Austin Officials Reflect On COVID-19 Pandemic Six Months In

AUSTIN, TX — Six months into the coronavirus pandemic, city officials provided an update on the fight against the respiratory illness on Friday while releasing a series of videos featuring health officials who have been on the front lines of the fight.

This Sunday, city officials reminded, marks six months since the first positive COVID-19 case in Austin-Travis County. As of Sept. 10, there have been 27,424 cases, 1,797 hospitalizations, and 402 deaths across the community, according to the data.

"The past six months have been challenging, to say the least, for everyone in Austin and Travis County," officials wrote in an emailed advisory. "Thus far, Austin Public Health has dedicated over 214,000 staff hours to combatting COVID-19 in Austin and Travis County. Additionally, city and county staff from across nearly every department have contributed their time and energy to helping the community fight COVID-19."

In memorializing the pandemic battle, the COVID-19 Joint Information System put together a set of videos recorded by APH COVID-19 response team members to share some of the memories, successes and challenges over the past six months.

However, city officials noted, the COVID-19 response did not just start with the first COVID-19 case reported on March 13. Rather, Austin Public Health began responding in January, followed by the activation of the health district's Department Operations Center on Feb. 5.

"While six months have passed since the first COVID-19 case in Austin-Travis County, our community still has a long way to go to return to normalcy," officials wrote. "Our fight against COVID-19 continues as our knowledge about the virus grows every day."

The Austin Public Health team members, their titles and their video subjects are as follows:

• Stephanie Hayden, Director, community partnerships and appreciation.
• Dr. Mark Escott, Interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority, 6-month overview.
• Janet Pichette, Chief Epidemiologist, case investigations.
• Cassandra DeLeon, Assistant Director, PPE and community resilience.
• Jeff Taylor, Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Manager, staff response and masking.
• Chris Crookham, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Manager, department operations and adaptability.
• Ashley Hawes, Epidemiologist, testing and vaccine distribution.
• Alan Washington, Family Health Unit Manager, testing improvements.

• Jen Samp, Public Information Manager, public communication.
• Phillip Bays, IT Systems Manager, data sharing and transparency.
• Natali Arellano, Human Resources Assistant, APH staff hours.
• Ana Urueta, Public Health Preparedness Planner, community testing.
• Estephanie Olivares, Health Equity Unit Program Supervisor, testing and departmental collaboration.
• Stephanie Trevino, Community Worker, community engagement.
• (Spanish) Connie Gonzales, Health Equity Unit Program Coordinator, personal protective equipment distribution.
• (Spanish) Flor Hernandez-Ayala, Epidemiologist, community improvements.

All of these videos can be found in this folder. For more information about COVID-19, visit the City of Austin website.