Tag Archives: David Persse

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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Monkeypox case rate slows

Posted on September 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. Monkeypox infection rates are slowing in Houston, data shows, with health officials pointing to changing behavior as the key reason for the decline. The 14-day average of daily new cases dropped by 43 percent, from .23 cases … Continue reading →

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Have we reached peak omicron?

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope so (fingers crossed). Omicron’s swift and sudden surge may have peaked, experts said Monday, but hospitals are likely to remain full in the coming weeks, with the highly contagious COVID-19 strain not expected to recede until March. … Continue reading →

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Simply having a COVIDful Christmastime

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry not sorry. Houston has surpassed 300,000 COVID-19 cases, just days after the highly contagious omicron variant leapfrogged delta to become the dominant viral strain circulating in the region and around the United States. The staggering milestone reached Thursday, when … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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Yes, the wastewater is also pointing to a COVID surge

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. There is more COVID-19 in the city’s wastewater system now than at any time in the pandemic, city officials said Wednesday, the latest warning that the virus is spreading at an unprecedented rate. Dr. David … Continue reading →

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Hospitalizations are down

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. The number of Texans hospitalized for COVID-19 this week hit its lowest mark in nearly a year, the latest sign that the state is turning a corner. According to the state Department of State Health Services figures … Continue reading →

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GOP sues over cancelled convention

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As the night follows the day. The Texas Republican Party on Thursday sued Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston First Corp. for canceling the party’s in-person convention that was scheduled for next week in downtown Houston. The lawsuit, filed in Harris … Continue reading →

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City cancels Republican convention

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Wednesday that the city has canceled the Texas Republican Party’s in-person state convention in downtown Houston next week. Houston First, the public nonprofit that serves as the city’s convention arm, sent a letter … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

GOP declines Turner’s invitation to cancel their convention

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The ball is back in your court, Mr. Mayor. The Texas Republican Party is proceeding with an in-person convention next week in downtown Houston, a rejection of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s formal request Monday to move the event online amid a … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner asks GOP to not hold its convention

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. The city of Houston will deploy health inspectors to enforce COVID-19 restrictions at the Texas Republican Convention, and potentially shut down the event if guidelines aren’t followed, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday. In a letter to … Continue reading →

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Can we make it past July?

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That’s when it looks like we’ll hit the peak of the pandemic here. And it could be ugly. A surge in COVID-19 cases since Memorial Day could set the Houston area on track for a peak of 2,000 daily hospitalizations … Continue reading →

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