM, THIS IS THE SAME PLATFORM THAT WE PUT IN PLACE FOR OUR TESTING.
SO ALL OF OUR TESTING, UM, DATA RESULTS, ET CETERA, ARE IN THIS PLATFORM.
WE'VE ALSO DONE CONTACT TRACING USING THIS PLATFORM.
SO, SO FOR US, UM, TO BE ABLE TO PUT THIS SYSTEM TOGETHER, UM, IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC, UM, WAS, WAS A HUGE LIFT, UM, FOR EVERYONE IN AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH, AS WELL AS OUR PARTNERS FROM CTM, YOU KNOW, BETTER ASSISTANT US AS WELL AS, UM, THE CONTRACTOR.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR HOPE IS, IS NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS IN PLACE, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO USE IT BECAUSE IT HAS OTHER USES THAT, UM, AS A SYSTEM.
AND SO THOSE WERE THE THINGS THAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT WHEN WE, UM, KNEW WE NEEDED TO HAVE A GOOD SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT WILL TAKE US BEYOND THIS PANDEMIC AND COUNSELOR.
LET ME JUMP INTO ADDRESS THE PRE-REGISTRATION PIECE OF IT.
THERE ARE MANY JURISDICTIONS THAT DON'T HAVE A PRE-REGISTRATION PROCESS.
SO IF THEY GET 12,000 DOSES OF VACCINES, THEY OPEN UP, THEY OPEN UP THE REGISTRATION PROCESS.
ONCE 12,000 QUALIFIED PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, GET AN APPOINTMENT, IT SHUTS DOWN AND IT OPENS UP AGAIN WHEN THEY HAVE MORE VACCINE.
THE CHALLENGE WITH THIS IS THAT IT CREATES A COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT, UH, AND IT DOES LEAD TO INEQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF VACCINE.
THOSE WHO ARE MORE TECH SAVVY, THOSE WHO HAVE MORE TIME TO SIT IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER AND WAIT FOR THEM TO OPEN, UH, THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO GET A VACCINE.
AND WE KNOW THAT THIS NEGATIVELY IMPACTS OUR ELDERLY POPULATION IN OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, WHICH ARE THE TWO GROUPS THAT WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE OR VACCINATION.
SO WHAT WE DID IS TO CREATE THAT PRE-REGISTRATION PROCESS TO ALLOW US TO, UH, TO BE ABLE TO CREATE, CREATE A PRIORITIZATION PROCESS, UH, TO GET THE VACCINE TO THE PEOPLE WHO MOST NEEDED RIGHT NOW, AND ALSO GIVES US A LOT OF DATA ON WHO YOU'RE REACHING EFFECTIVELY AND WHO WE'RE NOT.
NOW, WE KNOW FOR INSTANCE RIGHT NOW THAT WE ARE UNDERPERFORMING IN TERMS OF OUR OUTREACH TO THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PERCENTAGE OF, OF THAT COMMUNITY SIGNED UP FOR VACCINE AS COMPARED TO OTHER RACES AND ETHNICITIES.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S HELPFUL TO US.
I KNOW IT CREATES SOME FRUSTRATION IN THE SYSTEM, BUT IT IS INCREDIBLY USEFUL TO HAVE THAT TWO-STEP PROCESS.
AND MY SENSE IS, YOU KNOW, HAVING BEEN OUT THERE WITH, UM, WITH JUDGE BROWN AND MANY OF Y'ALL, UH, THIS WEEKEND THAT THERE, YOU KNOW, THAT
[01:00:01]
THAT IS GETTING A LOT OF VACCINES OUT TO PEOPLE AND A LOT OF FOLKS THAT SEEM REALLY TO NEED IT, BUT I GOT TO SPEAK TO, UH, IN THE PARKING LOT.UM, I THINK THAT THE WORK BEING DONE TO MAKE SURE WE DO GET IT TO OLDER FOLKS, UM, NOT JUST THROUGH THE WEBSITE, BUT THROUGH OTHER PROCESSES IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND, AND JUST COMMUNICATING TO PEOPLE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING, I THINK IS REALLY GOOD.
UH, I THINK YOU WOULD JUST CONTINUE TO HEAR OUR URGING TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THE WEBSITE AS FRIENDLY AS POSSIBLE WITH THE PROTECTIONS YOU'VE PUT IN PLACE.
WE JUST GET NOTES FROM PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT EVEN THE SIZE OF OUR FONTS IS SMALL COMPARED TO OTHER PLACES OR THAT, UH, THE NUMBER OF CLICKS YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND PAGES YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
AND I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU'RE IN A PANDEMIC AND WE HAVE THE WINTER DISASTER AND ALL THESE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THAT THOSE THINGS MAY SEEM SMALL IN SOME SENSE, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN PEOPLE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GET THE VACCINE, JUST MAKING IT AS READABLE AND USER-FRIENDLY AND UNDERSTANDABLE, I JUST THINK GOES A REALLY LONG WAY AND CONTINUING TO BUILD THAT TRUST.
SO I APPRECIATE WHAT EVERYONE IS DOING AND THE VACCINES WE'RE GETTING OUT THERE.
I JUST THINK OUR, UM, OUR FORWARD FACING THE FIRST THING PEOPLE SEE FROM US SOMETIMES IS THAT, IS THAT WEB INTERFACE.
SO THE MORE WE CAN KEEP WORKING ON THAT THE BETTER.
UM, I WANTED TO ASK A FEW MORE QUESTIONS.
UH, I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S QUESTIONS.
AND I ALSO WANT TO SAY, I APPRECIATE THE IMPROVEMENTS.
I DID GET, UH, FEEDBACK ON THE QUEUING SYSTEM THAT YOU PUT INTO PLACE.
UH, IT WAS VERY, IT WAS POSITIVE FEEDBACK BECAUSE IT HELPED PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY WERE ALONE.
UM, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT, UM, UH, ABOUT SENIORS.
SO, UM, SO HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT THE, WHAT WE'RE DOING IN TERMS OF OUTBOUND CALLS.
IN OTHER WORDS, IT DID, DID I HEAR CORRECTLY THAT, UM, THAT THE, THE CALL CENTER IS THE GROUP THAT'S MAKING THOSE OUTBOUND CALLS, AND I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT LISTS THEY'RE USING.
I KNOW THAT I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SOME NAMES WITH YOU, UH, FROM CONSTITUENTS AND, UM, ASSUME I'M SURE OTHERS HAVE ALSO, UH, I'M ALSO SENDING OVER TO YOU, UM, AS PART OF OUR WELFARE CHECK, UH, PROCESS THAT WE DID WITH REGARD TO THE WINTER STORM.
THERE WERE OVER 14,000 SENIORS THAT WERE CALLED, UM, IN THE CITY THROUGH A VOLUNTEER EFFORT.
AND, AND ALTHOUGH THAT EFFORT WAS NOT CALLING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE VACCINE, THERE WERE SENIORS IDENTIFIED AS PART OF THAT EFFORT BECAUSE THEY ASKED ABOUT, SO THOSE NAMES ARE BEING FORWARDED, UH, TO ALSO ACROSS THE CITY.
SO MY QUESTION IS, I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WHO IS MAKING THE OUTBOUND CALLS AND WHAT KIND OF LIST ARE THEY OPERATING OFF OF? ARE THEY ALL OPERATING OFF A LIST THAT, THAT MY SON AND OTHERS OF COURSE ARE SENDING YOU OR HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YES.
UM, THEY ARE OPERATING OFF OF ALPHA, SEVERAL LISTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE FOLKS THAT REFER FOLKS INTO US, UM, FROM, FROM GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS, UM, ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE SENIORS, UM, BETTER, UM, PROVIDING THOSE REFERRALS TO US.
UM, AND SO BASICALLY WHEN THEY RECEIVE THE REFERRALS, A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT THEY ARE DOING, UM, A GROUP OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY SETTING UP THE SENIORS WITH THE ACCOUNTS.
SO THEY'RE GOING THROUGH SETTING THEM UP WITH THE ACCOUNTS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, THEN ANOTHER, UM, GROUP ACTUALLY SCHEDULES THEM FOR THE APPOINTMENT.
UM, SO THEY KIND OF HAPPEN NOT AT THE SAME TIME, UM, BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS, IS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH APPOINTMENTS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM THE VACCINE NEED.
AND SO THE FIRST GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE SET UP IN THE SYSTEM.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH HOW THAT PROCESS WORKS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WE'VE ALSO REFERRED SOME FOLKS FROM OUR SYSTEM THAT ARE ALREADY REGISTERED WITH US.
UM, ONE THING WE HAVE FOUND IS THAT, UM, THAT HAS SOMETIMES BEEN THE SAME PEOPLE, UM, BECAUSE FOLKS MAY HAVE CALLED AND REFERRED THEM, UM, NOT KNOWING THAT THEY HAD ALREADY SET UP AN ACCOUNT.
AND SO SOMETIMES IT IS A DUPLICATE EFFORT, WHICH IS, WHICH IS FINE, UM, BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THERE.
SO THAT IS HOW, UM, OUR TEAMS ARE WORKING.
[01:05:02]
OKAY.SO THEY'RE GETTING, SO THAT MEANS THAT IF, UH, IF A SENIOR IS REFERRED TO YOU FROM WHATEVER SOURCE, UM, AS NEEDING HELP GETTING AN APPOINTMENT, UH, THERE, THERE IS A PERSON IN THE CALL.
