ROBERT:AS WE HEAD INTO THE
LABOR DAY WEEKEND - HEALTH
OFFICIALS FEAR LARGE
GATHERINGS COULD TRIGGER
ANOTHER SPIKE IN CASES.SYDNEY:
W'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE BUT
THE STAKES ARE DIFFERENT THIS
TIME.KXA'S JENNIFER SANDERS
EXPLAINS WHY DOCTORS HOPE
HISTORY DOES'T REPEAT ITSELF.
A STARK WARNING AHEAD OF THE
LABOR DAY WEEKEND ABOUT A
POTENTIAL SURGE IN COVID-19
CASES
...DR. ESCOTT: IF WE GO TOO
FAR, IF WE TAKE TOO MUCH RISK
RIGHT NOW, WHEN W'RE ABOUT
TO START THE OPENING OF
SCHOOLS, W'RE GOING TO PAY
FOR IT IN 2-3 WEEKS.WHICH IS
REMINISCENT OF MEMORIAL DAY
AND JULY 4TH -- WHEN CASES
SURGED ALMOST 50-PERCENT.
(GFX) ON JULY 1ST -- CLOSE TO
81-HUNDRED NEW CASES WERE
REPORTED IN TEXAS...ABOUT TWO
WEEKS LATER (JULY 15TH) -- WE
SAW THE HIGHEST DAILY JUMP IN
NEW CASES -- TO OVER
10-THOUSAND-700.DR. ABIKHALED:
WE WOULD SEE ROOM AFTER ROOM
WITH PATIENTS LAYING IN THEIR
HOSPITAL BEDS ON THEIR
STOMACHS ON VENTILATORS
WITHOUT ANY VISITORSDOCTOR
JOHN ABIKHALED WALKED THROUGH
OVERWHELMED HOSPITALS DURING
THE PEAK OF THE VIRUS.HE WARNS
IF PEOPLE DO'T TAKE COVID-19
PRECAUTIONS DURING LABOR DAY -
THERE COULD BE ANOTHER
SPIKE.DR. ABIKHALED: A LOT OF
PEOPLE HAVE THE VIRUS -
ACTUALLY MORE HAVE THE VIRUS
THAN BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY SO
THE RISK IS AS MUCH IF NOT
MORE THAT ANOTHER OUTBREAK
COULD OCCUR IT TOOK NEARLY TWO
MONTHS TO SEE A SUBSTANTIAL
DROP IN CASES AND HOSPITAL
ADMISSIONS. THIS TIME AROUND
THE RISK IS EVEN HIGHER.
SCHOOLS ARE RE-
OPENING...REMINDING HEALTH
OFFICIALS OF WHAT HAPPENED IN
2009 DURING
H1N1...JANET: 14;28;33 WE WERE
ON A DOWNWARD SLOPE OF 1ST
WAVE OF THAT EPIDEMIC AND
FOLLOWING SCHOOL STARTING, WE
HAD A 2ND WAVE EXCEEDING 1ST
WAVE - WE HAD TWICE AS MANY
CASES.142849THEIR MESSAGE --
BE VIGILANT AND THINK AHEAD.
JS, KXAN NEWS.
SYDNEY: AUSTIN-TRAVIS COUNTY
RECRUITED A TEAM OF EXPERTS TO
SPECIFICALLY RESPOND TO
SCHOOL-RELATED CLUSTERS.DR.
ESCOTT SAYS THAT TEAM IS
WORKING, DEVELOPING GUIDANCE
AND READY TO RESPOND TO THE
AREA.
ROBERT:23 PERCENT OF TRAVIS
COUNT'S NEW CASES OF
COVID-19 FROM THE PAST WEEK
