Austin prepares for possible hospital overflow, but won’t show the numbers

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/austin-prepares-for-possible-hospital-overflow-but-wont-show-the-numbers/


by: Kevin Clark
Posted: Jun 19, 2020 / 08:47 PM CDT / Updated: Jun 19, 2020 / 08:47 PM CDT


Austin Public Health tells KXAN it is finalizing plans for a temporary hospital that would take up to 1,500 people, bringing them in 100 at a time.

But as COVID-19 related hospitalizations in Texas pass 3,000 for the first time, neither Austin city government nor local hospitals have been willing to give a hyperlocal picture regarding the number of hospitalizations.

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Here are the statistics that are known right now.

Austin Public Health shares the daily number of hospitalizations on its COVID-19 dashboard. The number is hospitalizations in five counties: Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson Counties.

While the number of hospitalizations can provide a real-time idea of how many people are very sick with the virus at that time, Austin doesn’t provide other information, like the number of beds available.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that 28% of beds in Austin-area hospitals were available. The Austin-area includes 11 counties.

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