Behind the Kitchen Door: Convenience store kitchen shut down, popular coffee shops need serious cleaning
Health inspectors had to temporarily shut down a Northeast Side convenience store kitchen in October due to a lack of hot water, and two Jim’s restaurants were cited for being dirty and employees not using gloves, according to health inspection reports.
Tuberculosis testing to begin at Brandeis, Clark High Schools on Monday
After a student tested positive for TB at Brandeis High School, and another possible case at Clark High School, Metro Health will spearhead a testing and treatment campaign that starts on Monday, but could last for months to come. The good news is that these kids couldn't be in better hands today, with new treatments and Metro Health's participation in a significant but elite consortium of research centers worldwide.
Behind the Kitchen Door: NW Side Mexican restaurant flunks health inspection, re-inspection shows some improvement
Health inspectors recently told a kitchen at a popular West Side flea market to stop making food at home and get rid of several dead roaches, while two Mexican restaurants had problems with repeat health violations.
Behind the Kitchen Door: Flea market kitchen told to stop selling foods prepared at home, remove dead roaches
Health inspectors recently told a kitchen at a popular West Side flea market to stop making food at home and get rid of several dead roaches, while two Mexican restaurants had problems with repeat health violations.
Behind the Kitchen Door: College campus snack bar operating without permit told to stop preparing hot foods ‘immediately’
Health inspectors told a college campus snack bar operating without a permit to stop selling certain foods immediately, and a Northwest Side seafood restaurant was cited a second time for having an expired permit following recent inspections.
Behind the Kitchen Door: Health inspectors cite sports bar operating without permit, pizzeria’s permit suspended for lacking hot water
In this week's Behind the Kitchen Door, a popular pizza place recently had its food permit suspended, and a sports bar was cited for operating without a valid permit.
Behind the Kitchen Door: Health inspectors say coffee shop needs deep cleaning, convenience store has rodent problem
According to recent health inspection reports, a popular coffee spot was in need of a deep cleaning, a convenience store had a rodent problem, and a Mexican restaurant still had work to do after its second inspection in less than six months.
Behind the Kitchen Door: Moldy tongs, tavern full of flies, algae-clogged deli cooler lead to low health scores
A convenience store ordered to immediately stop selling pickles and pizza, a tavern full of flies and serving tongs covered in mold. Those are just a few of the violations cited by health inspectors after recent visits to San Antonio food businesses.
This program can get teens connected, engaged in the community
Project Worth is a youth development program of the San Antonio’s Metro Health Department. The program promotes child and teen health and well-being by providing education focused on social and emotional development, collaborating with youth-serving organizations and schools, and empowering youth to reach their full potential.
Behind the Kitchen Door: Health inspectors order halt to pickle, ice sales due to non-working hand-washing sink
Recent health inspections revealed a convenience store with a rodent problem, a Mexican restaurant where employees weren’t washing their hands, and a popular fried chicken chain in need of a cleaning.
Behind the Kitchen Door: Local restaurants receive low inspection score due to ants, roaches, and employee hygeine
A buffet with a smorgasbord of problems, including a live bird flying around inside and roaches in the meat grinder, tops the list of recent health inspections of San Antonio restaurants.
Behind the Kitchen Door: Live roaches in the kitchen, unapproved ice for sale top list of violations
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District inspectors found live roaches, unapproved ice for sale, expired meat and food not being stored properly, among other issues, at the locations featured in this week’s Behind the Kitchen Door.
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District administering limited number of monkeypox vaccinations
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District announced on August 2 that it received 1,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine Jynneos from the Texas Department of State Health Services. As of August 3, 14 cases of monkeypox have been identified in San Antonio. Priority Group 1 is for exposed individuals identified through contact tracing. is for exposed individuals identified through contact tracing. Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with someone with a new, unexplained rash.
outinsa.comBehind the Kitchen Door: Pests, employees not following health guidelines lead to low scores for seafood restaurants
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District inspectors found problems with pests and employees not following basic health guidelines at two separate locations of a local seafood restaurant and bar.
Metro Health expanding vaccine mobile clinic model to bridge gaps in minority health care
During Minority Health Month, communities nationwide are shining the spotlight on disparities in health care for minority populations. Metro Health is doing the same in San Antonio, putting its main focus on immunizations.
