DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES

The infectious disease doctor has been at the helm of the department in an interim capacity since the fall, replacing longtime commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt following his retirement. Shuford has been at the agency since 2017.

Texas agencies say they are being hammered by a historic staffing crisis, particularly when it comes to those in the trenches serving the state’s most vulnerable populations.

Lawmakers say they need the latest pregnancy-related death data to more precisely address the problem during the legislative session. But delays means they won’t see it until after the session ends.

Dr. John Hellerstedt, who has led the Texas Department of State Health Services since 2016, will retire at the end of the month. Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the chief state epidemiologist, has been named his interim replacement.

While there are currently 780 confirmed monkeypox cases statewide, Texas cities are bracing for an increase in infections.

Kids ages 6 months to 4 years became eligible for the vaccine last month. Experts say a number of factors could be hampering parents from getting their kids vaccinated.

For some parents of kids under 5 who want to vaccinate them, the wait has been excruciating, fraught with delays and close calls. Others are hesitant to have their young children vaccinated.

With the Texas case reported Tuesday, about 35 cases have now been identified across 14 states and Washington, D.C., this year, according to the CDC.

“The situation in Texas is that it probably won’t reach the peak [for cases] until the second half of January,” a top researcher said.

Officials added 36 to the estimate of lives lost in the disaster, which knocked out power in much of the state. Some experts place the toll even higher.

The governor asked the federal government for help opening test sites in Bexar, Cameron, Dallas, Harris, Hidalgo and Tarrant counties.

Five of the department’s regional infusion centers have run out of sotrovimab, the only antibody treatment known to be effective against the new variant.

Abbott’s office says vaccines are the best defense to the pandemic, however, the governor has rarely spoken about vaccines in recent months other than to push back against mandates. He did not respond to a question about whether he got the booster.

Most local officials insist they still have testing capacity at their public testing sites, but Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said demand has outpaced supply.

Hospitalizations related to the virus remain low in the state, but the number of people testing positive is rising and once again fueling worries about the struggling health care system’s ability to weather a new surge.

So much is unknown about the new COVID-19 variant: the severity of the illness it causes, whether it can resist vaccines and natural antibodies and whether it’s more contagious than the delta variant that has burned through Texas and the U.S. for months.

A surge in COVID-19 cases from the West is impacting El Paso.

A Travis County judge temporarily blocked the state from listing delta-8 as a Schedule I drug, which effectively made it illegal. The cannabis extract became popular because users say it produces the “high” effect of marijuana.

The federal farm bill in 2018 made the substance legal because of its low THC content.

Student and staff COVID-19 cases declined after districts reported their highest levels in January since the pandemic began. But the data is incomplete and likely an undercount.

Preliminary data shows 99.5% of COVID-related deaths in Texas were among unvaccinated people, according to the Department of State Health Services.

The latest, most transmissible coronavirus variant is spreading rampantly in countries with low vaccination rates, and health experts are bracing for impact in Texas.

Even though captive tigers are a “serious threat,” the Humane Society of the United States said there are likely more tigers in captivity than there are in the wild across the world. “The Humane Society of the United States strongly opposes keeping tigers and other wild animals as pets,” she said. Here’s an expanded list of prohibited animals in Bexar County, according to an order from the Commissioners Court:Prohibited animals in Bexar County, according to an order from the Commissioners Court. AdNorwood said more than 15 years have passed since ACS last helped retrieve a tiger from a San Antonio home. Those include game wardens with the Texas Parks and Wildlife, the San Antonio Zoo or different animal sanctuaries.

San Antonio – More than two million vaccine doses have been administered in Texas so far, according to the Department of State Health Services’ statistics on Thursday. The state’s data shows nearly 1.7 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 370,000 of them were fully vaccinated. However, the chairwoman of the state’s Emergency Vaccine Allocation Panel, DSHS Associate Commissioner Ismelda Garcia, said she’s still not satisfied with the doses. AdGarcia said the state’s recurring first dose vaccine allocation is expected to go up from about 333,000 doses this week to about 385,000 next week. AdThe EVAP continues to discuss who will be part of the next group eligible for the vaccine, Garcia said, and the timeline for when that group will become eligible will depend largely on vaccine supply.

Thank you for your interest in taking the #COVID19 vaccine. — University Health (@UnivHealthSA) January 1, 2021ORIGINAL: Free Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations will be offered by University Health beginning Monday for people in the most recent phase approved for inoculation by Texas Gov. Preregistration through WeCanDoITSA.com is required, health officials said. The goal is to vaccinate 1,000 people daily at this location, according to University Health. University Health is a KSAT Community partner.

The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in May as Texas reopened was higher than previously reported, according new changes in the way the state calculates the positivity rate. Greg Abbott repeatedly pointed to the state’s positivity rate, even as the number of new cases and deaths continued to rise. The following week, the governor downplayed a new single-day record in new COVID-19 cases by again pointing to the positivity rate. The state’s reported seven-day average positivity rate under the old method jumped from 4.27% at its lowest point in late May to 17.4% at its peak in mid-July. Disclosure: The University of North Texas, Texas A&M University and UT Health have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

There are four new cases of COVID-19 in Region 8 of the Department of State Health Services, Lavaca County Emergency Management confirmed Monday. The emergency management office said there are three new cases in the city of Shiner and one whose status is recovered in Youkum. Officials say all patients are isolated at home and following DSHS guidelines. Region 8 testing site:Friday, July 3, 2020 - Starke Park, 900 River Road in SeguinSaturday, July 11, 2020 - Former Weimar Medical Center, 400 Youens Street in WeimarSaturday, July 18, 2020 - Colorado County Fair Grounds, 1146 Crossroads Blvd. in ColumbusPreregistration is required at https://txcovidtest.org/

LAVACA COUNTY, Texas There are six new cases of COVID-19 in Region 8 of the Department of State Health Services, Lavaca County Emergency Management confirmed Monday. The emergency management office said there are two new cases in the city of Yoakum, three in Halletsville and one in Moulton. Officials say all patients are isolated at home and following DSHS guidelines. Region 8 Case Count (Lavaca County Emergency Management)Lavaca County Emergency Management, the City of Yoakum, the DeWitt County Emergency Management, the City of Hallettsville and the City of Shiner have partnered with DSHS and the Texas Military to host walk-up COVID-19 testing sites at the following locations this week:Wednesday, July 1, 2020Yoakum Community Center105 Huck St, Yoakum, TX 779958:00 AM - 4:00 PM------------Thursday, July 2, 2020STS. CYRIL AND METHODIUS PARISH HALL306 S Ave F, Shiner, TX 779848:00 AM - 4:00 PM------------Thursday, July 2, 2020Hallettsville Knights of Columbus Hall321 US Hwy 77 SouthHallettsville, TX 779648:00 AM - 4:00 PM------------Officials say people do not need an appointment to get a free test, nor do they need a prescription or doctors order.

SAN ANTONIO Dr. Duane Hospenthal, medical director of infection control for Baptist Health System, said the hospital system has been treating COVID-19 patients with the antiviral drug remdesivir. San Antonio hospitals to receive antiviral drugs to treat coronavirusA spokesperson for Baptist Health System said a total of 21 patients have been treated with remdesivir. The hospital system received the antiviral drug from the University Health System and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Baptist Health System has received a total of 260 vials of the drug. Greg Abbott said DSHS is distributing remdesivir to 85 hospitals across 34 counties in Texas.