Lakeway Mayor Sandy Cox held a live broadcast April 14 alongside representatives from Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Lakeway to answer a number of coronavirus-related questions.
Cox was accompanied by BSWMC-Lakeway President Phillippe Bochaton and Dr. Ghassan Salman, the center's assistant chief medical officer.
The broadcast follows a 30-day extension of Gov. Greg Abbott’s disaster declaration originally issued March 13.
“What that really does is allow the cities access to resources and funds to help us navigate through this pandemic,” Cox said. “We’re very appreciative that was moved out.”
Austin and Travis County also extended the shelter-in-place order previously scheduled to expire April 13. The updated “Stay Home, Work Safe” order will remain in place until May 8.
As of April 14, there were 29 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Greater Lake Travis area and five in Lakeway proper, according to Cox. At the time of the previous broadcast April 8, there were 17 positive cases.
Cox said the city is experiencing a 10-day doubling period in confirmed cases, which she noted is a positive statistic since the area was originally seeing a seven-day doubling period.
However, residents saw a decline in social distancing over the Easter holiday weekend, according to Cox. Prior to the holiday, Travis County was given an A- rating for its social distancing efforts. However, that grade dropped to a C over the weekend, according to Cox.
“That’s how quickly this can occur,” Cox said. “This is crucial for us to slow the spread of this virus, and we cannot congregate, and that’s been an order for a while now.”
In conjunction with social distancing efforts, Travis County residents are now required to wear a face mask or covering when completing essential activities in public. Cox stated residents in need of a mask can either follow tutorials to create their own or reach out to the newly formed organization Lake Travis One.
Prior to introducing Bochaton and Salman, Cox took a moment to update the community on recent state, federal and city actions.
On April 13, Abbott announced a partnership with Goldman Sachs and the Texas-based LiftFund to provide $50 million in loans to small businesses across the state.
“It is really the lifeblood right now for small businesses,” Cox said, directing local business owners to LiftFund’s website to determine whether they qualify for the loan.
A number of Lakeway banks are accommodating small-business loans as well, according to Cox, such as Plains Capital Bank, Wells Fargo, Prosperity, Chase and University Federal Credit Union.
The city of Lakeway’s website remains a solid source of information for local business owners and community members seeking resources during the pandemic, Cox stated.
Questions for Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Lakeway
Bochaton began by thanking Lakeway for the tremendous level of support over the past weeks.
“Thank you for being a part of this initiative, for supporting this hospital and for your generosity and support during these times,” Bochaton said.
The network of Austin’s BSW locations has been continuously working to plan and establish a team in preparation for the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think we’ve been blessed here in Texas to have more time than some of our colleagues in New York or in Europe,” Bochaton said. “It gave us a little more time to assemble a team.”
The medical center has access to a network of more than 50,000 employees and doctors who have together developed a four-phase plan for battling the pandemic. The first phase begins in the center’s emergency department.
Included in that plan is a method to accommodate and safely screen surgical patients. The medical center is also working to admit patients in a timely manner, according to Bochaton.
Patients exhibiting mild coronavirus symptoms are currently being sent home to monitor their illness and are being asked to return to the hospital if symptoms progress.
Bochaton encouraged residents to utilize the BSW application, where they can undergo an initial screening process.
“This is what allows us to manage the flow of patients as efficiently and safely as we can,” Bochaton said, adding that the BSW organization has treated over 100,000 patients using telemedicine over the past month.
The medical center’s intensive care unit holds 19 beds, according to Bochaton. Included in the four-phase plan is a system for running the unit in the event it sees an overflow of patients. BSW has also developed a pool of 300 medical caregivers if the organization’s nurses and doctors become ill.
One resident sent in a question for Salman asking if ibuprofen should be avoided at this time. Salman confirmed ibuprofen should only be avoided if that individual is experiencing suspected symptoms of COVID-19 or has tested positive.
Otherwise healthy individuals should not stop taking their regular aspirin if needed, according to Salman, adding taking ibuprofen will not increase the risk for the coronavirus.
“Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin and ibuprofen, have shown potential for exacerbating the disease in the areas which COVID was so prevalent,” Salman said. “We don’t have the evidence to know exactly why or the extent to which it makes that damage.”
Another question was submitted related to the release of rapid-testing devices for suspected COVID-19 patients. Salman explained these tests are very new and not approved by the Food and Drug Administration but approved under the Emergency Use Authorization Act, which allowed health organizations to use the test.
According to Salman, these tests have lower sensitivity than the regular COVID-19 tests, which can result in a false negative result.
The final question for BSW was whether an individual will become immune from the virus following a recovery from the illness.
“We are dealing with a new virus,” Salman said. “Our medical community’s knowledge about this virus is very young, primitive or still at the early stages.”
While the medical community presumes that an individual may develop immunity for the virus, time will only tell, according to Salman.
Cox thanked Bochaton and Slaman for joining the live broadcast prior to signing off.
“It’s times like these that we come together and we shine,” Cox said. “I appreciate all the support.”
