Tag Archives: Centers for Disease Control

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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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The Republican death wish

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It would be one thing if they were just putting their own lives at risk, but that’s not how viruses work. After Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins became the first to announce a mandatory stay-at-home rule, conservative groups including Empower … Continue reading →

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Further delay for Opening Day

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Mid-May at the most optimistic, and that’s very likely too soon. Major League Baseball pushed back opening day until mid-May at the earliest on Monday because of the new coronavirus after the federal government recommended restricting events of more than … Continue reading →

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The Houston healthcare community is preparing for COVID-19

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope it’s enough. With last week’s new certainty that the novel coronavirus is loose and being transmitted in Houston, the region’s medical providers are bracing for the current handful of known cases to blaze into an outbreak like nothing in … Continue reading →

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The state responds to coronavirus

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Like it or not, we need to be prepared. Texas officials are scrambling to remain prepared for a major outbreak of a pneumonia-like disease whose global spread one expert says is now moving into “the next phase.” From the governor’s … Continue reading →

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The extraordinary danger of being pregnant and uninsured in Texas

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

So utterly appalling. From 2012 through 2015, at least 382 pregnant women and new mothers died in Texas from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, according to the most recent data available from the Department of State Health Services; since then, … Continue reading →

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Another look at scooter mayhem

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the Associated Press: As stand-up electric scooters have rolled into more than 100 cities worldwide, many of the people riding them are ending up in the emergency room with serious injuries. Others have been killed. There are no comprehensive … Continue reading →

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Austin’s scooter study

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Be careful riding these things, and for crying out loud wear a helmet. A first-of-its-kind study on injuries related to dockless electric scooters found that most incidents were preventable, and now Austin city officials are hoping to use their findings … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Measles, schmeasles

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Eh, no biggie. With U.S. measles cases this year reaching historic levels since being practically eradicated nearly 20 years ago, a host of bills targeting vaccination policies in Texas don’t appear to be gaining traction in the Legislature. The U.S. … Continue reading →

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Another scooter casualty study

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

To be done in Austin. As many as 14,000 dockless electric scooters are on the streets of Austin, whose 326 square miles are home to almost 1 million people. That likely makes Austin one of the cities with the highest … Continue reading →

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Typhus in Texas

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One more thing to worry about, in case you needed it. Strickland spent four days in a hospital receiving treatment and needed about a year to fully recover from the potentially fatal disease transmitted by fleas believed nowadays to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

We’re going to be fighting about vaccinations for a while

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I wish it weren’t so, but it is. Texas is one of 18 states that allow non-medical exemptions to the vaccines required for school attendance. California had a similar law allowing non-medical exemptions, until last year when it enacted a law that … Continue reading →

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Still asking for Zika help

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Following reports of the first local mosquito-borne Zika infections in the U.S., Mayor Sylvester Turner is once again calling on the state of Texas and federal government to provide financial assistance to help fight it. “There are … Continue reading →

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Another story on how Texas’ uninsured rate has fallen under Obamacare

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Same book, next chapter. A study released Tuesday shows that the rate of Texans without insurance has dropped to its lowest point since the late 1990s because of the Affordable Care Act, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and … Continue reading →

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The latest good news/bad news on Texas uninsured numbers

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good news: Texas’ percentage of uninsured residents continues to drop. Bad news: It’s still higher than what the national average was in 2010, the year before the Affordable Care Act was passed. The percentage of Texans without insurance has dropped … Continue reading →

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Why are some people more likely to smoke than others?

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the CDC: American adults who are uninsured or on Medicaid smoke at rates more than double those for adults with private health insurance or Medicare, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in … Continue reading →

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Fighting pertussis

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope these folks can make a lot of progress in their work. Of the more than 30,000 children hospitalized with pertussis in the United States each year, 10 to 20 will die. Worldwide, pertussis infects more than 16 million … Continue reading →

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State cuts off funds to Planned Parenthood for HIV testing

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously? Amid an ongoing battle over Planned Parenthood’s participation in the state Medicaid program, Texas health officials are cutting off funding to a Planned Parenthood affiliate for an HIV prevention program. In a notice received by Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast … Continue reading →

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Take the mosquito threat seriously

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

If mosquitoes weren’t one of the Biblical plagues visited on Egypt, they should have been. You’ve probably heard of the potentially deadly West Nile virus, but this summer, people in the Houston area could begin to be at more risk … Continue reading →

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How to deal with anti-vaxxers

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a big problem. Certain that they are right, struggling to find ways to get their message across, public health officials are exasperated by their inability to convince more U.S. parents to vaccinate their children. “I think we’re all kind … Continue reading →

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Please get a flu shot

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always a good idea, even if it’s more effective in some years than in others. The flu vaccine may not be very effective this winter, according to U.S. health officials who worry this may lead to more serious illnesses … Continue reading →

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Two data points on e-cigarettes

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The World Health Organization wants them to be regulated more strongly. Governments should ban the use of electronic cigarettes indoors and in public places and outlaw tactics to lure young users, the World Health Organization said in a report released … Continue reading →

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Pertussis

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Not good. State health officials warn that Texas is on track to see the highest number of whooping cough cases it has registered in 50 years if occurrences of the disease continue at the current rate. As of this week, … Continue reading →

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Wash hands or wear gloves?

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s an interesting debate going on in Oregon about the best way to ensure food safety in restaurants and other eateries. Oregon restaurant owners and chefs recently earned a small victory, delaying by several months a new state rule that … Continue reading →

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