San Antonio's positivity rate is dropping while testing increases
San Antonio's COVID-19 positivity rate dropped again and it's not because less people are being tested. On March 21, a 2.3 positivity rate was reported, which was the lowest rate the area had seen since Metro Health started tracking it. Sunday's update showed a downtick to a 2.1 positivity rate. RELATED: Local COVID-19 positivity rate is the lowest San Antonio has seen since AprilSome have speculated that the rate reprieve may be due to less people being tested. Metro Health calculates the positivity rate by dividing the number of positive tests returned for the week by the total number of tests administered for that time period.
mysanantonio.comLocal COVID-19 positivity rate is the lowest San Antonio has seen since April
Jessica Phelps /Staff photographerHere's some good news to start the week with: the local positivity rate is the lowest its been since Metro Health first started tracking it last April. Metro Health confirmed that at the 2.3 percent positivity rate, San Antonio has hit a welcomed low point. Spokeswoman Michelle Vigil said it's the lowest San Antonio has recorded since the department added positivity rates to their surveillance data in April. At that point, on April 5, the positivity rate was nearing 12 percent.
mysanantonio.comSan Antonio's COVID-19 risk level is now 'low'
Jessica Phelps /Staff photographerSan Antonio started the week with some encouraging news on the COVID-19 front: the risk level is now "low" after months of skewing on the opposite end of the spectrum during the winter surge. Metro Health introduced a low to critical risk meter in June, amid the summer surge, to asses the severity of the case numbers and measure overall progress. Movement throughout the levels of the spectrum take into account a two-week decline in cases, testing capacity, contact tracing, hospital trends, doubling rate, positivity rate and hospital stress.
mysanantonio.comMetro Health registered thousands for Covid vaccine through outreach
Metro Health worked with San Antonio groups to set up appointments for 5,400 high-risk residents to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. The city's Healthy Neighborhood teams, Stand Up SA and local organizations were deployed to "targeted outreach areas" to sign residents up for their dose. The initiative took place between Jan. 11-29. The areas were determined by their equity index score, number of COVID-19 cases and the COVID-19 mortality in the area.
mysanantonio.comSan Antonio hangouts cited for over occupancy, mask-wearing over the weekend
A number of San Antonio businesses were cited for COVID-19 violations over the weekend. Multiple city departments — Code Enforcement, Parking Enforcement, Metro Health and the San Antonio Police Department — enforce COVID-19 regulations. Though sanitation and signage was available, the responding official found guests not practicing social distancing or wearing a mask where required or appropriate. Per the San Antonio Express-News, bars and restaurants weren't the only culprits. The social distancing orders were put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in March.
mysanantonio.comU.S. Army 'impressed' by San Antonio's COVID-19 vaccine rollout at Alamodome
Courtesy, Metro HealthU.S. Army officials toured the Alamodome's vaccination site this week and left feeling "impressed" by the operation, according to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health DistrictAccording to Metro Health spokeswoman Michelle Vigil, the headquarters for the Army's vaccination efforts are at Ft. Sam Houston. Officials where given a detailed tour of the vaccine operations at the city-run mega hub, which launched earlier this January.
mysanantonio.comSan Antonio Metro Health says there will not be a waiting list for COVID-19 vaccinations
Jammed phone lines and "registration full" notices on the COVID-19 vaccination registration site for city-run hubs have some residents asking if a waiting list would help, but Metro Health says there are no plans to implement one. A representative for Metro Health says the department will not be offering a wait list at this time. Rather than opening a floodgate by making the entire week of appointments available, registration will be on a rolling basis with 2,000 slots opening daily. "Other large cities have tried (the waiting list) approach and have not been successful." Appointment registration for the Alamodome vaccination site is available online here.
mysanantonio.comSan Antonio expected to receive 40,000 more COVID-19 vaccine doses within the next week
PfizerMetropolitan Health District officials say the San Antonio area will receive an additional 40,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines within the next week, completing its initial 90,000-dose allocation.As of Tuesday, Bexar County has received 50,000 vaccine doses and inoculated more than 31,000 people in critical populations, according to Metro Health officials. Those first in line are frontline medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities. "The more people we vaccinate, the more vaccines we’ll receive. "Subsequent tiers in line for inoculations include people 65 and older, frontline essential workers and those 16 and older with medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 complications.Bexar County's vaccination plan is available on its COVID-19 Portal . Metro Health officials said they'll continue to update residents as they learn more about the state and federal distribution vaccine-distribution plans.