I THINK I'M HEARING THAT CALLS THEM AND ACTUALLY OFFERS THEM AN APPOINTMENT WHEN IT'S AVAILABLE.
OF COURSE, IS THAT HOW IT'S WORKING? SO INITIALLY THEY HAVE TO, THEY LOOK UP TO SEE IF THEY ARE REGISTERED IN OUR SYSTEM.
SO IF THEY'RE NOT REGISTERED IN THE SYSTEM, THEN THEY DO THAT REGISTRATION WITH THEM.
AND THEN THEY IT'S LIKE AN ASSEMBLY LINE THAT THEN YOU CAN'T NO ONE ELSE AND SAY, THIS PERSON HAS AN ACCOUNT THEY'RE READY FOR AN APPOINTMENT.
THERE ARE FOLKS THAT ARE ONLY SCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS.
SO, SO THAT'S HOW THE PROCESS IS WORKING BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE FOR THAT, EVEN FOR SENIORS, THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, ET CETERA.
SO OUR FOLKS ARE ABLE TO GO BACK AND ARE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO THEM BECAUSE WE HAD TO CALL THEM, UM, TO SET UP THAT APPOINTMENT.
SO WE CALL THEM AND SAY, THIS IS WHEN YOU NEED TO COME BACK IN FOR YOUR SECOND VOTE.
SO IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THE EXTENT THAT WE KNOW, IF WE'RE AWARE OF A SENIORS THAT NEED APPOINTMENTS NEED HELP WITH GETTING AN APPOINTMENT.
IF WE HAPPEN TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE REGISTERED OR NOT.
I MEAN, IF WE KNOW WITH SOME LEVEL OF CERTAINTY, PERHAPS WE SHOULD SEND THAT INFORMATION TO YOU ALSO THAT PERHAPS THAT WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR PROCESS.
ALTHOUGH ACTUALLY YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK THEM UP REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE TELL YOU.
UM, THEN THE LAST THING IS THAT, UM, SO DO WE THINK I'M GOING TO MAKE AN ASSUMPTION? AND SO TELL ME IF THIS IS CORRECT.
I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT YOUR LIST THAT YOU'RE RECEIVING FOR THESE REFERRALS IS LONGER THAN YOUR AVAILABLE APPOINTMENTS IS, IS, WOULD THAT TODAY, SO YOUR LIST FOR SENIORS IS LONGER THAN YOUR AVAILABLE APPOINTMENTS.
UM, I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO CONSIDER AT SOME POINT, I MEAN, AT SOME POINT, HOPEFULLY THAT LIST WILL BE SHORTER THAN YOUR AVAILABLE APPOINTMENTS.
SO AT THAT POINT, I WOULD SUGGEST, UM, AND MAYBE THINK ABOUT PREPARING FOR IT NOW FOR SOME OUTBOUND CALLS TO SENIORS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN REFERRED TO YOU.
UM, I THINK, AND WITH PERHAPS WITH THE VOLUNTEER EFFORT, LIKE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER OF
UM, AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU RECEIVE THE LIST FROM THE OUTBOUND CALLS THAT WERE MADE AS PART OF THE WELFARE CHECKS.
SO YOU'LL HAVE THAT LIST OF FOLKS.
UM, AND THEN LET SOMEONE, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS, UM, UH, MY LAST QUESTION IS, ARE YOU WORKING WITH FAMILY? UM, ELDERCARE? YES, WE ARE.
UM, WE, WE MET WITH THEM, UM, A FEW WEEKS AGO, SO YES, WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM.
SO I JUST HAVE TWO QUICK, THANK YOU.
I WANT TO THANK YOU, TRAVIS COUNTY, JUDGE ANDY BROWN FOR INVITING ME OUT THIS WEEKEND TO VIEW THE MOBILE VACCINE SITE.
I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO REALLY SEE FIRSTHAND THE MASS DISTRIBUTION OF VACCINES TO THOSE THAT NEEDED IT.
AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT IT CAN CONTINUE SO THAT WE CAN GET EVERYONE VACCINATED THAT NEEDS TO BE VACCINATED.
ALSO SECOND, I WANTED TO THANK DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD OVER THE WEEKEND.
SHE HELPED TWO OF MY CONSTITUENTS GET, UM, ASSISTANCE WITH OBTAINING A VACCINE WHO HAD MOBILITY ISSUES THROUGH UT HEALTH.
HAYDEN HOWARD ACTUALLY HAD THE CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER FOR UT HEALTH CONTACT THEM.
SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO WALK OR GET OUT OF THEIR CAR IN ORDER TO GET THAT.
AND I WAS JUST SO THANKFUL THAT IT HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND.
SO THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY AND ALSO IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND ALSO AT THE TRAVIS COUNTY JUDGES OFFICE FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING TO HELP PEOPLE GET VACCINATED.
UM, I'D LIKE TO JUST KIND OF GET AN OVERVIEW OF HOW THINGS ARE GOING OUT AT THE PILOT SITE FOR THE MAX VACCINATION SIDE AT KODA AND WHAT THE PLANS ARE FOR OPENING UP THAT IN A LOT.
LIKE HOW MANY VACCINATIONS WOULD YOU THINK COULD HAPPEN? UM, AT LEVEL ONCE WE GET THE FLOW OF THE SERUM COMING ARE COMING OUR DIRECTION,
[01:10:02]
IF YOU WANT, I CAN TURN IT ON THAT ONE.AND I THINK OVERALL THE, THE WONDERFUL THING IS THAT NOT ONLY IS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DOING A WONDERFUL JOB, GETTING OUT VACCINES.
WE'RE ALSO GETTING SOME THROUGH THIS JOINT EFFORT WITH THE OTHER THREE COUNTIES AND THEN PRIVATE PROVIDERS ARE ALSO GETTING THEM MORE OUT.
OBVIOUSLY THE THING THAT WE'RE ALL RACING AGAINST TOGETHER IS THE VIRUS AND ITS MUTATION.
SO I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL THAT THERE'S SO MUCH GETTING SO MUCH OUT.
UM, IT DOES LOOK LIKE WE WILL DO THIS AGAIN THIS WEEKEND AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS, WITH, IN THE EFFORT WITH COMMUNITY CARE AND ASCENSION AND, UH, THE PASTOR OF CALDWELL AND HAYES COUNTIES.
WE ARE, UM, WORKING ON EXPANDING IT OBVIOUSLY, UH, IT SOUNDS LIKE SOME SURROUNDING COUNTIES ARE ALSO GETTING MORE.
AND SO I THINK THERE'S AN INCREASED DEMAND FOR PEOPLE TO WORK AT THEM.
THIS WEBSITE THAT WE PUT UP HAS, I THINK, 1300 PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID THEY WANT TO VOLUNTEER.
THAT'S THE CENTRAL TX V A C C S.ORG WEBSITE.
AND SO IF ANYBODY WANTS TO VOLUNTEER, THAT IS ACTUALLY A HUGE NEED THAT WE HAVE, BUT IT DOES, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT EVERYBODY, THIS HUGE TEAM OF PEOPLE WE'VE MET ACTUALLY WITH YESTERDAY, AT, AT CODA TO GO THROUGH THE LOGISTICS, TRY TO MAKE THE LINE OF CARS GO THROUGH BETTER AND FASTER.
UM, BUT I THINK EVERYBODY HAS THE SAME GOAL AND THAT'S TO TRY TO GET UP TO WHERE WE'RE GIVING, YOU KNOW, UP TO 10,000 VACCINES A DAY OUT THERE ONCE THE SUPPLY INCREASES.
AND THEN I THINK TO, TO ADDRESS COMMISSIONER HOWARD AND OTHERS, PEOPLE'S OTHER PEOPLE'S CONCERNS THAT, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH APH AND ANYONE ELSE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SITES, YOU KNOW, GROWING UP IN, IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY AND THE COUNTY AS WELL.
BUT AS FAR AS THESE INITIAL EFFORTS OF GETTING THE MASS DRIVE-THROUGH GOING AT CODA, THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL.
WE HIT 3000 LAST WEEK ON SATURDAY, WHICH IS WHAT OUR GOAL WAS.
UM, AND WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF ADOPTING THE DESIGN SLIGHTLY, BUT WE'RE GOING TO DO IT AGAIN THIS WEEKEND.
CAN YOU, DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THEY SIGN UP? UM, U R L IS FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO VOLUNTEER TO WORK, IS IT VAXI TX.
AND SO THE WORD CENTRAL SPELLED OUT AND THEN TX, AND THEN V A C C S.ORG CENTRAL TX FACTS WITH TWO CS.ORG.
AND THEN STAFF, IF Y'ALL WOULD PUT DISTRICT SEVEN ON YOUR LIST FOR A POTENTIAL, UM, DRIVE THROUGH VACCINATION SITE, MAYBE NORTH OF ONE 83 PER THE TIP OF THE COUNTY WHERE DISTRICT SEVEN TOUCHES UP TOWARDS FLICKERVILLE AND SO FORTH.
I WOULD LIKE TO MY STAFF AND I WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH Y'ALL, UM, WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT OF HAVING A SITE IN THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
UM, SO I SAW IN THE SLIDES THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A CONTINUATION OF THE TUESDAY AND THURSDAY SIGNUPS FOR, UH, VACCINATIONS.
