Tag Archives: coronavirus

Mayor Turner tests positive for COVID

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Get well soon. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Friday he has COVID 19, putting him among a rising number of infections as the omicron strain of the virus begins to sweep the country. “I was not feeling well overnight and … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mayor Turner tests positive for COVID

Here comes omicron

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not. Houston is seeing early signs of another wave of COVID-19 infections, fueled in part by a fast-spreading omicron variant, as public health officials warn of a nationwide spike in cases as early as next month. The daily … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Here comes omicron

A broader look at the Houston project to track COVID in wastewater

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN tells me things I did not know about my current favorite public works project. The [Houston] health department is conducting the wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 in partnership with researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. Wastewater … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Corbevax

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. A Houston-made COVID-19 vaccine will likely be approved for use in India by the end of the year, said Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of Texas Children’s Hospitals Center for Vaccine Development. Hotez and his co-director, Dr. Maria Elena … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yes, omicron was found in the wastewater

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. Houston has detected the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 in eight of its wastewater treatment facilities, confirming the new strain is spreading in the city. A Harris County resident was the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yes, omicron was found in the wastewater

Here comes omicron

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was always just a matter of time. Texas has identified its first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant, a strain flagged as potentially more infectious than any that has come before it, including the delta variant responsible for surges … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Here comes omicron

How’s that city push to get its employees vaccinated going?

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad, actually. Nearly three months after Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order requiring Houston’s 21,000 city employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, receive a medical or religious exemption, or submit COVID-19 test results every two weeks, compliance with … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Omicron may be coming, but delta is still here

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still a big problem, in case we haven’t forgotten. Omicron’s arrival in the U.S. came as no surprise to federal health officials and will be met with similar anticipation in Texas, where experts believe it could show up in … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How Houston has handled homelessness

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve done pretty well, actually. Since more than $65 million in COVID-related funding has poured into Houston and Harris County’s coffers, they have worked in tandem with a number of partners to ramp up the housing units available to move … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How Houston has handled homelessness

HISD will keep its mask mandate

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is in response to that recent Fifth Circuit ruling about mask mandates in schools and whether Greg Abbott’s ban on them violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Houston Independent School District will keep its mask mandate in place, … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD will keep its mask mandate

Our wastewater treatment plant is ready for omicron

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

One small bit of reassurance in these uncertain times. The Houston Health Department is testing the city’s wastewater for the new COVID variant, omicron, which experts say could soon be found in the U.S. The department tests the city’s wastewater weekly for COVID strains. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Vaccine mandate for health care workers blocked

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’d say this is getting ridiculous, but we’re well past that point. A federal judge on Monday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on thousands of health care workers in 10 states that had brought … Continue reading →

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

Harris County at “moderate” threat level again

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now. As with all things, for now. The COVID-19 threat level in Harris County was reduced Friday to moderate from significant as the local number of hospitalized patients and new cases met thresholds that guide the meter while a … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yeah, traffic is worse than before

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You’re not surprised, are you? By most measures, traffic is back to pre-COVID congestion levels — or even more clogged in some cases. What seems to have changed, based on a handful of studies that looked at different facets of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yeah, traffic is worse than before

COVID hospitalizations are (generally) down in (most of) Texas

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now. I think you always have to add “for now” to this sort of thing. As Texans head into the holiday season, there is much to celebrate when it comes to addressing the pandemic. But health experts say the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on COVID hospitalizations are (generally) down in (most of) Texas

Appeals court upholds Dallas mask mandate

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still mask mandate litigation going on, and Greg Abbott keeps getting his ass handed to him. Mask mandates will be allowed in the State of Texas. The Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas issued the ruling during the late … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Pfizer pill

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a big step forward. Pfizer Inc. said [recently] that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults, as the drugmaker joined the race for an easy-to-use medication … Continue reading →

