Tag Archives: coronavirus

Paxton sues Pfizer for not ending the COVID pandemic quickly enough

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What the actual fuck? Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused drugmaker Pfizer of fear-mongering and lies about the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine, which the company insinuated would end the pandemic, according to a lawsuit Paxton announced Thursday. “In a … Continue reading →

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COVID vaccine mandate ban for private employers passed

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. A sweeping ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employees of private Texas businesses is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk, carrying with it a $50,000 fine for employers who punish workers for refusing the shot. Senate Bill … Continue reading →

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It’s special session time again

Posted on October 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Break’s over, y’all. Back on your heads. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday released his agenda for the third legislative special session of the year, asking lawmakers to pass “school choice” and further crack down on illegal immigration. The special session … Continue reading →

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Lots of people will not get that latest COVID shot

Posted on September 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Sadly not a big surprise. We could move this at the margins, but not as long as any part of government is in Republican control. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends new covid-19 booster vaccines for all — … Continue reading →

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City to provide some funding to B-Cycle

Posted on September 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to extend a half-million dollar lifeline to the city’s nonprofit bike share program, he said Wednesday. Turner said he will present City Council next week with a proposal to send funding to Houston Bike … Continue reading →

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The end of B-Cycle

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This sucks. At Houston Bike Share, the nonprofit agency that runs the BCycle system, we’ve been working to find new funding for more than a year. We’ve made tough decisions, suspending stations and raising prices. And now, in the face … Continue reading →

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Time for your next COVID shot

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m ready. The U.S. approved updated COVID-19 vaccines Monday, hoping to rev up protection against the latest coronavirus strains and blunt any surge this fall and winter. The Food and Drug Administration decision opens the newest shots from Moderna and … Continue reading →

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Printed menus are back

Posted on August 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Those QR code menus that we all either got to experience or had to put up with (as one sees it) from the pandemic are on their way out. Like many ambitious restaurants around town, the newly opened Pastore leaves … Continue reading →

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Yeah, COVID’s on the rise again

Posted on August 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’re in a much better place overall now, but do exercise caution and get your damn shots if you haven’t already. COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere. Infections are rising in Texas and Houston for the fourth summer in a row, with many … Continue reading →

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Tuberculosis

Posted on July 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s making an unfortunate comeback. Before 2020, advances to eradicate TB, which is spread person to person through the air, were underway globally. It was considered by many public health experts to be a feasible goal, since tools are available to identify … Continue reading →

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Our wastewater COVID tracking is a big deal

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to be recognized as a leading innovator. The practice of using plumbing to track and prevent disease isn’t new. A series of cholera outbreaks in the mid and late 1800s prompted many cities, including London, Boston, and Chicago to install sewer systems in … Continue reading →

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The Jovita Idar quarter

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. As part of a series honoring women in history, the U.S. Mint will release a new quarter in mid-August depicting early 1900s South Texas journalist-activist Jovita Idar. Often associated with her early life in Laredo, she lived her last 25 … Continue reading →

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How Harris County has spent COVID relief funds

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of good stuff here. Harris County has received around $1.8 billion in federal aid to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, a staggering sum that provided struggling residents with immediate emergency relief, has kept county services running and is fueling … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Supreme Court upholds Abbott’s mask mandate ban

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. Settling a heated pandemic-era debate between Gov. Greg Abbott and leaders of the state’s major urban areas, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the governor had the legal authority to forbid local officials from requiring residents to wear … Continue reading →

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COVID immunity update

Posted on June 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating stuff. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, were present in the blood of 96.4% of Americans over the age of 16 by September 2022. That’s according to a serosurvey – an analysis testing for the presence of these immune defense molecules … Continue reading →

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Statewide COVID disaster declaration to end

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s nothing to celebrate. Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he will not renew Texas’ long-running COVID-19 disaster declaration later this week after he signed a law that bans local mandates related to the pandemic. Abbott has kept the disaster declaration … Continue reading →

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City passes Mayor Turner’s final budget

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready, whoever is up next. Houston city staff will see pay raises, money will go toward sidewalk repairs and residents won’t have to maintain their own drainage ditches anymore. All are part of the $6.2 billion budget that passed through Houston … Continue reading →

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Converting empty downtown office space into residences

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Something to think about. Across the country, office-to-housing conversions are being pursued as a potential lifeline for struggling downtown business districts that emptied out during the coronavirus pandemic and may never fully recover. The conversion push is marked by an emphasis on affordability. Multiple … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner’s final budget

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is what he’s handing off. Mayor Sylvester Turner will unveil a $6.2 billion budget proposal this week, the final spending plan of his tenure and one he predicts will have enough savings to cover his successor’s first budget gap. … Continue reading →

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FDA approves RSV vaccine

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. After a 60-year scientific quest, the world has its first vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV – and more are on the way. On Wednesday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Arexvy, made by GSK, … Continue reading →

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“More Space: Main Street” permanently extended

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A good outcome for a good idea. Houston will close down traffic on seven blocks of Main Street permanently to allow businesses to maintain outdoor seating spaces initially established during the COVID-19 pandemic, with plans to expand the concept to other commercial strips in … Continue reading →

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We do need more felony courts

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good start. County officials are considering adding new district courts and making more room for detainees in an effort to reduce to county’s court backlog and alleviate overcrowding at the Harris County Jail. During Commissioners Court on … Continue reading →

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HISD facing budget cuts

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be a rough couple of years. Amid declining enrollment and a looming $215 million deficit, the Houston ISD is eyeing budget cuts that would slash funding to the central administration and cut campus budgets, especially at high schools. The … Continue reading →

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Anti-vaxxer defamation lawsuit against Houston Methodist dismissed

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A state district judge has dismissed Dr. Mary Talley Bowden’s defamation lawsuit against Houston Methodist Hospital, which suspended the doctor’s privileges in late 2021 over COVID misinformation. Judge Mike Engelhart, of the 151st Civil District Court, heard arguments Monday afternoon after the … Continue reading →

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The ongoing referee shortage

Posted on January 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This news is not new, though the cause being cited is different than the last time I read this kind of story. The official shortage seen in the Houston area is part of a nationwide issue, according to the National Federation … Continue reading →

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FDA suggests annual COVID booster

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I like the idea of this, which is to make COVID shots simpler and thus hopefully more likely to be taken, but it seems to be more nuanced than that. The US Food and Drug Administration wants to simplify the … Continue reading →

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COVID rates tick down again in Houston

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Always a good headline to read. COVID-19 data from the Texas Medical Center this week suggests the current wave may be subsiding, though experts urge caution as a new, highly infectious variant continues to circulate. The average number of daily … Continue reading →

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New year, new omicron variant

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Stay safe out there. A new omicron COVID-19 variant is spreading fast across the United States and beginning to make inroads in Houston, where the positivity rate continues to rise. The new strain, XBB.1.5, was first detected on the east … Continue reading →

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It’s winter surge time again

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, though I think you already suspected this. COVID-19 cases are rising across Texas two weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday, echoing last year’s surge of the omicron variant. There are more than 18,000 positive … Continue reading →

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Recruitment of next summer’s lifeguards is already underway.

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Better luck this time, we hope. The city has begun recruiting lifeguards for next summer following a significant staffing shortage that led to the closure of two-thirds of Houston’s public pools this past season. The Parks and Recreation Department, which operates Houston’s 37 aquatic centers, usually … Continue reading →

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Santa Claus is back

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So, you know, you better watch out, and all that. Some Santas who stayed home the past two years out of concern for their health have returned, but performers have pressing issues, including inflation, on their minds. Many are older, … Continue reading →

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A thousand days of the COVID disaster declaration

Posted on December 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Happy COVID Disaster Declaration Thousand-Day Anniversary to all who celebrate. Thursday marks 1,000 days that Texans have been living under Gov. Greg Abbott’s public health disaster proclamation — an era of unprecedented gubernatorial authority for the state’s chief executive, triggered … Continue reading →

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I regret to inform you that “tripledemic” is a word

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that we may avoid it here in Houston. A collision of three respiratory viruses — COVID-19, influenza and RSV — may not hit Houston as severely as other parts of the country, experts say, but pediatric … Continue reading →

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Beware of RSV

Posted on November 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Worrying. Two common respiratory viruses continue to keep Houston pediatric hospitals unusually busy this time of year, with both the flu and RSV seeing a second surge following a rise in cases over the spring and summer, respectively. Before the … Continue reading →

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