I KNOW EARLIER THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE VACCINES WERE IN HAND BEFORE YOU RELEASED APPOINTMENTS.
ARE YOU MORE CONFIDENT THAT THERE WILL BE MORE REGULAR DELIVERIES NOW HAS, HAS A SUPPLY CAUGHT UP WITH, UM, THE ABILITY TO ADMINISTER THE VACCINES IN ANY, IN ANY NEW WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN RELY MORE ON BEING READY AT SIX O'CLOCK TUESDAY AND THURSDAY TO TRY TO GET IN LINE? WELL, WE TYPICALLY ONLY PUT OUT, UM, THE APPOINTMENTS WHERE WE DO HAVE THE VACCINES IN HAND.
SO WE, WE KNOW, UM, NORMALLY OUR VACCINES ARRIVE AT SOME POINT ON TUESDAYS.
UM, AND SO THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE SELECTED TUESDAY, FOR EXAMPLE, TO RELEASE UPON THIS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK.
UM, AND SO, UM, TYPICALLY WHAT OUR OPERATIONS, WE HAVE NORMALLY BEEN OPERATING WEDNESDAY THROUGH, HOWEVER, UM, BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE WE GET CAUGHT UP.
UM, THAT WAS WHY WE ADDED THE ADDITIONAL DAYS.
SO WE, WE ARE FEELING A LITTLE BIT MORE COMFORTABLE.
UM, I WILL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, IN CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, UH, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES, THEY STILL ONLY HAVE A, YOU KNOW, UH, KIND OF, UH, DURING THE WEEK THEY RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION ON MONDAY.
UM, AND THEN THEY ALERT US ON WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, WHAT WE ARE GOING TO RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING WEEK.
AND SO THERE'S, THERE'S STILL NOT KIND OF WEEKS ON END WHAT WE WILL ACTUALLY RECEIVE AND THAT CAN CHANGE.
UM, IT'S CHANGED FOR THEM, UM, FROM
[01:15:01]
THEM RECEIVING THE INFORMATION ON MONDAY THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GET A SPECIFIC ALLOCATION FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS.UM, BUT THEN A DAY OR SO LATER THEY WERE ALERTED THAT IT WAS A SMALLER ALLOCATION.
SO, SO WE'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE TO KIND OF WORK ON THAT.
UM, AND IT'S NOT AT THE STATE LEVEL IS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
SO AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WE'VE GOT TO, UM, GET THINGS WORKED OUT.
UM, AND THE FEDERAL LEVEL HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT AS WELL, IS THAT, UM, WANTING TO BE ABLE TO LET STATES KNOW, THREE WEEKS IN ADVANCE, THIS IS WHAT YOUR ALLOCATION WOULD BE.
UM, AND ONCE WE GET TO THAT POINT AND, UM, IT IS, UM, SOMETHING THAT THE STATE HAS RECEIVED IN WRITING, THEY HAVE HEARD THAT IN CONVERSATIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S CONVEYED, COMMUNICATED TO LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE NATION, BUT NOTHING IN WRITING TEST SOLIDIFIED THAT.
OKAY, THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO KNOW.
UM, AND THE APPOINTMENTS ARE THEY GOING TO BE RELEASED AT THE SAME TIME EACH DAY? I THINK THEY USED TO BE RELEASED IN THE MORNING LAST NIGHT, IT'S HAPPENED IN THE EVENING.
DO YOU HAVE AN EXPECTATION OF WHEN PEOPLE SHOULD BE READY TO GET IN LINE? WE, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE, UH, A SET TIME OF WHEN WE WILL RELEASE THEM.
UM, THEY JUST VARY IN ITS DEPENDING ON, LIKE I SAID, IT DEPENDS ON, UM, IF THERE WAS A CLINIC THE DAY BEFORE, ET CETERA, AND LOOKING AT THE REST OF THE WEEK FOR ALLOCATIONS.
SO IT JUST HAS ITS VARIOUS TIMES.
UM, THANKS FOR ALL THOSE INFORMATION IN THE COURSE OF THE CONVERSATION, I THINK YOU'VE ANSWERED A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I'M RECEIVING, INCLUDING ABOUT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES.
AND I, I WOULD, UM, I'LL TRY TO MAKE THESE SUGGESTIONS VIA EMAIL, BUT I, BECAUSE WE'RE ALL GETTING SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT CENTRAL ABOUT VOLUNTEERING.
IT'D BE GREAT TO HAVE A LINK FROM OUR, FROM OUR FAQ, OUR CITIES, UM, COVID VACCINATION FAQ TO THAT CENTRAL TEXAS VOLUNTEER SITE.
SO PEOPLE CAN, CAN GO INTO THAT PORTAL AND VOLUNTEER.
I WOULD STILL LOVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO HAVE VOLUNTEERS ASSIST WITH REGISTRATION.
I KNOW SEVERAL OF MY COLLEAGUES TALKED ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
I TALKED ABOUT HIS OFFICE WANTING TO ASSIST AND, AND I KNOW MANY OF US HAVE VOLUNTEER GROUPS OR VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE REACHED OUT WITH A WILLINGNESS TO ASSIST, BUT IT'S NOT SO EASY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY CAN DO THAT WITH THE PORTAL.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT WE COULD, UM, HELP THROUGH VOLUNTEER WORK TO TAKE SOME OF THAT OFF, OFF Y'ALL'S PLATE SO THAT WE'RE NOT EACH SENDING ON INDIVIDUAL CASES TO THE DIRECTOR OF OUR PUBLIC HEALTH, YOU KNOW, FOR THEM FERRETING OUT TO STAFF MEMBERS TO TRY TO RESOLVE.
UM, SO IF THERE'S, IF WE COULD SORT OF KEEP THINKING ABOUT WAYS TO MAYBE DO THAT.
AND THEN I THINK LASTLY, I'D LIKE, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON COMMISSIONER, TREVELYAN ASKED ABOUT, ABOUT, UH, CHURCHES AND DIRECTOR HIDDEN HOW'RE THAT'S REALLY THANKS FOR THAT UPDATE ABOUT, ABOUT THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING TO, TO POTENTIALLY ROLL OUT A VACCINATION CLINIC AND SOME INTERIM CHURCHES, UM, AN ANSWER TO COMMISSIONER HOWARD'S YOU TALKED ABOUT A MOBILE CLINIC.
I MAY HAVE MISSED THIS, UM, PIECE OF IT, BUT I WASN'T CLEAR IF YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT A TIMELINE ON THOSE ON EITHER OF THOSE INITIATIVES NOW, UM, THAT MOBILE CLINIC, UM, HAS BEEN OPERATING, UM, PROBABLY THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY, UM, AND WE STARTED WITH ASSISTED LIVING.
SO, SO THAT PROCESS HAS STARTED, UM, WE'RE WORKING WITH, UM, HOUSING AUTHORITY PROPERTIES RIGHT NOW.
SO HOUSING AUTHORITY, UM, YOU KNOW, FAMILY ELDER CARE HAS A COUPLE OF PROPERTIES, UM, FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES.
SO WORKING THROUGH THOSE PROPERTIES INITIALLY, UM, AS WELL, UM, AND THEN BEGINNING OF THE WORK WITH MEALS ON WHEELS, ET CETERA.
SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH, WITH NONPROFITS, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE THEY HAVE CLIENTS THAT THEY, UM, ARE WORKING WITH THEM AS WELL.
BUT WE, OUR, OUR, OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM IS GOING TO CREATE A FLYER, UH, LIKE WE DID BEFORE FOR THE TESTING.
AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO ROLL THAT OUT AS WELL.
UM, SO OUR TEAM IS KIND OF LOGISTICALLY THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, UM, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THE VACCINE, UM, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU OPEN THE VILE, YOU ONLY HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU PROVIDE VACCINES TO NUMBER 11 PEOPLE WITHIN A CERTAIN TIME PERIOD.
SO, SO THAT'S THE PIECE THAT THE STAFF ARE WORKING ON NOW.
UM, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE ARE, ARE, ARE REALLY LIKING THE IDEA OF LOCATIONS WHERE THERE ARE SEVERAL SENIORS OR SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT HAVE, UM,
[01:20:01]
UM, YOU KNOW, ARE DISABLED AND KIND OF WORKING IN THOSE SETTINGS.AND I APOLOGIZE THAT I MISSED THE TIME PERIOD, AND, AND THIS ISN'T A QUESTION, BUT JUST, UM, A REQUEST, I DON'T THINK IN THE COURSE OF THIS CONVERSATION, YOU'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW DURING THE STORM, UM, YOUR STAFF WERE ABLE TO, TO REALLY GET THE VACCINE TO A SAFE PLACE.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THAT STORY.
AND IN THE COURSE OF LAST WEEK'S CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR STORM RESPONSE, UM, THAT WAS JUST ONE OF, OF A LOT OF IMPORTANT STORIES.
SO IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO JUST SHARE THAT INFORMATION, I THINK IT'S REALLY SIGNIFICANT.
WE'VE HEARD SEVERAL REFERENCES TODAY TO THE FACT THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO, TO COME BACK ONLINE AND, AND REALLY VACCINATE LOTS OF, LOTS OF PEOPLE IN THE WEEKS SINCE, SINCE THE EMERGENCY, BUT THAT REALLY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT, WITHOUT THE ACTIONS OF YOUR STAFF.
SO I WOULD JUST INVITE YOU TO SHARE THAT, SHARE THAT INFORMATION AGAIN ABOUT THE WORK OF YOUR STAFF.
UM, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO, UM, ACTUALLY WE PRESENTED ON TUESDAY OF LAST WEEK TO COMMISSIONER'S COURT, UM, DR.
PICKIN AND I, AND SO WE DID, UM, SHARE THAT EFFORT, BUT, UM, ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW, APPLAUDING, AWESOME PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF, BUT ALSO APPLAUDING, UM, EMS AND FIRE DEPARTMENT STAFF.
UM, BECAUSE I TELL YOU, I MEAN, IT'S THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS CITY TEAM, WHEN WE COME TOGETHER, WE'RE, WE'RE SOMETHING, UM, NOT TO SAY COUNTY IS NOT AS WELL.
YOU ARE A GREAT PARTNER, BUT, UM, IT WAS GREAT HOW EVERYBODY JUST CAME TOGETHER AND IT WAS JUST, IT WAS LIKE AUTOMATIC.
SO AFTER THEY ACKNOWLEDGED, UM, EMS AND FIRE PERSONNEL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DR.
HIDDEN HOWARD COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.
UM, LIKE MY COLLEAGUES, I SHARED THAT CONCERN ABOUT HOW WE ARE REACHING OUR ELDERLY POPULATIONS, WHO ARE NOT, UM, TECH SAVVY.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, WE HAVE FOLKS WHO ARE 70 PLUS ALL OVER THE CITY, ALL OVER THE COUNTY, UM, THAT FIND IT CHALLENGING TO ACCESS THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE PORTAL.
UM, SO I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT HOW WE ARE PARTNERING WITH EXTERNAL ORGANIZATIONS, UM, THAT HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH SENIORS, UM, AND THOSE HARD TO REACH POPULATIONS AND WHO IS SPEARHEADING THAT WORK AND WHAT RESOURCES WE'VE DEVOTED TO THAT.
UM, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS, IS, UM, INITIALLY WHEN WE SET UP, UM, THE, THE PROCESS AND KIND OF THE AREAS, WE HAVE AN INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE, UM, THAT WAS WORKING WITH LONG-TERM CARE, UM, ASSISTED LIVING, ET CETERA, UM, THAT TEAM, UM, HAS, HAS, HAS, HAS PIVOTED A LITTLE BIT, THEY'RE CONTINUING TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO LONG-TERM CARE AND ASSISTED LIVING FOLKS.
HOWEVER, UM, THEY ARE MEETING WITH, UM, WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND PR AND FOLKS THAT PROVIDE SERVICES TO, UM, FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING WITH SENIORS AND OR PEOPLE THAT ARE DISABLED.
SO THAT TEAM, UM, IS, IS CONTINUING TO WORK ON, UM, STEPHANIE HELFMAN, UM, IS A LEAD.
PUBLIC HEALTH TYPICALLY WORKS IN CHRONIC DISEASE.
AND SO, UM, SHE'S BASICALLY STILL DOING HER CHRONIC DISEASE HAT, BUT SHE'S ALSO, UM, HEADING UP THIS PROCESS, UM, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE, WE'RE MEETING WITH FOLKS AND, UM, THINKING ABOUT, UM, PROCESSES MOVING FORWARD.
I, YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING WITH LIMITED RESOURCES.
UM, THE IMPRESSION THAT I HAVE IS THAT WE NEED TO BE PUTTING MORE, UH, MANPOWER INTO THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND HELPING THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, UM, HELP US TO GET VACCINES TO THOSE SENIORS WHO ARE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE, THAT THEY'RE ALREADY SET UP WITH, YOU KNOW, SERVICES BECAUSE THEY ARE VULNERABLE.
UM, AND WE HAVE THESE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE READY, THEY ARE SPINNING THEIR WHEELS AND, UM, IN A SENSE WASTING RESOURCES BECAUSE THEY'RE SO FRANTIC ABOUT HOW DO WE GET THESE FOLKS VACCINES.
UM, YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED WITH THIS, WHO ARE TRAINED TO WORK WITH THIS POPULATION WHO ARE WILLING TO HELP WITH THE REGISTRATION.
I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE HIPAA ISSUES.
IT SEEMS THOUGH THAT WE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO FIND A SOLUTION, UM, FOR GETTING THEM ON THAT IS TIMELY.
I KNOW THAT MY OFFICE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH STEPHANIE AND, AND, UM, WITH DRIVERS SENIOR AND OTHER TRANSPORT TO SENIOR TRANSPORTATION ORGANIZATIONS, TRYING TO HOOK THEM UP.
AND I KNOW SOME PROGRESS IS BEING MADE.
UM, BUT IT STILL SEEMS LIKE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH MANPOWER, UM, GIVEN THAT WE WON'T LET THEM, UM, REGISTER PEOPLE, UM, DIRECTLY.
[01:25:01]
JUST, I KNOW THAT YOU NEED MORE RESOURCES AND I JUST REALLY WANT TO, UM, UNDERSCORE THAT WE HAVE THESE PARTNERS WHO ARE SET UP TO HELP FOLKS ALL OVER THE CITY, UM, WHO WE KNOW ARE VULNERABLE.UM, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HAVE ONE PERSON WHO CAN TAKE CALLS AND, YOU KNOW, EVEN BEFORE WE GET STARTED, WE HAVE 150 PEOPLE AND IT TAKES AN HOUR PER CALL.
UM, THAT'S NOT GOING TO HELP US MATCH THAT WHEN YOU CAN HAVE, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF THOSE NAMES FORWARDED AT LEAST, UM, EACH WEEK.
AND SO WE JUST, I KNOW THAT THE THREE, ONE, ONE THE CALL CENTER HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME PERSONNEL, I DON'T KNOW, IT'S HARD FROM THE CONVERSATION TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE WORKING ON.
UM, BUT IF WE CAN GET SOME MORE OF THE PERSONNEL, UM, FOCUSED ON HELPING THESE ELDER ORGANIZATIONS, BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE NOW WASTING THEIR RESOURCES AS WELL, UM, IN THIS PROCESS AND, AND, AND, UM, THAT WE NEED THEIR RESOURCES TO BE HELPING THE ELDERLY, YOU KNOW, WITH WHAT THEY NORMALLY DO, NOT JUST TRYING TO FIGHT FOR VACCINES, UM, ON THEIR BEHALF.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S SOMETIMES IT FEELS A LITTLE PENNY-WISE AND POUND-FOOLISH AT THE SAME TIME THAT I KNOW THAT, THAT YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH THE RESOURCES.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE CITY MANAGER TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN, UM, GET ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO HELP SPECIFICALLY WITH THOSE PARTNERSHIPS, UM, GETTING OUT THAT, THOSE CONNECTIONS, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE, WE HAVE SENIORS ALL OVER THE CITY, UM, THAT ARE NOT FINDING THIS PROCESS EASY, UM, TO NAVIGATE.
AND AS I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CALL CENTERS IS REALLY HELPING THOSE, WHO'VE MANAGED TO GET THROUGH THE PROCESS ENOUGH TO REGISTER, BUT WE HAVE A HOST OF PEOPLE WHO, WHO ARE NOT, WE'RE NOT THERE YET.
UM, THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I HAD FOR THAT, SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA RESPOND TO THAT.
SO, SO I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT STEPHANIE IS AN, IS AN INCIDENT, UM, LEADER, SO IT'S NOT JUST STEPHANIE WORKING ON THIS ALONE.
SO, SO STEPHANIE, UM, KIND OF TIES INTO THE FULL OPERATION.
SO SHE HAS ACCESS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN THE CALL CENTER.
SO, SO THAT'S ONE THING I THINK THE OTHER THING IS, UM, WITH THE REGISTRATION PROCESS, UM, TYPICALLY WITH THE REGISTRATION PROCESS, WE HAVE TYPICALLY USED, UM, EMPLOYEES BECAUSE OF THE HIPAA CONCERN.
UM, THESE INDIVIDUALS WOULD HAVE ACCESS AND WE HAVE TO ISSUE THEM LICENSE, WHICH THERE'S A COST TO EVERY LICENSE THAT WE ISSUE.
UM, ALL OF THOSE LICENSES ALLOW THEM TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT EVERYONE IN THAT ENTIRE SYSTEM.
SO WE, WE HAVE A SYSTEM OF OVER, YOU KNOW, 500,000 PEOPLE.
UM, WE HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL FROM A, FROM A DATA BREACH PERSPECTIVE.
UM, SO I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY ANOTHER WAY THAT WE CAN PROBABLY LOOK AT HOW WE CAN WORK WITH VOLUNTEERS, UM, INSTEAD OF ALLOWING THEM ACCESS TO OUR PORTAL.
UM, AND SO I'LL GET WITH MY TEAM AND, AND START TO KIND OF THINK OF WAYS OF HOW WE COULD USE, UM, VOLUNTEERS.
AND I'LL ALSO MEET WITH STEPHANIE AND TALK WITH HER BECAUSE SHE DOES HAVE ACCESS TO THE 63 AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF AND THE 20 FOLKS THAT ARE, UM, THAT ARE WORKING THROUGH TRAVIS COUNTY.