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

Fifth Circuit puts school mask order on hold

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This effing court. A federal appeals court has reinstated Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates as it weighs a federal judge’s ruling that the ban violates the rights of disabled students. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel previously ruled … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Biden tries again on the employer vaccine mandate

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Different appeals court this time. The Biden administration is asking the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals to wipe away an order from another appeals court blocking its Occupational Safety and Health Administration vaccine mandate. Several lawsuits were brought challenging the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas sues over the health care workers vaccine mandate

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a trifecta. In Texas’ latest legal challenge targeting federal vaccination mandates, Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration over its recent order requiring health workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The Biden administration issued an emergency order, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HISD will consider lifting its mask mandate

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

After the holidays, depending on how things go. Houston ISD will consider changing its mask mandate policy after the winter break in the wake of expanded vaccine eligibility for youngsters and improving pandemic conditions in the city, Superintendent Millard House II said Monday. … Continue reading →

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

Fifth Circuit extends hold on Biden employer vaccine mandate

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The worst court in America keeps on keeping on. A federal appeals court kept its block on the implementation on the Biden administration rule that requires large companies to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees or carry out weekly testing starting in January. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bexar mask mandate back on

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Abbott and Paxton take another L. A temporary order that allows the City of San Antonio and Bexar County to require masks in their buildings will stay in place until a lawsuit challenging an executive order goes to trial in … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bexar mask mandate back on

Federal judge blocks Abbott’s ban on school mask mandates

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order prohibiting mask mandates in schools violates the Americans with Disabilities Act — freeing local officials to again create their own rules. The order comes after a monthslong … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Just a reminder, the COVID vaccine really will save your life

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Numbers don’t lie. New data from the Texas health department released Monday proves what health officials have been trying to tell vaccine-hesitant Texans for months: The COVID-19 vaccine dramatically prevents death and is the best tool to prevent transmission of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

We wait on the Fifth Circuit

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They have received briefs and held a hearing about whether to keep or lift their hold on the Biden COVID vaccine mandate for employers. A coalition of businesses argued in federal court Tuesday that they would suffer “irreparable harm” if … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

People still support mask mandates

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

One more tidbit from the UT/Trib poll for October. A majority of Texas voters support requiring masks at schools and indoor public places and allowing businesses to require their employees to be vaccinated, according to a new University of Texas/Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The employer vaccine mandate is here (and on hold)

Posted on November 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the details. Deadline is Jan. 4: The first rule, issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, covers companies with 100 or more employees, applying to an estimated 84 million workers. Companies must ensure that their workers are … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More kids are getting their COVID shots

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So good to see. The possibility of the parties, vacations and family gatherings energized six families who attended the COVID-19 vaccination event on Wednesday inside Memorial Hermann, the morning after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially expanded eligibility to kids … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on More kids are getting their COVID shots

NAACP tells athletes to steer clear of Texas

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At least someone is willing to take a stand. The NAACP is urging professional athletes who are free agents to boycott Texas over recent restrictive voting and abortion laws as well as policies stopping local governments from enacting coronavirus containment … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Of course Texas sues over federal vaccination mandates

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

On brand. Always on brand. Attorney General Ken Paxton, on behalf of the state, sued the Biden administration on Friday over its coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal contractors. The federal requirement, which is set to take effect Dec. 8, calls … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Get your kids ready for their COVID shots

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At long last. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on children ages 5-11, marking a long-awaited milestone in the nearly two-year fight against the deadly virus that experts say … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Get your kids ready for their COVID shots

The culture wars always come for the school boards

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Everything old is new again. Across Texas this year, school board meetings have burst into heated ideological fights over mask mandates, vaccines, and lessons on racism labeled as “critical race theory,” bringing a new level of rancor to volunteer boards … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Caught between a mandate and a madman

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have sympathy for the schools. Many Texas universities — which collectively hold billions of dollars in federal contracts — are wrestling with how to navigate the Biden administration’s mandate that all federal contractors be vaccinated by Dec. 8 in … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments