AUSTIN, Texas — On Wednesday, Austin Public Health announced the return of Stage 4 of its COVID-19 risk-based guidelines.
In a few words, the guidelines indicate everyone should wear masks more often, whether they are vaccinated or not.
"Those who are unvaccinated, those who are partially vaccinated, or people who are eligible for a booster should avoid gathering with people that they do not live with outside their household in indoor settings and outdoor settings," Dr. Desmar Walkes, who leads the Austin-Travis County Health Authority, said. "They should confine travel, shopping and dining to essential travel, shopping and dining."
The renewed guidance comes as cases of COVID-19 are spiking along with an increase in hospitalizations due to the omicron variant.
Lines for booster shots and COVID-19 testing have grown in the days before and after Christmas as people geared up for, and returned from, holiday travel.
"I look at it from from the basis of individual protection," Dr. John Carlo, a Dallas-based public health physician part of the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Response Team, said. "Really the recommendation right now is to go ahead and get those boosters."
But will boosters become necessary to be defined as "fully vaccinated?"
"It's a complicated question to answer ... Depending on what you're trying to accomplish, really, I think defines whether or not you consider just having the two-dose series – or single shot of Johnson & Johnson – without the booster protection being fully protected," Carlo said. "I believe for individuals, that protection really does include the booster recommendation. If we're looking at it from a proof of immunization or in certain situations where you're having to show immunization in order for passage into certain activities or things like that, that's a different story and a little more complicated."
As for Dr. Walkes, she has no plans to change the definition of "fully vaccinated."
"Right now, the definition for fully vaccinated is having received two doses of MRNA or one dose of [Johnson & Johnson], and ... we don't anticipate a change at this point," Walkes said. "We're using those definitions and we're asking people to come to go and get their booster shot if they're eligible to improve or increase that level of protection that you get from the vaccines."
Watch the full discussion regarding being fully vaccinated with Dr. John Carlo here:
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