SO, SO WE'LL FOLLOW UP AND WE CAN GET, UM, EVERYONE HERE, MORE INFORMATION ABOUT, UM, THAT PROCESS.
I WILL ALSO JUST ALSO REMIND YOU THAT, THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE RECEIVED THIS VACCINE ARE 60 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER IN TRAVIS COUNTY ALONE, WE HAVE 129,000 PEOPLE THAT ARE 65 OF AGE AND OLDER.
SO, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, MOST FOLKS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE VACCINE KNOW TODAY AND WHEN THE VACCINE DOES BECOME MORE AVAILABLE, UM, WE'LL DEFINITELY CONTINUE, UM, TO, TO WORK, UM, IN THAT PROCESS AND GET FOLKS IN AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.
BUT WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT WE WON'T LOOK AT OUR SYSTEMS. WE WILL LOOK AT THAT.
I'LL HAVE INTERNAL CONVERSATIONS WITH THE TEAM TODAY, AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL GET BACK WITH YOU ABOUT WHAT KIND OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY MAKE.
SO I JUST WANT TO, I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND, AND I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE A VAST NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT WE NEED, UM, TO VACCINATE.
UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, WELL, MANY OF THEM DO OPERATE WITH VOLUNTEERS.
I THINK IT IS DIFFERENT TO OPERATE WITH A PARTNER ORGANIZATION THAT APH HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH, UM, THAT WE RELY
[01:30:01]
ON REGULARLY TO HELP OUR SENIORS THEN TO JUST TAKE VOLUNTEERS OFF THE STREET WHO ARE CALLING IN.UM, AND IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, FIND A WAY, EVEN IF IT'S THAT THEY COLLECT ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED, AND THEN SOMEBODY ELSE ENTERS IT INTO THE SYSTEM SO THAT THOSE FOLKS CAN GET REGISTERED, WHICH PROVIDES A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PEACE OF MIND.
AND THEN WE COMMUNICATE, YOU KNOW, SOME SENSE OF HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE.
UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AND THEN IT'S TIED EASILY INTO THOSE FOLKS GETTING RIDES BECAUSE THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE THOSE RIDES IT, TO ME THAT IS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT PROCESS THAN JUST TAKING FOLKS WHO SAY, I WANT TO VOLUNTEER AND HELP WITH THE VACCINATION PROCESS.
IT'S DOING THE SAME THING THAT WE DID, YOU KNOW, WITH THE RISE FUND AND WITH OTHER THINGS WHERE WE WENT OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND WE FOUND PARTNERS WHO WERE CONNECTED UP WITH THE COMMUNITY AND COULD HELP US, UM, DELIVER.
AND IT'S DOING THAT SAME KIND OF PROCESS.
UM, BUT IT IS NOT THE SAME THING AS JUST TAKING RANDOM VOLUNTEERS, YOU SIGN UP ON A WEBSITE AND GIVING THEM ACCESS, UM, TO, TO, TO DATA.
THESE FOLKS ARE PEOPLE THEY ALREADY WORK WITH.
UM, THEY ALREADY HAVE A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION, BUT IT NEEDS TO GET INTO THE SYSTEM AND WE NEED TO GET THEM REGISTERED.
UM, I THINK THAT ONE OF THE RECURRENT THEMES, OBVIOUSLY, UH, THIS MORNING IS, UH, TRYING TO INCREASE THE CAPACITY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE SENIORS.
AND, UM, HOW'D YOU GONNA TAKE A LOOK AT THAT? YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT WE SAW ALSO IN, IN THE, UM, RESPONSE OF THE COMMUNITY TO THE, UH, TO THE STORMS WE JUST HAD, THERE'S A GREAT CAPACITY OF FOLKS REALLY WANTING TO BE ABLE TO OUT, UH, AND I THINK SHOULD LEAN INTO THAT AND LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE MENTIONED IT.
SO I ALSO, UH, SUPPORT THE COMMENTS OF MULTIPLE PEOPLE, UH, COLLEAGUES THAT HAVE, THAT HAVE ADDRESSED THAT I ALSO, I WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU FOR GETTING 33,000 VACCINATIONS OUT LOUD.
I MEAN, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S ALMOST HALF THE NUMBER OF VACCINATIONS WE'VE GOTTEN OUT ALTOGETHER THROUGH AP, OBVIOUSLY THE, THE OTHER PROVIDERS IN THE, IN THE, IN THE COUNTY, UH, AND AN AREA OF CONTINUED TO THE WORK AS WELL, BUT THAT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE OPERATION, UH, TO GET OUT THAT MANNY.
UM, UH, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE, THAT YOU'RE GEARING UP FOR ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS, UH, POTENTIALLY THE BERGER CENTER IS AS YOU HAD ANOTHER MASS VACCINATION.
UM, SO, UH, THAT, UM, I THINK THAT, UM, WE HAD APPROACHED, UH, THE COUNTY ABOUT, UH, MAKING THE EXPO CENTER, UH, AVAILABLE, UH, AND, AND HOPE THE COUNTY WILL DO THAT TO HAVE YET ANOTHER MASS VACCINATION AREA.
SO IF, IF THE GOVERNMENT WILL WELL, WELL PARTICIPATE WITH US AND GIVE US THE SUPPLY.
WE HAVE MULTIPLE WELL MASS VACCINATION POSSIBILITIES.
I UNDERSTAND BERGER CENTER AND I SUPPOSE, CENTER BOTH DRIVE-THROUGH MODELS, BEING, BEING THE BETTER THAT ARE SET UP AS WELL.
I WAS ENCOURAGED TO SEE THIS MORNING, UH, THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS WERE SUCCESSFUL WITH MARK AND NOW MERCK IS GOING TO PRODUCE THEIR COMPETITORS JOHNSON AND JOHNSON'S VACCINATION, UH, IN ORDER TO ALSO INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON VACCINATION TO COME OUT.
UH, AND, AND THAT WOULD BE A GAME CHANGER IF WE, THAT COMES OUT AND THE OTHER SUPPLIERS ALSO COME OUT.
SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
AND, UM, UH, IN, IN, JUST IN TERMS OF THE NUMBERS AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL WE'LL SCALE EVEN FARTHER.
AND, UH, JUDGE, I, I LOVE AS EVERYBODY ELSE WITH WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH THE FOUR COUNTIES AS A ONE WAY TO S TO, TO DEFEND AND, AND, AND MAKE APPROPRIATE US GETTING GREATER SUPPLY IN THE AREA.
ASCA THAT I'D LIKE YOU TO TALK ABOUT.
UH, THE GOVERNOR WAS ASKED ON FRIDAY ABOUT REMOVING THE MASKING BAN IN THE STATE, UH, AND HE INDICATED ON FRIDAY THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT AT LEAST IT LOOKED LIKE HE MIGHT BE CONSIDERING, UM, IS A PRESS CONFERENCE THAT A AND IN THE LAB HAD JENNA AND I HOPE, UH, THE GOVERNOR DOESN'T DOESN'T GO THERE.
UM, BUT WOULD YOU ADDRESS FROM A LESS SCIENCE AND DATA PLACE, UH, FROM OUR COMMUNICATIONS PLAY? SO THAT HEALTH CRISIS, UH, WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT THE GOVERNOR SHOULD BE DOING WITH RESPECT TO THE PAST?
[01:35:01]
I THINK RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, WE'D HAVE TO STAY THE COURSE.WE'VE VACCINATED, MAYBE 10% OF OUR POPULATION.
WE'RE NOT ANYWHERE CLOSE TO HERD IMMUNITY AND THE DANGER THAT WE FACE, UH, BY RELEASING, UH, REDUCING SOME OF THOSE RESTRICTIONS, PARTICULARLY MASKING MANDATE, WHICH REALLY HAS BEEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE PUBLIC POLICY DECISION THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS MADE.
UH, CERTAINLY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO INITIATE, UH, A SURGE AT THE MOMENT WHEN WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REALLY DRIVE THE NUMBERS INTO THE GROUND.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK DISCUSSING RELAXING, UH, THE MASKING IS, IS PROBABLY MORE SUITED FOR, UH, THE MAY JUNE TIMEFRAME.
UH, I THINK IT ALLOWS US TO VACCINATE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MORE PEOPLE IN MARCH AND APRIL.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK AS A, IS A MORE REASONABLE DECISION THEN THAT'S MY HOPE IS THAT THAT THE, THE, THE MASK MANDATE WILL CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH THE END OF APRIL, UH, TO ALLOW US TO REALLY RIDE THIS CURVE DOWN AND GET MORE PEOPLE VACCINATED AND REALLY ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL FOR, FOR A SUBSTANTIAL SURGE.
THAT'S HOPEFULLY GOVERNOR FOLLOWS THE SCIENCE AND THE DATA AND, AND, AND, AND REALLY SERVES TO BEST PROTECT PEOPLE.
I KNOW THAT, UH, EARLIER, UH, IN THIS PROCESS, A LOT OF CITIES, UH, REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR TO, TO ENABLE THAT BASF MANDATE TO GO INTO EFFECT, UH, THAT WAS THE SINGLE THING THAT WE SAW MOST IMPACT THE, THE NUMBERS.
