Posted: / Updated:
As hospitalizations increase amid a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant, Texas health leaders said the next few weeks will be “very telling” in hospital capacity levels and healthcare staffing. (Getty Images)
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The number of patients hospitalized in the Austin metro with COVID-19 has dropped to the lowest total since July.
As of Friday, Austin Public Health reports 89 people are hospitalized with the virus across the five-county metro area. That’s the fewest since July 9.
Of those patients, 29 are currently in the ICU, the lowest figure since July 6. Fourteen patients are currently on ventilators.
The Austin metro — which is defined as Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson Counties — hit a peak of 728 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Jan. 19, at the height of the omicron surge.
Across Texas, 2,110 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized statewide as of Thursday, the fewest since July 11.
Meanwhile, other COVID-19 indices continue to drop. In the 15-county KXAN viewing area, the seven-day average of new confirmed cases per day stands at 116 as of Friday. That’s the lowest seven-day average since July 12. For comparison, the region hit a record high average of 4,591 confirmed cases per day on Jan. 23.
The region is averaging around five COVID-19 deaths per day, the fewest since Jan. 14. Texas identifies COVID-19 deaths using the cause of death listed on death certificates. The total number of deaths does not include people who had COVID-19 but died from an unrelated cause.
The encouraging numbers recently prompted APH to move to Stage 2 of its risk-based guidelines for the first time since mid July.
Austin-Travis County