90 percent of Covid patients
are unvaccinated

 

Vaccines, masking still most effective at limiting spread

By CHRISTOPHER DE LOS SANTOS

 

Although hospitalizations and Intensive Care Unit stays for Covid-19 patients have been rising in Williamson County and the greater Austin metro area since the end of June, most of these patients are unvaccinated, and patients who are vaccinated usually experience mild symptoms.

 

Fully vaccinated patients who get Covid are referred to as breakthrough cases, Texas Department of State Health Services spokesperson Douglas Loveday said July 23. 

At St. David’s HealthCare’s greater Austin-area hospitals, “only one breakthrough case patient has gone to an ICU,” said Dr. Brian Metzger, medical director of infectious diseases at St. David’s HealthCare.

 

About 10 percent of total Covid patients in St. David’s HealthCare hospitals in that same area are breakthrough cases, Dr. Metzer said July 26. 

 

“About 99 percent of these breakthrough cases show mild symptoms,” he said. “Ninety percent of our Covid patients right now are unvaccinated.”

 

Baylor Scott & White Health hospitals in Austin and the Hill Country, including Williamson County, “are seeing an increasing number of patients sick with Delta variant Covid-19 who are requiring hospitalization and intensive care” and “the vast majority are unvaccinated,” said Dr. Rob Watson, chief medical officer for the Austin and Hill Country regions at BS&W Health.

 

“We have seen a few vaccine breakthrough cases, but those patients are typically showing milder symptoms,” he added.

 

Vaccines most effective 

Data continues to show the vaccines are effective against new strains of Covid-19, said Dr. Watson, “both in terms of preventing infections and reducing the need for hospitalization if infected.”

 

The state health department has data on Covid cases statewide among people fully vaccinated through July 15, Mr. Loveday said. 

 

“From July 1-15, there were less than 10 breakthrough cases in Texas that led to hospitalization and/or death,” he said.

 

Statewide, more cases and hospitalizations are occuring in younger Texans, “many of whom may not have received a vaccination or been fully vaccinated,” Mr. Loveday said.

The Delta variant is proving to be more readily passed from patient to patient, than prior strains, Mr. Loveday said. 

 

“So, we’re encouraging people 12 years and older to get vaccinated to protect against Delta variant infection and to slow the rise of cases we’re now seeing across the state,”  he added.

 

This is a good time for the unvaccinated to get vaccinated, Dr. Metzger agreed. It is also a good time for those who still need their second shot to get it.

 

Masking will help

Wearing a mask and changing it daily continue to help to prevent the spread of Covid, Dr. Metzger said. 

 

“It’s a good idea to go back to wearing a mask, even if you’re fully vaccinated,” Dr. Metzger said. “If you wear one mask for several hours continuously, you should change it.” 

 

When indoors, or unable to social distance around people from other households — even for people fully vaccinated — “wearing a mask is the best intervention to stop the surge in cases and hospitalizations,” Dr. Metzger added.

 

The Williamson County and Cities Health District recommends protective measures for people who are not yet fully vaccinated and says that those who are fully vaccinated may engage in all activities as before the pandemic.

 

Protective measures the health district recommends include: 

• wearing masks and social distancing around people from other households.    

• practicing good hand hygiene. 

• using online services rather than in person services when and where possible.

• avoiding large indoor gatherings. 

 

Some businesses in Georgetown continue to limit staff contact with customers and to leave things like plexiglass dividers and social distancing stickers in place, said Michele Jaroszewski-Webb, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce chairwoman of the board. Some retail locations also require staff to continue wearing masks, she noted.

 

Variants emerging 

The Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to be the predominant strain of the disease in Texas and in Williamson County, according to lab testing data from the state health department.

 

But another variant has entered the state, Dr. Metzger said.

 

“Houston Methodist [Hospital] found the Lambda variant in their surveillance area,” Dr. Metzger said. 

 

It has not been identified in the greater Austin area, yet. Dr. Watson said the Lambda variant has been identified in Bell County.

 

Believed to have originated in Peru, not much is currently known about the Lambda variant in Texas, Dr. Metzger said.

 

Researchers are beginning to study the Lambda variant and are testing the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines against it, Dr. Metzger said.

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GISD seeks input on Covid safety protocols

TEA says ‘facemasks not required’; online learning only at Richarte 

By KATHERINE ANTHONY

 

With the new school year ready to kick off August 19, Georgetown ISD is seeking community input on proposed 2021-22 Covid-19 safety protocols — including optional mask-wearing as dictated by the Texas Education Agency.

 

Links to a draft plan and a feedback page can be accessed from the district’s “News” page on its website, www.georgetownisd.org.

 

The deadline to submit input is August 4.

 

Courtney Acosta, GISD’s chief strategist for systems and operations, briefed  trustees on the draft plan at their July 19 meeting.

 

Ms. Acosta said the district is planning face-to-face learning for all students, with online learning available only for students in grades 9-12 enrolled at Richarte High School.

GISD’s draft plan includes protocols for Covid-19 screening and isolation, personal protective equipment, disinfecting and hand washing, campus cleaning and disinfecting, and mental health resources.

