Tag Archives: vaccinations

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 →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

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 →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

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 →

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

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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The risk of being unvaccinated

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The numbers don’t lie. Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under … Continue reading →

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The next level of vaccine resistance

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m speechless. Some Texas Republicans are pushing back against President Joe Biden’s push for greater outreach to get more Americans to receive COVID-19 shots, as vaccination drives in states like Texas have stagnated. “Not on my watch!” Attorney General Ken … Continue reading →

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Our Delta future

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t expect anything to change, except for the number of people getting sick and dying. The new and highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus may have sparked the recent outbreak of 125-plus cases of COVID-19 linked to a Houston-area … Continue reading →

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The return to normal

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of us are going back to pre-pandemic life. Some of us have more justification for it than others. As an increasing number of Texans get vaccinated against COVID-19, most voters here are returning to their pre-pandemic lives — or … Continue reading →

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The COVID death spike

Posted on July 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Another way to visualize the data. It’s bad no matter how you look at it. More than 51,000 Texans have died of COVID-19, according to the state’s latest tally. That is larger than the capacity of Minute Maid Park, though … Continue reading →

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Here comes the Delta variant

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Be vaxxed or be vulnerable. Texas Medical Center hospitals are seeing an uptick in patients infected with the COVID-19 Delta variant, and infections are prevalent among young children and adults who have not been immunized. At Texas Children’s Hospital, fewer … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Permitless carry and total abortion bans are not popular in Texas

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More Q-poll data. One week after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law allowing Texans to carry unlicensed handguns, voters say 74 – 24 percent that they oppose allowing anyone 21 years of age or older to carry … Continue reading →

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Methodist anti-vaxxers officially fired

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. More than 150 Houston Methodist Hospital employees resigned or have been fired as of Tuesday over a recent policy that required hospital employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Monday. All told, … Continue reading →

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We’re (sort of) halfway vaccinated

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It depends on how you’re measuring it. And it’s still not enough, no matter how you look at it. Texas has hit the halfway point. As of Friday morning, 50.1 percent of Texans 18 and older are fully vaccinated from … Continue reading →

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Kids still get COVID, too

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And they need to get vaccinated if at all possible. Since the Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to15 year olds on May 10, more than 300,000 Texas adolescents and teenagers have received at least … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Methodist anti-vaxxers appeal lawsuit dismissal

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. A group of Houston Methodist employees who sued the hospital system over its COVID-19 vaccine requirement have appealed a ruling dismissing the case. Over the weekend, U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes tossed the lawsuit, calling it “reprehensible” … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Harris County’s COVID situation continues to improve

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Keep it up. Harris County’s 14-day average test positivity rate for COVID-19 has fallen below 5 percent for the first time since the start of the pandemic, County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced this week. Despite the positivity rate and vaccination … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit over Methodist Hospital vaccination mandate tossed

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit against Houston Methodist over its policy to terminate workers who refuse to get the COVID vaccine, calling it “reprehensible” that plaintiffs compared the requirement to those made under Nazi Germany. … Continue reading →

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Will Methodist fire its unvaccinated workers?

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In two weeks, if they haven’t gotten vaccinated, the answer is Yes. Dozens of cheering supporters gathered outside the Houston Methodist Baytown campus Monday evening as several medical workers who refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine ended their last shifts … Continue reading →

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What are the limits on limiting vaccination requirements?

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

News item #1: Carnival will require COVID vaccinations for all passengers cruising from Galveston: Carnival Cruise Line today announced plans to begin cruising from the Port of Galveston on July 3. Cruises will be open to customers who are fully … Continue reading →

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What was the effect of Texas’ early re-opening?

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a new study by a trio of economic researchers that attempts to answer questions about the behavioral, public health, and economic effects of Greg Abbott ending the statewide mask mandate and all restrictions on how businesses can operate, all … Continue reading →

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Threat level down again

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Friday downgraded the county to the yellow COVID-19 threat level, citing improving metrics for the virus here coupled with increasing vaccinations. “This is an important and encouraging, but still fragile, milestone in our … Continue reading →

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

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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The kids are getting vaxxed

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. In the first week that Texas adolescents were eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19, after a year of pandemic-induced isolation from their families, peers and classrooms, more than 100,000 kids ages 12-15 poured into pediatricians’ offices, vaccine hubs … Continue reading →

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Two arguments against Abbott’s rollback of extended unemployment insurance

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bad economic policy. “I’m still nervous that we’re bowing out of this program before the labor market is fully healed,” said Dietrich Vollrath, an economics professor at the University of Houston. “The bad consequences of doing too much is … Continue reading →

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Threat level down

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Been waiting for this for some time. Harris County finally will downgrade from its highest COVID-19 threat level, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Monday evening, after 47 weeks of urging residents to stay home. Hidalgo said the effectiveness of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Abbott ends mask mandates

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that public schools can no longer require masks on their campuses starting June 5. The decision was part of a new executive order that bans governmental entities in Texas — like … Continue reading →

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