โAn epidemicโ: Syphilis rages through Texas, causing newborn cases to climb amid treatment shortage
Syphilis rates in Texas continue to climb, alarming healthcare workers who see the highest increases among pregnant people and newborns. A shortage of treatment is complicating efforts to combat it.
Delayed: Mandatory maternal mortality rate data wonโt be ready for Texas lawmakers in time for 2023 session
Lawmakers say they need the latest pregnancy-related death data to more precisely address the problem during the legislative session. But delays means they wonโt see it until after the session ends.
Top Texas health official who led response to coronavirus pandemic is retiring
Dr. John Hellerstedt, who has led the Texas Department of State Health Services since 2016, will retire at the end of the month. Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the chief state epidemiologist, has been named his interim replacement.
Texans have been slow to vaccinate their youngest against COVID-19, but theyโre slightly ahead of the national average
For some parents of kids under 5 who want to vaccinate them, the wait has been excruciating, fraught with delays and close calls. Others are hesitant to have their young children vaccinated.
Gov. Greg Abbott sticks with hands-off approach to COVID-19 as omicron spreads
Abbottโs office says vaccines are the best defense to the pandemic, however, the governor has rarely spoken about vaccines in recent months other than to push back against mandates. He did not respond to a question about whether he got the booster.
With questions about omicronโs severity still unanswered, Texas braces for new COVID-19 wave this winter
Hospitalizations related to the virus remain low in the state, but the number of people testing positive is rising and once again fueling worries about the struggling health care systemโs ability to weather a new surge.
Texas scientists search for potentially virulent new omicron COVID-19 variant as state health officials push vaccination
So much is unknown about the new COVID-19 variant: the severity of the illness it causes, whether it can resist vaccines and natural antibodies and whether itโs more contagious than the delta variant that has burned through Texas and the U.S. for months.
Texas seeing high demand for COVID-19 vaccines for children. Hereโs how to schedule appointments in advance
The advice local doctors and the Department of State Health Services are giving parents and legal guardians regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for children is to schedule appointments in advance.
Delta-8 is legal in Texas โ for now โ after Travis County judge blocks state from criminalizing the cannabis extract
A Travis County judge temporarily blocked the state from listing delta-8 as a Schedule I drug, which effectively made it illegal. The cannabis extract became popular because users say it produces the โhighโ effect of marijuana.
Texas expands vaccine eligibility to anyone 50 and older
HOUSTON โ Texas health officials have expanded coronavirus vaccine eligibility requirements starting this week. In a tweet last week, officials at the Department of State Health Services said anyone 50 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday as part of the stateโs Phase 1C rollout. People 50+ will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine beginning March 15. Texas will continue to protect those at the greatest risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death. Get more information about vaccine appointments and waitlists at Click2Houston.com/vaccine.
Amid COVID-19 vaccine rollout, seniors start venturing out of their homes
BELLAIRE, Texas โ One of the hardest-hit groups during the pandemic has been seniors. With the vaccine rollout, many of them who have been cooped up for the last year are venturing out. According to the Department of State Health Services, 25% of seniors in Texas have been fully vaccinated. AdโThis is somewhat of a celebration of being able to get out and do things, social things, after a year of being stuck home,โ said Becky Hayes. โFor my single friends, for my widowed friends, I think itโs been very difficult because theyโre alone,โ said Becky Hayes.
Preregistration closed shortly after Fort Bend County receives 5,850 doses of COVID-19
RICHMOND, Texas โ Preregistration for the COVID-19 has closed following Fort Bend County Judge KP Georgeโs announcement that the county received a supply of 5,850 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from the Department of State Health Services Thursday. The county scheduled appointments for those who are currently preregistered with the Fort Bend County Health & Human Services. โI am glad to announce that Fort Bend County Health & Human Services (FBCHHS) received a supply of 5,850 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine today and will begin scheduling appointments for those who are currently Preregistered with us,โ George said in a written release. Please follow updates on fbchealth.org.โAnyone with questions regarding preregistration, the COVID-19 vaccine or COVID-19 information in general, is asked to call the countyโs Vaccination Hotline at 832-471-1373. โThis is the way the process occurs, and we will move forward.โThe state designated Ft. Bend County as a vaccine hub.
Texas designates more coronavirus vaccine hubs in Houston area
HOUSTON โ More coronavirus vaccine hubs have been designated in the Houston area. Texas is also ordering 500,000 second doses, officials said. Health officials released a list Saturday showing several more hubs had been established in the Houston area. โWe are planning to open at least four locations as soon as these vaccines become available,โ said Fort Bend County Judge KP George. โIf you live in Fort Bend County, please be patient.
Healthcare workers in need of vaccine can look beyond their institution, according to state guidance
HOUSTON โ The Texas Department of State Health Services says some healthcare workers are growing frustrated since theyโre not affiliated with large institutions to receive the vaccine for coronavirus. Click here for clarification on who is in Phase 1A and Phase 1B. Guidance on Vaccinating Phase 1A and 1B PopulationsโAs COVID-19 vaccine begins to be distributed more widely in Texas, the opportunity to vaccinate additional individuals will increase. The state-issued guidance to move down the priority list from frontline workers to essential workers and people 65 and older. We anticipate continuing to offer to all in the initial 1a tier even as we move into vaccinations for tier 1b.
DSHS initiates Phase 1B of COVID-19 vaccine, expanding eligible to โmedically vulnerableโ patients
HOUSTON โ The Department of State Health Services has given entities the go-ahead to begin vaccinating people eligible for Phase 1B, after vaccinating as many willing members of Phase 1A. According to McCarthy, almost 10,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered at Memorial Hermann as part of Phase 1A. โ1A was really first-line medical responderโs, not just the doctors in hospitals but their clinic staff and EMS providers,โ McCarthy said. โWhat the state has said is we donโt have to wait until we have every 1A individual classified as long as we are still getting them vaccinated,โ McCarthy said. McCarthy said Memorial Hermann could open up for Phase 1B as early as next week but said they are still working on how those eligible will be identified.
Share of positive COVID-19 cases as Texas reopened was higher than originally reported, new state calculations show
The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in May as Texas reopened was higher than previously reported, according new changes in the way the state calculates the positivity rate. Greg Abbott repeatedly pointed to the stateโs positivity rate, even as the number of new cases and deaths continued to rise. The following week, the governor downplayed a new single-day record in new COVID-19 cases by again pointing to the positivity rate. The stateโs reported seven-day average positivity rate under the old method jumped from 4.27% at its lowest point in late May to 17.4% at its peak in mid-July. Disclosure: The University of North Texas, Texas A&M University and UT Health have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
Doctor: New Houston area COVID-19 metrics are cause for concern
HOUSTON โ For the first time, Texas surpassed 2,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations Tuesday with the official tally reaching 2,056, according to the Department of State Health Services. Perhaps more importantly, the number of hospitalizations in our area has seen a steady rise. The seven-day moving average for Texas Medical Center hospitalizations has been moving upward, with little relief since May 17. The availability of ICU beds and ventilators remains manageable, at the moment, according to a Baylor College of Medicine Doctor who is among those that study the metrics. The, of course, concern about that is whatโs tomorrow going to bring,โ said Dr. Stacey Rose, a Baylor College of Medicine assistant professor in infectious diseases.