The number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases across Central Texas has risen sharply in recent weeks. Many health experts say much of that increase reflects the impact local protests have had on the spread of COVID-19 as thousands of people stood shoulder-to-shoulder for consecutive weeks. As more cases are found, the worry that local hospitals will reach their limit is growing among elected officials, including Austin Mayor Steve Adler, who has been very vocal with his opposition to reopening the private sector, and, now, with his fear that hospitals will not be able to handle an influx of patients.
While the daily numbers have proven that they can most certainly change dramatically from day-to-day, as of the morning of June 22, the overall number of coronavirus patients receiving inpatient hospital care is quite small compared to the number of active cases.
Across the five-county region, including Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson County, the total number of active cases as of Monday morning is 4283, but only 202 of those cases involve a patient who is in need of hospital care. A breakdown of those hospitalizations include 174 in Travis County, 15 in Williamson County, and 13 in Hays County.
Neither Caldwell County nor Bastrop County are showing any hospitalized patients on their public dashboards.
Williamson County has consistently managed to avoid any major hospital surges since the beginning of the pandemic. Since March, when the first cases were discovered, only 128 people have ever required hospitalization in the county, including 52 patients who have been admitted to the ICU, and 29 who have needed a ventilator. As of Monday morning, Williamson County hospitals are only using three ventilators for COVID-19 patients, and ten of its COVID-19 patients are in the ICU.
