Despite shifting to loosened coronavirus guidelines in Travis County this week, local hospital numbers on Friday were slow to meet hopeful expectations for an end to masking and social distancing this fall. Austin and Travis County on Friday recorded 23 new hospital admissions for COVID-19. The rolling seven-day average of new daily hospital admissions, which helps Austin Public Health determine guidelines for the most medically vulnerable members of the community, went up to 20 after two days at 19. On Tuesday, Austin Public Health shifted to Stage 3 of the agency's risk-based guidelines because the rolling seven-day average stayed below 30 for several days in a row.