Austin health update: Sixth Street hospitalizations, flu surveillance, and a mental health system briefing
Austin, TX – March 2, 2026 – EMS and hospitals handled a Sixth Street mass shooting, while flu activity stays high and leaders review care access.
Austin-area health and safety leaders opened the week with updates that touch both immediate emergency care and longer-term access to services.
Downtown mass-casualty response sends 14 people to hospitals
Austin-Travis County EMS and Austin police described a rapid overnight response after a mass shooting on West Sixth Street early Sunday, March 1. Officials said EMS received the call at about 1:59 a.m., with medics and officers arriving within about a minute to begin treating patients.
Authorities said 17 patients were evaluated at the scene. Three people were pronounced dead, and 14 others were taken to local hospitals. Officials said three of the hospitalized patients were in critical condition at the time of the early-morning briefing.
Police asked the public to avoid the West Sixth Street area during the response and investigation.
Flu surveillance: activity remains elevated, with outbreaks reported
Austin Public Health’s influenza surveillance update, reflecting data through Feb. 28, reports that flu activity in Texas is high and that the CDC has described seasonal flu activity as elevated nationally.
The local update reports six adult influenza-associated deaths in Travis County so far this season and five influenza-associated outbreaks reported in a school or long-term care facility. Austin Public Health notes the surveillance data are intended for trends and do not capture all cases.
City committee to hear briefings on mental health care for uninsured residents
The Austin City Council Public Health Committee is scheduled to meet March 4 at Austin City Hall. The posted agenda includes an update from Central Health, CommUnityCare Health Centers and Integral Care on the mental health system of care for low-income and uninsured people in Travis County.
The agenda also includes a briefing on the 2025 Austin-Travis County Community Health Assessment, with Austin Public Health listed as the presenter.
Sources
https://www.kut.org/crime-justice/2026-03-01/austin-tx-sixth-street-shooting-suspect-police-injuries-deaths
https://www.austintexas.gov/department/respiratory-diseases
https://www.austintexas.gov/department/city-council/2026/20260304-phc.htm
https://www.centralhealth.net/event/a-quorum-of-the-central-health-board-of-managers-city-of-austin-public-health-committee-central-health-communitycare-integral-care-briefing/
If you have urgent symptoms, seek medical care. For general questions, talk with a licensed clinician.
