Covid-19 a leading cause of death in Austin

Using data from 2018, the Austin Health Department has determined that Covid-19 is currently the fourth-leading cause of death in Travis County. As of Aug. 20, there have been 346 Covid-19 deaths in the region, compared to 337 total deaths from stroke in 2018. “We present these numbers to remind our community of the vast spread of misinformation around Covid-19,” said Dr. Mark Escott, Austin-Travis County interim health authority, in a statement to the press. “If we do not take this virus seriously in our community, we have the real possibility that every family will know someone who was hospitalized or who has died from Covid-19.” The city of Austin and Travis County continue to track the number of Covid cases on their dashboards, and information about rules and regulations designed to slow the spread of the virus can also be found on the city’s website.