AND THAT SEEMS TO BE CONSISTENT, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
AND IT WAS REAL APPRECIATIVE WHEN THE GOVERNOR, UM, UH, ALSO, UH, IMPLEMENTED A MASS MANDATE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT.
UM, EVEN WHEN THE GOVERNOR WAS TELLING PEOPLE THEY SHOULD WEAR A MASK BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
IT JUST NEVER COMMUNICATED THE SAME MESSAGE, SAME UNAMBIGUOUS MESSAGE.
THAT MASKING WAS IMPORTANT AS WHEN THE GOVERNOR ACTUALLY ISSUED THE MANDATE.
SO I'M, I'M HOPEFUL THAT THE GOVERNOR WILL MAINTAIN THAT MANDATE AND NOT REMOVE IT WITH AN ADMONITION THAT IT'S STILL AN IMPORTANT THING TO DO.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO DO.
WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD KEEP OUR, OUR FOOT ON THAT GAS, UH, JUDGE BROWN.
UH, THOSE WERE, UH, ALL OF THE, THE COUNCIL QUESTIONS IN THIS ROUND.
I THINK WE'D MOVE ON UNLESS YOU ALL HAD A SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS.
UM, I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE A COUPLE OF ONE POINT IF I COULD JUDGE MR. PAVILION AND I, AND I HAD TO CONTEMPLATE WHETHER I WAS, WHETHER I WAS GOING TO ASK THIS QUESTION, UH, BUT, BUT GIVEN THE STATE OF THE COMMUNITY, I THINK IT'S NECESSARY TO DO SO.
UM, I I'M WONDERING, HAVE WE CONSIDERED, UH, PULLING TOGETHER AN EQUITY RESERVE OF SORTS BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT ONCE ALL THE SHOTS ARE OUT THE DOOR, WHAT WE FIGURE OUT IS WE DID NOT EQUITABLY GET AT, TO POOR AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES AND TO SEE THAT HAPPEN CONSISTENTLY.
UH, I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO DEVELOP SOME TYPE OF SOLUTION.
I MEAN, IT IS CLEAR THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE LEARNED HOW TO BUILD ANALOGS, THAT KIND OF GAME THE SYSTEM.
SO IF WE'RE DEALING WITH THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND WE'RE DEALING WITH COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY OUR ELDERLY COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT, THAT, UH, THAT DON'T WORK ON THE SYSTEM IN THAT WAY, WHAT CAN WE DO TO AT LEAST MAKE SURE, UH, THE VARIOUS PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION AND THE WAY THAT WE PASS OUT OUR SHOTS? I MEAN, I SAY THIS BECAUSE I MEAN, IT'S DIFFICULT.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYBODY IS, IS WORKING AS HARD AS THEY CAN.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT TO END UP TO FIND YOURSELVES AT THE END OF THE LINE AND EVERY SYSTEM IS NOT OKAY, AND THAT WE'VE GOT TO DEVELOP SOME MECHANISM TO SAY, WHEN OUR NUMBERS ARE OUT OF BALANCE, WE'VE GOT SOME WAYS, SOME MECHANISMS, SOME RESERVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN REACH OUT AND CALL OUT TO SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TRYING TO WORK WITH US.
SO 89 YEARS OLD, OR 90 YEARS OLD, AND WHO SHOULD HAVE ACCESS, BUT HAVE NOT YET, IT IS, IT IS UNFORTUNATE TO END UP IN THE END OF THE LINE IN EVERY PROCESS THAT IS GOOD.
AND AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE AND EVERY PROCESS THAT IS BAD.
[01:40:01]
OR DR.HAYDEN, WAS THAT, DID YOU, WERE YOU LOOKING FOR A RESPONSE FROM MR. TREVELYAN? YES.
I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER SOME TYPE OF EQUITY ALLOCATION, UM, WHETHER THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THERE'S SOME WAY TO NORMALIZE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, BECAUSE WE SEE OUR NUMBERS ARE CONSISTENTLY LOW.
SO WE, WE, WE ARE WORKING ON A NUMBER OF FRONTS TO BALANCE SHIFT, UH, BASED ON, UH, ON POINT ALLOCATIONS FOR VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE THAT WE SEE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IT ALLOWS US TO, TO BETTER ADJUST, UH, THE VACCINE ALLOCATION BASED UPON, UH, THEY, THEY PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY MOST HAD NEED AT THAT TIME.
SO THERE IS SOME WORK BEING DONE TO REFINE THE SYSTEM.
I WILL SAY, COMMISSIONER THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES, UH, PARTICULARLY THAT WE HAVE IS, IS IN THE SIGNUP PROCESS AS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING, PARTICULARLY IN OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE REALLY FALLING SHORT AND, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO SIGN UP.
WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO, UH, TO ASK EVERY ASPECT OF OUR COMMUNITY TO REACH OUT IF THEY KNOW SOMEONE HELPED THEM SIGN UP.
IF, IF THEY STRUGGLE WITH, UH, WITH THE DIGITAL PLATFORMS, UH, IT REALLY DOES TAKE ALL OF US.
THE GOVERNMENT SIMPLY CANNOT DO EVERYTHING FOR EVERYBODY.
AND THIS IS WHERE EARLY ON ALMOST A YEAR AGO TODAY, WE DISCUSSED THE NEED FOR AN ALL COMMUNITY, ALL GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THIS, UH, THAT IS A CONTINUED NEED.
UM, SO INSTEAD OF WAITING ON GOVERNMENT TO DO, I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT MORE AND MORE COMMUNITY GROUPS ARE FORMING THEIR OWN, UH, CALL CENTERS, REACHING OUT TO THEIR, UH, THEIR CHURCH MEMBERS OR COMMUNITY GROUP MEMBERS, UH, TO ENSURE THAT, THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO SIGN UP, THAT THEY'RE SIGNED UP, HELPING THEM, IF THEY, IF THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO, IT IS REALLY GOING TO TAKE ALL OF US, BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT WAYS TO, UH, TO ADJUST THE SYSTEM, TO TWEAK THE SYSTEM, TO ENSURE THAT WE GET THE RIGHT BALANCE OF VACCINE OUT TO FOLKS.
AND, AND I, UH, LET'S TALK OFFLINE BECAUSE I HAVE SEVERAL CHURCHES WHO HAVE ALREADY IDENTIFIED PEOPLE TO HELP IN THE PROCESS.
AND SEVERAL OF THEM ARE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.
SO THEY ARE WILLING TO WORK AND VOLUNTEER.
UH, THEY JUST WANT TO KNOW WHERE TO DO THAT AND HOW THEY CAN MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS ACCESS BECAUSE THEY DID.
SO I WILL WORK DIRECTLY WITH YOU ON THAT, AND I'M NAMES, NUMBERS, CONTACTS, AND, AND SOME CHURCHES WHO ALLOW THE USE OF THEIR CHURCHES AS WELL.
UM, UM, COMMISSIONING FOR VALUE.
I, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION, UM, THAT FROM AN EQUITABLE PERSPECTIVE, UM, THE DEPARTMENT DID IMPLEMENT, UM, ABOUT FIVE, SIX WEEKS AGO, UM, THE EQUITY SECTION.
AND SO THAT AREA, UM, HAS BEEN WORKING WITH GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS AND THOSE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS BASICALLY HAVE A PHONE SYSTEM THAT THEY ARE REACHING OUT TO THEIR CLIENTS THAT THEY HAVE, THAT THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH.
UM, AND THEY HAVE BEEN PROVIDING THOSE REFERRALS INTO OUR EQUITY MINE.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT WE HAVE, THAT HAS SIGNIFICANTLY HELPED OUR, UM, DEMOGRAPHICS THAT YOU SEE, UM, AND THAT HAS BEEN IN PLACE, UM, EARLY, EARLY JANUARY, WE IMPLEMENTED THAT, UM, THAT IS A PART OF THE GROUP ARE THAT ARE MAKING OUTBOUND CALLS.
AND SO, UM, THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT, WORKING WITH THOSE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, IN ADDITION, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, AS I STATED EARLIER, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS IN MEETINGS, UM, WITH, WITH FOLKS, UM, THE FAITH-BASED FOLKS ARE WILLING, UM, TO STANDING IN AND TO HELP US AS WELL.
AND THEY'RE WILLING TO REFER FOLKS INTO, UM, THE EQUITY LINE AS WELL.
SO THAT IS THE, THE OTHER MECHANISM THAT WE ARE SEEING, UM, AND GETTING MORE REFERRALS THAT WAY THROUGH OUR EQUITY AREA.
THE LAST THING I WILL SHARE IS, IS, UM, AS WE'VE DONE WITH THE MODELING OR, UM, UM, ENABLE TO KIND OF PREDICT, UM, WHERE WE WOULD BE BASED ON BEHAVIOR WITH POSITIVITY RATE, UM, WE'VE MET WITH, WITH UT, UM, DALE, UM, WE'RE SCHEDULING A FOLLOW-UP MEETING WITH THEM, AND THEY'RE GOING TO HELP US FROM A MODELING PERSPECTIVE BY LOOKING AT AREAS, UM, WHERE WE KNOW THERE ARE HIGHER
[01:45:01]
CONCENTRATIONS, UM, OF PEOPLE, UM, THAT HAVE LOW INCOME, UM, AFRICAN-AMERICANS HISPANIC FOLKS, UM, AND START TO TALK TO US ABOUT HOW WE CAN ALSO CONTINUE TO TAILOR OUR OPERATIONS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE PICKING, PICKING UP FOLKS FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE AS WELL.SO IN COMBINATION WITH ALL OF THOSE THINGS, UM, WE, WE DO HAVE OUR TASK FORCE GROUPS THAT ARE MEETING, UM, AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISPANIC, AS WELL AS, UM, ASIAN, UM, AS WELL.