 

In addition to online input, Ms. Acosta said the district is gathering feedback from principals, the School Health Advisory Council, PTA and District Safety Committee.

State Mandates

 

Texas Education Agency has issued health and safety guidlines for the upcoming school year. 

The following State Mandates are in effect for all school districts.

• Districts must allow students or staff to wear a face mask if they choose to do so; but they may not require masks.

• If a staff or student tests positive for Covid-19, the district must notify the local health department and the Texas Department of State Health Services.

 

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Poor People’s Campaign sets Wednesday departure point for 4-day march from Georgetown to State Capitol

By KATHERINE ANTHONY

The four-day, 27-mile Georgetown-to-Austin Moral March to Democracy will hit the road at 7 a.m. on Wednesday with social activist Rev. William Barber and former U.S. Congressman Beto O’Rourke in the lead.

 

The march’s departure point is the Christ Lutheran Church, 510 Luther Drive, in southeast Georgetown. The church will also be the site of a prayer service on Tuesday evening following a 5 p.m. news conference.

 

The march will begin each day at 8 a.m. and finish for the day in the early afternoon. It will conclude with a rally at the State Capitol in Austin four days later — July 31 — at 10 a.m. 

 

Daily stopping points are at the Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Round Rock; North Austin Muslim Community Center, Austin; and University Baptist Church, Austin.

Due to the Covid-19 precautions, the number of marchers will be limited each day to 125, according to Gina Hinojosa, a spokesperson for Mr. O’Rourke.

 

Rev. Barber is the nationally-known co-founder of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. He also serves on the national board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and is the chair of its Legislative Political Action Committee. 

 

Rev. Barber announced the march July 18, while in Georgetown preaching at St. Paul United Methodist Church.

 

The march will address five specific issues which Rev. Barber says are “attacks on our democracy”:

• Ending the Congressional filibuster
• Passing all provisions of the For the People Act
• Fully restoring the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
• Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour
• Securing permanent protection, dignity, and respect for all undocumented immigrants.

More information is available at www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/committee/texas/

 

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Pat Dittberner of Georgetown, right, and her granddaughter, 5-year-old Sage Dittberner, left, look over a kitten for adoption during the  Georgetown Animal Shelter’s kitten adoptions held July 16, at the Georgetown Public Library.  Photo by Andy Sharp

 

 Kitten season
poses problem for shelters

 

BY KATE THURMOND

 

Local animal shelters are seeing an uptick in the number of animals they’re caring for, and have started to host special adoption events that will continue through the fall.

 

The Georgetown Animal Shelter held their Kittens in the Library adoption event in collaboration with the Georgetown Public Library July 16. The two-hour event found homes for 22 of the 25 kittens the shelter brought, freeing up some much needed space at the facility. 

 

“Because of kitten season, we found ourselves bursting at the seams with kittens,” said April Haughey, City of Georgetown animal services manager. “We have around 124 cats and kittens. That’s a lot for our shelter.”

 

The Kittens in the Library event was the first adoption event the shelter had been able to hold since last March. The lack of events was due, in part, to the loss of many of their volunteers, who had to be cut entirely last year due to Covid-19 protocols. 

Now that vaccinations are prevalent, the Georgetown Shelter plans to launch a volunteer recruitment campaign next month to rebuild their volunteer staff, and restart their adoption events. Pre-Covid, the shelter was holding two or three events a month. 

 

“It’s definitely been a challenge not having those,” Ms. Haughey said. “We’re really seeing an uptick in numbers from May. It’s kitten season that’s really making it stressful.”

 

Ms. Haughey defined kitten season as the period running spring through the summer when a large number of stray kittens are born. She said this season broke later than usual— possibly because of the freeze — and that has affected the numbers of animals needing to be adopted. 

 

Once their new volunteer staff has been trained, the Georgetown shelter plans to partner with local organizations such as Wag Heaven, Pupology, and the library to hold adoption events and hopefully get more animals into homes. 

Their next event on the books will be the Clear the Shelters nationwide event on September 18. The event helps highlight shelters around the U.S. and offers adoption specials for those adopting on the day. 

 

The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter will also be participating in the Clear the Shelter event, and are experiencing the same uptick in shelter animals currently. April Peiffer, the shelter’s community programs coordinator, said that this is usually expected during the summer months. 

 

“People are traveling, moving, the kids are home… it’s a transitional time,” she said. “People aren’t adopting as much. So we try to prepare for that.”

 

One of the ways they prepare has been to hold adoption events like the “Cat’s Pajamas” party they threw last Friday, in which the shelter stayed open late and waived fees for anyone adopting on that day. Thirty-three cats and kittens found new homes that day, making the event a success for the shelter. 

 

“We’ve got a lot of guys that need homes,” Ms. Peiffer said. “It is definitely kitten season.” 

 

Over the coming months, the Wilco Regional Animal Shelter will continue to hold adoption events and specials each week, which can range from walk-ins to “buy one get one free” kittens. 

 

“We’re always looking for creative and fun ways to get people to come in and meet the animals,” she said.