Austin reverts to Stage 4 guidelines with rising delta variant cases

As the delta variant spreads, doctors are seeing younger people affected, said Dr. Brian Metzger, medical director of infectious diseases at St. David’s HealthCare. Last year, local doctors were seeing ICU patients mostly over the age of 60, he said.

“That has changed quite significantly,” Metzger said. “We’re seeing the pandemic really take a toll on younger people.”

Of the nine patients in intensive care Friday at St. David’s Medical Center, seven were under the age of 50 and three were under the age of 40, Metzger said.

Local children who contract the virus are also experiencing more severe cases now, according to Dr. Meena Iyer, Dell Children's Medical Center Chief Medical Officer.

The Austin-Travis County Health Authority stands by American Academy of Pediatric guidance that all children above the age of two wear masks unless they have a medical condition that would prevent mask wearing. Walkes pointed to learning loss in the Austin area.

"So we stand in support of in-person learning," Walkes said. "There may be instances where virtual learning may be necessary but we all stand in support of our children going back to school and we'll be able to achieve that if we go out and get vaccinated and wear a mask."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the correct spelling of Dr. Elizabeth Douglass's name.