SO THOSE GROUPS HAVE BEEN MEETING, UM, DURING, THROUGHOUT THIS TIME AND WILL CONTINUE TO MEET.
AND SO, UM, ALL OF THE EFFORTS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE WORKING THROUGH A LENS OF A FORM OF EQUITY FOCUS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO ALERT YOU TO THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, BUT ALSO ALERT YOU TO, UM, THINGS THAT WE IMPLEMENTED ONCE WE STARTED TO ROLL OUT THE VACCINES.
WELL, LET, LET ME JUST SAY FOR THE RECORD, UH, THAT, THAT I'M NOT SAYING THIS TO BE CRITICAL, UM, MS. HAYDEN, NOW I'M REALLY NOT.
I AM TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE IS A, A GROUP THAT HAS BEEN MEETING AND WORKING TOGETHER THAT WANTS TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION.
AND, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HELP YOU COORDINATE THAT GROUP.
I THINK THAT, THAT YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB.
I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE PROCESSED AND, AND THAT, UH, AND THEN SOMETIMES WE HAVE, WE HAVE TO INJECT NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND NEW, UM, AND, AND, AND NEW VARIABLES WITHIN A SYSTEM THAT EVERYBODY DOESN'T HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO.
I KNOW THAT YOU'RE DOING, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE WORKING 18 HOURS A DAY.
I'M NOT SAYING TO BE CRITICAL.
I'M SAYING THAT THERE IS ANOTHER GROUP THAT IS A PART OF THE COMMUNITY AS AN INSTITUTION THAT HAS BETTER ACCESS TO OUR ELDERLY COMMUNITY THAN WE DO.
AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, THAT WE BRING THEM TO THE TABLE AND GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP US IN AREAS WHERE WE COULD USE HELP.
UM, I GUESS, UH, COMMISSIONER QUICK QUESTION, MAYBE FOR DR.
UM, ANOTHER THING THAT GOVERNOR SAID RECENTLY THAT BLEW MY PHONE UP WITH CONCERN WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, SOON READINESS TO MOVE BEYOND ONE B, ARE YOU GUYS ALREADY THINKING ABOUT SORT OF THE, THE NUMBERS THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, WE'D HAVE TO HIT BEFORE WE WOULD EXPAND, UM, THE CATEGORY OF ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS, THE CONCERN BEING FOLKS THAT ARE STILL IN ONE B WHO MAYBE WOULD NOT HAVE YET BEEN VACCINATED AND WOULD THEY GET LOST IN A LARGER CROWD? UH, SO I, I THINK MY, MY PERSPECTIVE ON THIS IS WE'RE READY FOR ONE SCENE NOW, NOW, SO LET ME EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE MODELING FROM CDC ON STRATEGIES FOR VACCINE ALLOCATION, WHEN WE FOCUS ON, UH, INDIVIDUALS 65 AND OLDER, THE MODELING SUGGESTS REDUCED MORTALITY BY ABOUT ONE TO 4%.
WHEN WE FOCUS ON, UH, PEOPLE IN THE ONE C GROUP.
SO ESSENTIAL WORKERS, TEACHERS, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, ET CETERA, UH, WE REDUCE TRANSMISSION BY ONE TO 5%, UM, WHICH IS THEN GOING TO HAVE A, UH, AN IMPACT ON MORTALITY.
UH, SO WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS DONE IS THEY'VE ALREADY, THEY'VE HAD THE ONE B AND ONE C WORKING IN PARALLEL TO BOTH ADDRESS THE, UH, THE GROUP THAT'S AT HIGHER RISK FOR SEVERE DISEASE AND DEATH, BUT ALSO ADDRESSING THE GROUP THAT IS MORE LIKELY TO BE TRANSMITTERS OF DISEASE.
UH, SO I THINK IT IS THE STRATEGY NOW THAT THE HOSPITALS HAVE DECOMPRESSED IN OUR JURISDICTION AND ACROSS THE STATE.
I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A DUAL FOCUS OR WHERE, UH, ALLOCATING SOME VACCINE FOR THE ONE B GROUP AND SOME FOR THE ONE C GROUPS, SO THAT WE GET THE, THE, THE BEST ASPECTS OF BOTH.
UH, YES, IT'S GOING TO LEAD TO LONGER WAITS FOR ONE B INDIVIDUALS TO GIVE VACCINES, BUT IT ALSO DECREASES THE CHANCES OF THAT ONE BIG GROUP BEING EXPOSED, BECAUSE WE'RE BETTER ADDRESSING THE TRANSMISSION RISKS.
NOW, I JUST WANT TO ADD ALL THEIR NIGHTMARES YEAH.
SWELL AT IT, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK PROBABLY THE, THE BEST EXAMPLE IS OUR, IS OUR SCHOOL STAFF.
UM, YOU KNOW, MY WIFE IS A SCHOOL TEACHER.
HER COLLEAGUES HAVEN'T BEEN VACCINATED THE LESS
[01:50:01]
THEIR ONE BABY.UH, AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S ONE PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE REALLY NEED TO GET AS CLOSE TO NORMAL AS WE CAN.
UH, THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF ANXIETY AMONGST OUR SCHOOL STAFF.
AND THAT'S NOT, NOT JUST TEACHERS.
IT'S, IT'S OUR CAFETERIA WORKERS, OUR BUS DRIVERS, OUR, UH, SUPPORT STAFF, UH, THAT, THAT FEEL THAT ANXIETY.
AND AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE VULNERABILITIES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW AND EXTENDING PROBABLY THROUGH THE SUMMER WILL BE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, BECAUSE NONE OF THEM ARE VIRTUALLY, NONE OF THEM HAVE BEEN VACCINATED OR WILL BE VACCINATED, UH, BY SUMMER TIME.
SO THAT INCREASES THE RISK IN PARTICULAR FOR OUR, UH, SCHOOL STAFF.
SO I, I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE, MOVE ON AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO START GETTING THOSE TEACHERS AND OTHER EDUCATION STAFF.
AND I THINK THE COMMISSIONER, UH, SHAY HAD HAD A MEETING SHE'S, UH, JUMPED OFF TOO.
BUT WHEN SHE HAD A QUESTION FOR ME, ACTUALLY WANTED ME TO ADDRESS WHO GOT VACCINATED AND WHO CAN GET VACCINATED AT THE, AT THE COTA VACCINATION.
SO THIS LAST SATURDAY, WE WERE WORKING WITH FOUR COUNTIES, INCLUDING TRAVIS AND COMMUNITY CARE AS SORT OF THE FOUR SIGNERS TO THIS LETTER THAT WE, WHERE WE REQUESTED THE VACCINES FROM THE GOVERNOR AND FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AND SO OF THE 3000, WE BASICALLY DIVIDED THAT UP INTO 600 FOR EACH ENTITY.
SO COMMUNITY CARE INITIALLY GOT 600 TRAVIS, 600 AND OTHER THREE COUNTIES, 600 EACH WITHIN THAT WE BASICALLY GAVE THE TRAVIS ALLEGATION ALLOCATION TO COMMUNITY CARE.
UH, ALSO DID ABOUT 200 PEOPLE WHO ARE AISD EMPLOYEES THAT ARE 60, 40 PEOPLE THAT WERE CAPITAL METRO DRIVE EMPLOYEES, 65 AND OVER, AND I THINK ABOUT 20 THAT WERE CHILDCARE WORKERS, 65 AND OVER, AND THEN OF THE OTHER THREE COUNTIES, THEY EACH MORE OR LESS SPLIT THEIR ALLOCATIONS BETWEEN COMMUNITY CARE PATIENTS WHO LIVED IN EACH OF THOSE THREE COUNTIES, UH, AND THEN THEIR WAIT LISTS.
SO THAT WAS ABOUT, OR IT DIFFERED FOR EACH COUNTY, BUT IT WAS MORE OR LESS 300 FOR COMMUNITY CARE, 300 FOR THE WAITLIST.
SOMETIMES THOSE WERE ACTUALLY THE SAME POPULATIONS.
SO THE RESULT WAS THAT WE USE THE COMMUNITY CARE PLATFORM TO REGISTER PEOPLE, UH, TO REGISTER ABOUT 2100 OF THOSE PEOPLE.
IT, IT ASKS FOR ETHNICITY AT WHEN YOU'RE REGISTERING.
AND SO OF THOSE 2100, WE KNOW THAT 77% ARE LATINO, 7% ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
AND THEN, UH, THE OTHER SPLIT BETWEEN ANGLO AND, AND OTHER AND OTHER.
SO AT LEAST OF, OF THAT, OF THE VAST MAJORITY OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AND FOCUSING ON COMMUNITY CARE PATIENTS, I THINK WE HAVE HELPED GET TOWARDS THAT GOAL OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE VACCINATING THE HARDEST HIT PEOPLE IN THE HARDEST HIT ZIP CODES IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT OF TRAVIS COUNTY AND THESE OTHER THREE COUNTIES.
