Tag Archives: Centers for Disease Control

We really need a mask mandate at every school district

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Or we can just accept a lot more hospitalized kids. Easy choice if you ask me. The number of Texas children hospitalized with COVID-19 hit an all-time high over the weekend, with 345 on Saturday and 307 on Sunday, the … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The nursing home vaccination mandate

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This just seems obvious to me. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he is directing all nursing homes to require their staff be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to continue receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding. Biden said he is directing the Department … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Back to Code Red

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty much inevitable at this point. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday returned the county to the highest COVID-19 threat level and urged unvaccinated residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary contact with others. At a news conference, Hidalgo … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

On the reaction by some people to the new mask recommendations

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have one thing to say to this. Texas Republicans in Congress are fuming over new mask requirements on Capitol Hill and recommendations from the CDC that even vaccinated Americans begin masking again as an extra precaution in parts of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

“Universal masking” for school children recommended

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a sensible idea, especially given that children under the age of 12 can’t get the vaccine yet. The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday recommended that all children over the age of 2 wear masks when returning to … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

It’s not vaccinated people that are dying

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Numbers don’t lie. It’s the unvaccinated that die. Of the 8,787 people who have died in Texas due to COVID-19 since early February, at least 43 were fully vaccinated, the Texas Department of State Health Services said. That means 99.5% … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

The risk of being unvaccinated

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The numbers don’t lie. Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Our Delta future

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t expect anything to change, except for the number of people getting sick and dying. The new and highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus may have sparked the recent outbreak of 125-plus cases of COVID-19 linked to a Houston-area … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kids still get COVID, too

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And they need to get vaccinated if at all possible. Since the Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to15 year olds on May 10, more than 300,000 Texas adolescents and teenagers have received at least … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Threat level down

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Been waiting for this for some time. Harris County finally will downgrade from its highest COVID-19 threat level, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Monday evening, after 47 weeks of urging residents to stay home. Hidalgo said the effectiveness of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Abbott ends mask mandates

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that public schools can no longer require masks on their campuses starting June 5. The decision was part of a new executive order that bans governmental entities in Texas — like … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

You can lose the mask if you’re fully vaxxed

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Do your part, reap the reward. Federal health officials reversed course Thursday and advised that people who are fully vaccinated can stop wearing masks and observing social distancing in most indoor and outdoor settings. It’s welcome news for many who … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Pfizer shot approved for younger kids

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yes! The Food and Drug Administration cleared the first coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in children as young as 12 on Monday, expanding access to the Pfizer-BioNTech shot to adolescents ahead of the next school year and marking another milestone in … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Now it gets harder to vaccinate people

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We reached this point pretty quickly. The hill gets steeper from here. After months of not having enough COVID-19 vaccines to meet demand, Texas suddenly appears to have plenty of shots but not as many people lining up to receive … Continue reading →

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The Hobby poll on ending COVID restrictions

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A little while ago I blogged about the recent UH Hobby Center poll regarding the winter freeze and blackouts and responses to them. At the time I mentioned the poll had a separate section about Greg Abbott lifting the COVID … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

No flu

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I would never say that there was any such thing as a silver lining to the COVID pandemic, but it is true that basically nobody died from the flu this year because of masking and social distancing. What medical officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

What to expect when you’re fully vaccinated

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The CDC has released some guidance that will help people understand what is safe to do and what precautions they will still need to take once they are fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors … Continue reading →

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What can we expect from the maskless mandate?

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More COVID, obviously. The Centers for Disease Control is increasing pressure on Republican leaders in states like Texas that have eased COVID restrictions, publishing a study on Friday showing evidence that the measures — such as the mask requirement that … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

President Biden disagrees with the maskless mandate

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, duh. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Texas made a “big mistake” by removing its statewide mask mandate and suggested the decision reflected “Neanderthal thinking.” The comments by the Democratic president came a day after Republican Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Please don’t take your mask off yet

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously, what’s the rush? Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that Texas is looking at when it will be able to lift all statewide orders related to the coronavirus pandemic and that an announcement is forthcoming. Abbott made the comments at … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

We should be vaccinating grocery workers

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The only disagreement I have with this is that we should have more broadly classified “essential workers” from the beginning, and it should include more people who do not have the ability to work from home. Nearly a year into … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

As the COVID mutates

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just another reminder that we need to continue trying not to spread the virus while we wait for everyone to get vaccinated. A more contagious variant of the coronavirus first found in Britain is spreading rapidly in the United States, … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The second shot portal

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

People are going to need this, too. Houston officials plan to launch a website this week that will let people schedule appointments for their second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Health Director Stephen Williams on Monday said officials plan to … Continue reading →

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Nowhere to go but up with COVID vaccines

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Starting from scratch. Newly sworn in President Joe Biden and his advisers are inheriting no coronavirus vaccine distribution plan to speak of from the Trump administration, sources tell CNN, posing a significant challenge for the new White House. The Biden … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Can we get enough people vaccinated?

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to take a lot of work. In poll after poll, alarming numbers say they don’t plan to be inoculated with the vaccine, whose 95 percent efficacy rate in trials exceeded everyone’s expectations. It’s scientists’ nightmare: create one of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Bar owners still mad at Abbott

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t blame them, but the situation is complicated. As Gov. Greg Abbott outlined his latest reopening plan this week, bar owner Greg Barrineau watched in disbelief. Abbott, who announced that Texas restaurants could expand dine-in service to 75% capacity, said … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Time for another COVID roundup

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with some good news, which comes wrapped in a warning. The number of coronavirus patients crowding hospital wards in the Houston area is now in its sixth week of steady decline, a welcome reversal of the virus’ alarming … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

We still suck at COVID data

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure none of this is important. The government’s official data on the coronavirus outbreak is startling: More than 4.6 million cases in the U.S. More than 440,000 in Texas. More than 70,000 in Harris County. But those numbers don’t … Continue reading →

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The hidden toll

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Another reason why the reported death count from COVID-19 is too low: People who didn’t know they were infected and die at home may never be tested or counted. As coronavirus cases surge, inundating hospitals and leading to testing shortages, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

We need to understand what we did wrong

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So yeah, we need this. Two of the nation’s most influential experts on the coronavirus pandemic, both based in Texas, are calling for an independent, nonpartisan investigation of the U.S. response to the novel coronavirus. “We must prevent this from … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Please wear a mask

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t be that person. Seriously. Kara McIntyre remembers the day she likely contracted COVID-19 — she wasn’t wearing a face mask. She was at Target and began to feel dizzy. Later she checked her temperature and had a fever. So … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

Hollywood’s plans to come back

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve posted a few times about how sports leagues like MLB are making plans to return to action from coronavirus shutdowns. The larger entertainment industry, including TV and movie making, are in a similar position as the sports leagues, and … Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mask up

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Time for the next step in virus mitigation. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Wednesday ordered residents to cover their faces in public, the latest effort by local governments to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The new rules, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Ridiculous Hotze lawsuit now in district court

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We are all dumber by the mere existence of this. The Texas Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Harris County’s stay-at-home order, though the legal fight is set to continue in state district court. The Wednesday … Continue reading →

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