Tag Archives: vaccinations

I don’t know what to make of these Spectrum/Ipsos polls about COVID and mask mandates

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to present to you three Spectrum News stories about a poll they commissioned regarding COVID issues, and then I’m going to tell you what I think about them. (Spoiler alert: The post title more or less sums it … Continue reading →

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A few words from the CEO of the Medical Center

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From an interview he did with Lisa Gray. What we’re seeing, sadly, is more of the same, only with more intense numbers. The number of people who are testing positive in our community continues to escalate month over month. The … Continue reading →

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SCOTx demurs

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting: . Important context here > — Jasper Scherer (@jaspscherer) 6:55 PM – 19 August 2021 . The Texas Supreme Court has left in place a Travis County judge’s TRO (that blocked @GovAbbott’s ban on mask mandates in Austin), … Continue reading →

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Abbott tests positive for COVID

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to be succinct about this. Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19, according to his office. Abbott, who is fully vaccinated, is not experiencing any symptoms and is isolating at the Governor’s Mansion, spokesperson Mark Miner said … Continue reading →

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Fired Methodist employees file another lawsuit

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In state court this time, in what should be one of the friendliest venues available to them. A new lawsuit filed Monday in Montgomery County against Houston Methodist claims the hospital wrongfully terminated 62 employees over their COVID-19 vaccine requirement. The suit, filed … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s migrant roundup order still blocked

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal judge in El Paso on Friday extended her order blocking Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to state troopers to pull over drivers transporting migrants “who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19.” U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone lengthened her … Continue reading →

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It’s a bad time to go to a rural hospital

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Only gonna get worse, too, at least in the short term. For the past week, Brooke Hale has been told “no” about 80 times a day. The executive assistant at Altus Lumberton Hospital has spent her shifts on the phone … Continue reading →

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Abbott flails about on the COVID surge

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He remains committed to the bit. Gov. Greg Abbott announced new moves Monday to fight the coronavirus pandemic as it rages again in Texas, including asking hospitals to again put off certain elective procedures to free up space for COVID-19 … Continue reading →

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There needs to be more defiance of Greg Abbott and his no-mandates mandate

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I find a bit of a pattern in this story and wonder if there may be something to it. School districts, local officials and hospitals are pushing back on Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order barring mask and vaccine mandates, setting … Continue reading →

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The nursing shortage

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just gonna leave this here. A nursing shortage and a high volume of patients prompted Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital on Sunday night to declare an “internal disaster” in the emergency room, where wait times swelled to 24 hours, Harris Health … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit filed against Abbott’s migrant transport order

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Bring them on. Immigrant rights groups backed by the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott over his executive order restricting the transportation of migrants, claiming it goes against federal law and amounts to racial profiling at the … Continue reading →

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Who favors a vaccine mandate?

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of people, apparently. Don’t expect it to make much difference, though. Most Texans support measures requiring all eligible people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a recent survey. More than 65 percent of Texans said they would … Continue reading →

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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 →

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The data for the “fourth wave” looks so, so bad

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yikes. Fueled by the delta variant, a surge in Houston COVID-19 hospitalizations is growing as fast as at any time during the pandemic so far, and is projected to pass previous records by mid-August — even though roughly half of … Continue reading →

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Judge halts Abbott’s “pull over migrants” executive order

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Gov. Greg Abbott and the state of Texas from ordering state troopers to pull over drivers transporting migrants “who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19.” U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone granted … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner tells city employees to mask up

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. Mayor Sylvester Turner told city employees Monday that they again must wear masks when they are at work and unable to socially distance, a requirement that could run afoul of Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest executive … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott is a threat to students and teachers

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Lindsey Contreras feels backed in a corner. The first day of school is just a couple of weeks away. The mother of two, whose older child attends school in Allen, has been … Continue reading →

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More on the Memorial Hermann and Baylor vaccination mandates

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Memorial Hermann: Get your shots or get out. Memorial Hermann on Monday said it will require all employees to be vaccinated by Oct. 9, becoming the third Houston healthcare institution to do so. The hospital system follows Baylor College of … Continue reading →

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More hospital systems to require vaccines

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Memorial Hermann officials are finalizing details on its mandatory vaccine policy for employees. During a radio interview Wednesday, Dr. David L. Callender, president and CEO, said the system will soon announce the timeline for its employees to become … Continue reading →

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We’re #2!

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More people have died of COVID in Texas than any other state except California, as Texas surpasses New York’s total. Texas has passed New York to become the state with the second-most COVID-19 deaths, a feat experts say was driven … Continue reading →

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Justice Department sues over Abbott’s anti-migrant executive order

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Biden administration sued Texas on Friday, asking a federal judge to block Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that state troopers pull over drivers transporting migrants who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19 as a way to prevent the spread … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott will blame you if you get sick

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He will take no responsibility at all. With COVID-19 hospitalizations soaring past 5,000 statewide for the first time in nearly five months, state officials are stepping up vaccination outreach programs and promotional campaigns but Gov. Greg Abbott insists that the … Continue reading →

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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 →

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“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 →

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Still surging

Posted on July 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hospitalizations. The number of lab-confirmed COVID hospitalizations in Texas broke 4,000 on Friday for the first time since March, a worrying sign of the pandemic’s quick resurgence since the Delta variant was discovered in the state. […] As of Saturday, … Continue reading →

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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 →

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More masking

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In Travis County. Public health officials in Austin and Travis County are now encouraging vaccinated people to wear masks both indoors and outdoors, and for those unvaccinated to stay at home except for essential needs — the first major city … Continue reading →

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The fourth wave

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’re not ready. One local hospital is reinstating visitor limits and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is mulling a change to the county’s threat level amid a wave of COVID-19 variant cases that medical leaders warned Tuesday could overwhelm area … Continue reading →

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Abbott affirms he will take no action to mitigate future COVID waves

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He’s on brand, that much is for sure. Gov. Greg Abbott says he will not impose another statewide mask mandate, despite COVID-19 cases being on the rise again. “There will be no mask mandate imposed, and the reasons for that … Continue reading →

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The ultimate inducement to getting vaccinated

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Winning college football games. I mean seriously, if that doesn’t do it then literally nothing will. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey calls it the “vaccination motivation” — in urging the league’s programs to receive the COVID-19 vaccination before the season kicks … Continue reading →

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Are any state leaders going to talk about the rising COVID rate?

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just curious. With less than half of Texans vaccinated and the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus spreading, the percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in the state has climbed to a rate unseen since winter. As of … Continue reading →

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What will Harris County do about rising case numbers?

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m afraid we’ll find out soon enough. The Harris Health System’s COVID-19 ward was down to just one patient at the beginning of July. Anxious to hit zero COVID-19 patients, Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, the hospital system’s CEO, purchased and stored … Continue reading →

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Austin tries to slow down the Delta spike

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not really much they can do, though. Austin city and public health officials on Thursday raised the city’s coronavirus risk-based guidelines for the first time since the winter surge, urging unvaccinated people to avoid non-essential travel and take other precautions … Continue reading →

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Where the outbreaks are the worst

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We talk a lot about the vaccination rate in Texas, but that number by itself is misleading. Some parts of the state are very well vaccinated. Others, very much not so. That matters, because the Delta variant is just ripping … Continue reading →

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