UM, WE HOPE TO CONTINUE THAT THIS WEEKEND, WE'RE STILL WORKING WITH COMMUNITY CARE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE DO THAT AS WE'RE EXPANDING, UH, AND PER DR.
S GOT YOUR, YOUR STATEMENT ABOUT MOVING TO ONE C THAT OBVIOUSLY COULD, COULD OPEN UP MORE COMMUNITY CARE PATIENTS.
BUT RIGHT NOW, AS FAR AS I KNOW, WE'RE STICKING WITH ONE B WITHIN THOSE POPULATIONS.
AND SO MERA, WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY NOW BASICALLY EACH ASKED ANOTHER QUESTION.
I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL, IF Y'ALL WANT TO DO THE SAME, OBVIOUSLY FEEL FREE TO, UH, LET ME GO AHEAD AND CHECK THEN JUDGE, DOES ANYBODY HAVE AN ADDITIONAL QUESTION BEFORE WE LET THE COUNTY GO BACK TO WORK? AND WE MEET IN OUR MEETING, ALL RIGHT.
COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, AND LET'S DO THESE RAPIDLY AS OUR KITCHEN JUST QUICKLY.
COULD YOU SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO, UM, WORKERS IN THE COMMUNITY? UM, I'M NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR WHAT ONE C COVERS.
SO, UH, RETAIL WORKERS WHO MAY BE UNDER 65, ARE WE NOT YET TO THEM? CAN YOU, CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THAT? UH, SO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, WE HAVE NO ONE SEE IN TEXAS, UH, THERE'S A, ONCEY THAT A FEDERAL ONE SAY, WHICH, UH, IS OUTLINED ON THE CDC WEBSITE.
UH, WHEN WE HEAR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHAT ONE C MIGHT LOOK LIKE IN TEXAS, UH, MY GUESS IS THAT IT WOULD BE, UH, SCHOOL STAFF.
IT WOULD BE, UH, OTHER ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES THAT, THAT HAVE FACE-TO-FACE, UH, LARGE AMOUNT OF FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTIONS, UH, THAT MAY BE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, WHICH IS ANOTHER KEY GROUP FOR US IN ENDING TRANSMISSION, UH, GROCERY STORE WORKERS, RETAIL RESTAURANT, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, MAYBE THEY HAVE THEM, WE HAVE OTHER, UH, INDIVIDUALS, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT, UM, AND OTHER, UH, PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, UH, THAT WOULD FALL IN A SIMILAR
[01:55:01]
CATEGORY TO THAT FACE TO FACE INTERACTION.UM, SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A YEAR NOW, THE RISK OF TRANSMISSION IS DEPENDENT UPON THE NUMBER OF FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTIONS.
SO THOSE EMPLOYEES WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBERS WOULD LIKELY BE PRIORITIZED BY THE STATE, UH, TO BE IN THAT ONE SEAT CATEGORY.
ANYTHING ELSE, COUNSELOR AND ELLIS.
UM, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE DASHBOARD.
UM, WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING HOW A MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE GETTING VACCINATED WERE OVER 60 OR 65 ON THE DASHBOARD.
IS THAT JUST THE LAG IN THE DATA BEING ENTERED, OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON THERE? UM, THERE IS A LAG WITH, WITH THAT DASHBOARD, UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE MAKING SURE TO GET TO, UM, EACH OF THEM, UM, THAT ONE WILL BE UPDATED AGAIN ON SATURDAY, UM, THIS WEEKEND.
SO THERE IS, THERE IS, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF A LAG, AS YOU WILL KNOW, WITH MOST OF OUR DASHBOARDS.
UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU PULL THAT ONE UP, IT HAS FEBRUARY 13TH.
SO MOST OF THEM WILL BE LAST WEEK WITH THE EXCEPTION OF, YOU KNOW, OF OUR DAILY COUNT.
ANYTHING ELSE? JUDGE, A COUNCIL MAYOR PRO TEM.
I W I'D APPRECIATE ANY, UM, PATIENTS THAT, THAT, UH, IS NEEDED IF IT'S ALREADY BEEN COVERED, BUT HAVE WE HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS? WHERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HERE I'M HEARING SOME STORIES ABOUT VOLUNTEERS, UM, AND THEIR STATUS CURRENTLY? I JUST WONDER IF WE HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS THAT I MAY HAVE MISSED ABOUT PEOPLE WHO VOLUNTEERED DURING THE COURSE OF THIS EMERGENCY AND, UH, SOME COMPREHENSIVE TESTING AND OR CONSIDERATIONS AROUND VACCINATIONS.
UM, WE'VE NOT, UM, UM, NEAR PROTEIN, WE'VE NOT ADDRESSED THAT, UM, DURING THIS CALL, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WERE, UM, SEVERAL FOLKS THAT DID VOLUNTEER, UM, LAST WEEK TO HELP DURING THE WINTER, UM, PROCESS.
UM, WE ARE ALSO ABSOLUTELY ENCOURAGING FOLKS IF THEY WOULD LIKE A TEST TO ROSTER PUBLIC HEALTH.
UH, WE ARE ALWAYS ENCOURAGING THEM TO GO ONLINE AND REGISTER, UM, AND RECEIVE A TEST AS WE ARE PROVIDING THOSE TESTS.
WE ARE PROVIDING THEM, UM, AT HOME AS WELL AS, UM, THROUGH OUR EFFORTS AS WELL AS OUR PARTNER EFFORTS.
AND SO THOSE EFFORTS ARE AVAILABLE.
UM, NOW, AS FAR AS THE, AS FAR AS THE VACCINES, UM, WHAT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ADHERING TO IS THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS THE APPROVAL OF ONE A AND ONE B, UM, AND KIND OF WHERE FOLKS FIT.
UM, AS FAR AS RECEIVING, UM, A VACCINE FROM US NOW WE HAVE, UM, WHEN FOLKS HAVE VOLUNTEERED IN OUR CLINICAL OPERATIONS, UM, BECAUSE YOU ARE WORKING IN, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WE'RE GOING TO CALL A HOT ZONE AND A ZONE, UM, BECAUSE OF YOUR, UM, INTERACTION WITH THE PUBLIC AND SEVERAL PEOPLE.
UM, WE HAVE PROVIDED, UM, SOME VACCINES FOR OUR PEOPLE OR PEOPLE THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO WORK AT OUR VACCINE OPERATIONS IN WHICH HE'S DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD.
WHAT I THINK I HEAR YOU SAYING IS THAT WE SHOULD PROBABLY BE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THAT COMMUNITY LEVEL MUTUAL AID EFFORT TO ALL GO AHEAD AND GET TESTED TOO.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND GO THROUGH OUR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT WEBSITE, AND GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TESTED.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT THAT'S A FAIR ASSESSMENT? WELL, DEFINITELY THAT, UM, YES, WE ARE AVAILABLE TESTS.
SO MY STAFF THAT I WILL BE PUMPING IT OUT AND I JUST WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL PUTTING ON OUR SOCIALS AND OUR POINTS OF CONTACT WITH OUR CONSTITUENTS.
SO EVERYBODY WHO WAS OUT HERE DOING THAT REAL GROUND LEVEL COMMUNITY WORK, THAT'S ALL GO GET TESTED.
THANK YOU, DIRECTOR COLLEAGUES, ANYONE ELSE, MAYOR? SORRY, IF I CAN JUST ADD SOMETHING.
I THINK IT'S, THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS WHO, UH,
[02:00:01]
WHAT WE'RE GATHERING DURING THE ICE STORM WITH FAMILY, WITH FRIENDS WHO WERE OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD, UH, TO CONTINUE TO GET TESTED, UH, THE WAY WE DRIVE THIS DOWN TO STAGE TWO OR STAGE ONE IS WE KEEP THE TESTING UP.WE KEEP SIGNING UP GOING AND GETTING OUR NOSES SWAB.
UH, WE DETECT THOSE FEWER CASES THAT ARE OUT THERE SO THAT WE CAN ORIENTATE FOLKS.
UH, SO IS IT DOES TAKE TESTING AND WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE FOLKS, UH, IN PARTICULAR, OUR, UH, OUR SCHOOLS, STUDENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, UH, TO GET TESTED, GET TESTED WEEKLY, IT'S WORTH THE INVESTMENT AT A TIME.
IT HELPS US PER SUPPOSE THE NUMBERS DOWN.
I THINK THAT, UH, COULD, COULD, COULD CONCLUDE OUR, OUR JOINT MEETING IF YOU'RE READY, I'LL SIGN US OFF.
MAYOR PRO TEM WHERE YOU WAVING OR, UM, IT IS 1109.
UH, AND WITH THAT, WE WILL, UH, ADJOURN, UH, THE CITY'S, UH, PORTION OF THIS, UH, JOINT, UH, MEETING, UH, COLLEAGUES.
HOW ABOUT WE TAKE LIKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK AND 11, 15, UH, WE'LL GET INTO OUR REGULAR CITY COUNCIL, UH, WORK SESSION.
GIVE EVERYBODY A FEW MINUTES TO MAKE THE TRANSFER JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN FOR, FOR LETTING US SIT IN, JOIN YOU ALL.
WE WILL ALSO ADJOURN THE MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT AT 1110, AND WE'LL RECONVENE AT 1115 TO GIVE TIME FOR THE VIDEO OF TRANSITION.