Houston HealthScope COVID-19 Special Edition 28 (August 3, 2020)

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August 3, 2020
COVID-19 Special Edition 28

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Better. Together.

We are better when we all do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19. Together, we can put Houston on the road to recovery. Thank you for making Houston Better Together!

🤲WASH HANDS ┃ 😷WEAR A MASK
↔️ SOCIAL DISTANCE ┃ 🧪GET TESTED

HoustonEmergency.org/covid19

JUST IN: Mayor Turner Announces citations will be issued to people not wearing face masks

Mayor Sylvester Turner announced today that he has directed the Houston Police Department to issue warnings and citations to anyone not wearing a face mask or face covering required by the state's mandatory mask order. Police will not ticket those who are not wearing a mask if they meet the exemption criteria. The citation carries a $250 fine. Learn More

Level 1: Stay Home

Level one signifies a severe and uncontrolled level of COVID-19, meaning outbreaks are present and worsening and testing and contact tracing capacity is strained. APeople should minimize contacts with others wherever possible and avoid leaving home except for essential needs. Learn More

Progress, but still way too high

Houston's positivity rate is lower than it's been in weeks, but it's not time to celebrate. Our current rate of 17.6% is still far too high, indicating a continued uncontrolled level of disease spreading in our community.

We must press forward working together by washing hands, wearing a mask, social distancing and getting tested to slow the spread. houstonhealth.org

Houston Health Department Launches COVID-19 Education Campaign, Mayor Turner Proclaims August Better. Together. Month

Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston Health Department launched Better. Together., a multilingual public health education campaign empowering Houstonians with the knowledge and skills to protect their families & communities from COVID-19.

Mayor Turner also proclaimed August 2020 Better. Together. Month, encouraging Houstonians to work toward the goal of reducing city’s COVID-19 positivity rate, currently at 23 percent, to 5 percent or lower. Learn More

We can't get enough of your 💩

Led by Dr. Loren Hopkins, the Houston Health Department is using your waste to track COVID-19. Learn more about our innovative approach:

NPR: Houston Officials Are Using Sewage To Help Fight Coronavirus
ABC13: City of Houston plans to test human waste for COVID-19 hot spots
Fox26: Experts say raw sewage can be used to track spread of COVID-19

Spotlight Houston: COVID-19 Call Center
With as many as 12,000 calls per day, the Houston Health Department COVID-19 call center is available to help you find free testing sites, provide info and link you to resources. Call 832-393-4220 Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Working with health department contact tracers helps slow the spread

Making a choice to work with contact tracers helps protect you, your family and your community by slowing the spread of COVID-19. Learn More

Free COVID-19 Testing

Visit HoustonEmergency.org/covid19 to learn how to get tested for COVID-19. With sites across Houston, there's one near you!

Share your COVID-19 experience

The COVID-19 Registry is a research study that provides real-time information to health departments on the spread of COVID-19, who is being affected, and how. Take the Survey

Sign-up for updates

The Houston Health Department (HHD) works in partnership with the community to promote and protect the health and social well-being of Houstonians and the environment in which they live. HHD is a full-service health department that not only performs all core functions of a Public Health Department but also many enhanced functions including initiatives to address health inequities. HHD services
benefit all Houston residents but the department also takes additional steps to support those most in need, such as low-income mothers and children, the elderly and minority populations. Most HHD functions serve the 2.3 million residents of the City of Houston but the scope and impact extends into Harris County’s population of 4.7 million people through the department’s Area Aging on Aging, Bureau of Youth and Adolescent Health, Project Saving Smiles, See to Succeed, immunization strategies, syndromic surveillance and HIV-STD surveillance. HHD’s laboratory also services a 17-county region.

Lern more at HoustonHealth.org.

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