sacurrent.comMetro Health warns against in-person learning in San Antonio as COVID-19 cases continue to rise
click to enlarge Wikimedia Commons / Louis BafranceWith local COVID-19 cases soaring, San Antonio Metro Health officials on Tuesday issued a new directive recommending parents and schools against in-person instruction.During Tuesday's city and county pandemic briefing, Metro Health Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo said the recent rise in cases has moved school safety metrics for San Antonio and Bexar County campuses into the "red zone," its highest risk level. "Our data show that schools are less risky places than we thought at the start of the pandemic, but we also know that avoiding extra risks will help contain our current surge," Woo said. "We urge parents to choose remote learning until we can get over this hump.”Bexar County reported 1,294 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and nine additional deaths. The seven-day rolling average of cases also climbed to 1,113, breaking a new local record.What's more, Bexar County hospitalizations hit 646 Tuesday, an increase of 32 patients from Monday.Under Texas law, Metro Health can't order school closures, which is a power reserved for state officials. Even so, Woo urged local schools to limit in-person instruction to groups of no more than six children and to at-risk and special ed students, as well as those without the resources to learn virtually.
sacurrent.comSan Antonio public health officials issue recommendations against indoor dining and gatherings
click to enlarge Wikimedia Commons / Charles SpirtosA medic pulls on gloves as she gets ready to work at a mobile testing site in the Texas Hill Country. This is a critical month,” said Dr. Junda Woo, Metro Health's medical director.The new directive urges residents to opt for outdoor dining and take-out service instead of using restaurant dining rooms. In the workplace, people should take meals in separate spaces or outdoors.“We are asking people to be more selective about how they dine and how they gather with others until we’re on the other side of this surge," Woo said. "When you have to be around others, try to bring in fresh air by opening a window or increasing ventilation. Bundle up, mask up and stay safe.”
sacurrent.comSan Antonio-area COVID-19 case count continues to rise as Texas deaths exceed 21,000
Courtesy Photo / City of San AntonioOn Saturday, Metro Health officials reported 492 new COVID-19 infections in Bexar County, raising the cumulative case count to 72,805. Two people being treated for COVID-19 died Saturday, bringing the county's total death toll to 1,318. the Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas has tallied 1.16 million coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a New York Times analysis. To date, 21,004 people have died in the state, according to the Times' figures.
sacurrent.comWest Nile virus found in mosquito sample pool near downtown San Antonio, according to Metro Health
A mosquito sample pool southwest of downtown San Antonio tested positive for the West Nile virus last month, according to the city's Metropolitan Health District. The is the second time a sample pool has tested positive for the virus in San Antonio this year. Metro Health said it has treated both areas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States. Mosquitoes are present in Central Texas year-round, but the population is most active in the summer and fall, according to metro health.
mysanantonio.comSan Antonio Metro Health offers Halloween COVID-19 safety guidelines
click to enlarge Pexels / ThirdmanDuring the city's COVID-19 briefing Wednesday, San Antonio Metro Health released recommendations for households hoping to trick-or-treat or pass out candy on Halloween this year.The guidance was released as the cumulative number of cases for San Antonio nears 60,000 with a current average of 156 daily cases Trick-or-treaters are encouraged to maintain six feet of distance from others, to use hand sanitizer often, and to only accept pre-packaged snacks and candy. Metro Health acknowledged that costume masks are not protective from viruses and therefore should be worn along with adequate face coverings.Households looking to pass out treats should do so in a distanced manner away from their doorstep and should wash hands often when preparing goodie bags. If any members of the household are sick, it is advised that no members of the residence participate in handing out candy.“If we continue working together to stop the spread of COVID-19, our community will be able to safely enjoy Halloween and other holidays later this year. Make the right decisions now to do what’s best for your health and the health of others. Our frontline workers, teachers, students and most vulnerable residents are counting on you,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement More information can be found at covid19.sanantonio.gov/Halloween
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