Alpha • identi ed Dec. 2020 • This was the rst variant of concern classi ed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. • It was found to be about 30%-50% more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 strain. • It is more likely to put those infected in the hospital and lead to death than the original strain. Beta • identi ed Dec. 2020 • It is about 50% more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain. • Vaccines provide less protection against beta than other variants. Gamma • identi ed late 2020 • Gamma contains some of the same mutations as the alpha and beta variants. • It is not nearly as transmissible as the alpha and beta variants. Delta • identi ed late 2020 • It caused twice as many infections as previous variants, • It has more than a dozen mutations. • Delta likely causes more serious symptoms than previous variants for those who are unvaccinated. Omicron • Identi ed November 2021 • It carries an abundance of mutations. • It became the predominant strain in U.S. in December 2021. • The omicron sub-variant BA.2 emerged in the U.S. in late 2021/early 2022 and is more contagious than the original omicron variant. SOURCES: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, WWW.YALEMEDICINE.ORG COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER COVID 19 VARIANTS Mutation is expected behavior for any virus, and COVID-19 is no exception. Mutations that persist can become a new variant of the virus. Currently, there are ve COVID-19 variants classi ed as “variants of concern” by the World Health Organization.
ICU BED USAGE In Travis and Williamson counties, the COVID-19 pandemic has strained area hospital resources, particularly intensive care unit beds.
ICU capacity
ICU COVID-19 patients
99% of ICU beds used (38% for COVID-19) Jan. 20, 2022:
99% of ICU beds used (54% for COVID-19) Aug. 25, 2021:
99% 38%
54%
99%
JAN. 6: 5
AUG. 5: 5
JULY 23: 4
MARCH 13: 3
SEPT. 24: 4
DEC. 29: 4
JULY 19: R
MARCH 18: O
OCT. 12: 3
JULY 12: O
MAY 27: Y
NOV. 15: *
2021
2022
virtual learning on education has been more dubious. Killian said while virtual learning has its applications, it is not necessarily prefera- ble overall as an educational tool. Particularly with regard to younger students, Kil- lian said he hopes they con- tinue to remain safely in the classroom. Prior to the pandemic, stu- dents were able to make up or accelerate their courses through virtual learning options, but Killian questions if it can be done e ectively at the lower grades. According to a study by the behavioral and social science research nonpro t Ameri- can Institutes for Research, during the 2020-21 school year, schools conducting their classes not primarily in per- son reported lower academic performance and attendance rates than schools that con- ducted classes primarily in person. For example, 44% of schools nationwide conduct- ing classes that were mostly virtual reported a “substan- tial decrease in academic performance” in grades 9-12,
compared to 19% of schools holding classes primarily in person. “The challenge seems to be the relationships, the social- ization, and all the things that go along with being a person that you want to build in the younger kids, and just the intensity of teaching reading at lower grades,” Killian said. “I think that’s very di cult to do in a virtual environment.” Thebusiness community Area business owners have been hit hard by the pan- demic in numerous ways, from forced closures to mod- i ed operations to troubles lling sta . Hutto bakery and co ee shop Baked ’n Sconed closed its dining room in March 2020 and has been operating exclu- sively as a drive-thru ever since. Owner Ti any Anders said she originally made the change because of COVID- 19 safety concerns and more recently has not been able to return to normal operations because of a lack of sta . “I think right now it’s just kind of staying uid with
everything,” Anders said. “We’re always being handed some kind of new challenge, and we’re just trying to stay as uid as we can and keep up.” Anders said she is unsure when she will be able to fully open again, but added she will need to replenish her sta again before she can consider it. Ultimately, Anders said there is not any new protocol from the pan- demic that she is likely to hold on to, and she is looking forward to returning to nor- mal operations. Baked ’n Sconed is not the only business in the area fac- ing sta ng shortages. Amber Warne, director of upskilling and advancement for Work- force Solutions Capital Area, said ongoing hiring shortages exacerbated by the pandemic are likely to continue. She said the hiring issues associated with COVID-19 should fade with the pan- demic, but until then, many a ected business owners are not likely to nd relief. Warne said a major reason for the labor shortage is the ongoing fear around the pan- demic and requirements and
changes around COVID-19. “So that will probably ease up as things start to become normal,” she said. Also looking forward to relief from pandemic strug- gles is Alissa Born, owner of P ugerville preschool Fire y Community School. For the last two years, Born said the preschool has fol- lowed strict safety guidelines including mask wearing. With the recent approval of vaccines for children ages 5-12, Born said she hopes she can begin running her day care as she did prior to the pandemic. Masks can be a barrier to nonverbal commu- nication, which Born said is a valuable tool when working with children. “As vaccines start becom- ing readily available for the younger friends, that’s kind of the light at the end of the tunnel for us,” Born said. “We’re really hopeful that with the rollout of the vac- cines, we can kind of say goodbye to masks.”
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ROUND ROCK EDITION • MARCH 2022
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