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NUECES COUNTY

New COVID-19 variant case reported in Nueces County, officials say

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The new COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.7, which originated in the United Kingdom, has been identified in Nueces County, according to Dr. Srikanth Ramachandruni, a local health official. Once he returned home, the man was diagnosed with the new COVID-19 variant, Ramachandruni said. Officials say they feel confident that they can contain the spread of the new variant, given that the man has been isolated since he was informed. The state has since allocated 4,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Nueces County area, according to officials. Related: Texas sees 1st case of new variant amid push for more shots

Padre Island National Seashore to reopen this week following damage from Hurricane Hanna

SAN ANTONIO The majority of Padre Island National Seashore will reopen on Thursday after being closed due to damage from Hurricane Hanna. Both north and south beaches, as well as Malaquite Beach, the Bird Island Basin day-use area and boat ramp, will open at 6 a.m., according to the park. At this time, developed campgrounds at Malaquite and Bird Island Basin will remain closed. Primitive camping on both north and south beaches, however, will be allowed. The park says the dock at the Bird Island boat ramp is in the process of being rebuilt.

Nueces County order banning vehicles on Corpus Christi, Port A beaches expires, curfew remains

SAN ANTONIO – Beaches in Nueces County have reopened to vehicles as an order put in place to help stunt the spread of COVID-19 has expired. Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said Friday that the order, which closed vehicle access points at beaches within the county, will end on Monday, according to multiple reports. The newspaper reported that the modified order will restrict access to areas of beaches damaged by Hurricane Hanna. The order was put in place in July as the county asked tourists to stay home for the sake of social distancing. He said enforcing the order “depleted all of our overtime budgets” in providing 24-hour policing.

Port Aransas mayor: City no longer enforcing beach closure order

SAN ANTONIO – The mayor of Port Aransas says the city can no longer afford to implement the county beach closure order that was issued in July to help curb the effects of COVID-19. FYI: The city can no longer afford providing 24 hour day policing of the county beaches closure order. We have depleted... Posted by Mayor Bujan Information Page For Port Aransas Citizens on Sunday, August 9, 2020The mayor said as of Sunday morning, the city would no longer enforce the beach closure order. The order forces the closure of vehicle access points at beaches within the county, which encompasses Port Aransas, Padre Island and Corpus Christi. Port Aransas Police Chief Scott Burroughs told KIII in Corpus Christi that the department began to see a diminished outcome.

In Corpus Christi, 85 infants were infected with COVID-19 as of July. That number has nearly doubled.

In mid-July, Corpus Christi made national headlines after a Nueces County health official said 85 babies had tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Over the past two weeks, that number has nearly doubled, City-County Health Director Annette Rodriguez told KIII TV. Since the pandemic began in March, Nueces County has seen a total of 13,062 COVID-19 cases, according to the city’s dashboard. In Texas, nearly 460,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported as of Tuesday. Map: Track COVID-19 cases in Texas, county-by-county updates

Virus-weary Texas braces for Hurricane Hanna’s arrival

The storm, which is the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, was expected to make landfall late Saturday afternoon or early evening south of Corpus Christi, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Live webcam footage showed waves sweeping over popular Whitecap Beach near Corpus Christi hours before the hurricane was expected to make landfall. First responders in Corpus Christi proactively placed barricades near intersections to have them ready to go if streets began to flood, McComb said. More than 9,100 people in the Corpus Christi area were without power early Saturday afternoon, according to AEP Texas. South Texas officials’ plans for any possible rescues, shelters and monitoring of the storm will have the pandemic in mind and incorporate social distancing guidelines and mask wearing.

South Texas prepares for Tropical Storm Hanna amid pandemic

HOUSTON – Officials in South Texas, hit by the coronavirus pandemic in recent weeks, said Friday they’re also prepared to handle any challenges from Tropical Storm Hanna, which was headed their way and expected to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall this weekend. Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said she understands that the tropical storm would exacerbate already difficult times the county, which has about 362,000 residents, has been experiencing during the pandemic. South Texas officials' plans for any possible rescues, shelters and monitoring of the storm will have the pandemic in mind. In the Mexican city of Matamoros, located across the border from Brownsville, volunteers worried whether the tropical storm would impact a makeshift migrant camp near the Rio Grande River. Greg Abbott has announced that various resources to respond to the tropical storm are on standby across the state, including search-and-rescue teams and aircraft.

Corpus Christi, already a coronavirus hot spot, braces for Tropical Storm Hanna

Employees with the City of Corpus Christi load sandbags into people's cars as Tropical Storm Hannah approaches on July 24, 2020. Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times via Imagn Content Services, LLCCorpus Christi, already beset by a spike in COVID cases, now faces the dangers of Tropical Storm Hanna. The National Hurricane Service issued a hurricane warning for a section of the Texas coast from Baffin Bay to Sargent an area that includes Corpus Christi Bay, Copany Bay, Aransas Bay, San Antonio Bay and Matagorda Bay. The National Weather Service issued a warning of life-threatening storm surge for the areas that include Corpus Christi, Rockport and Port Lavaca. The city already closed a drive-through coronavirus testing site in Corpus Christi until at least Tuesday, officials said.

Most young virus cases in Texas county diagnosed this month

HOUSTON Most of the 85 young children in a South Texas county who are known to have contracted the coronavirus tested positive this month amid a surge in the state, a health official said Sunday. But Rodriguez stressed Sunday that although the oldest of the cases goes back to mid-March, most of them 60 infants tested positive from July 1 to July 16. The child who died was less than half a year old and tested positive this month. The first young child from Nueces County was hospitalized in mid-June. One of the infants who tested positive is a recent newborn whose mother also has the virus, she said.

With 4 in 5 Texans living in a "red zone," coronavirus hot spots are moving targets

Over the four months of Texas course of the coronavirus, early hot spots Amarillo among them have been eclipsed by new regions in crisis now, South Texas. That behavior, particularly among young people, may be responsible for dozens of new hot spots that will be more difficult to eradicate. Those 123 "red zone" counties are home to some 23 million Texans the vast majority of the state's population. Typically, rural and community hospitals transfer patients to urban hospitals for acute care. Two weeks ago, there were just seven positive COVID-19 patients in the Amarillo hospital; by this week, that had more than tripled to 24.

85 babies under 1 year old in Nueces County have tested positive for COVID-19, according to report

Eighty-five infants younger than age 1 have tested positive for the coronavirus in Nueces County. REUTERSEighty-five infants who are under the age of 1 have tested positive for the coronavirus in Nueces County, CNN reports. When the pandemic first started ravaging the state, Nueces County stayed relatively healthy while the Amarillo region suffered. We currently have 85 babies under the age of one year in Nueces County that have all tested positive for COVID-19, Annette Rodriguez, director of public health for Corpus Christi Nueces County, told CNN. As The Texas Tribune previously reported, Nueces County Medical Examiner Adel Shaker said last week that a baby boy, less than 6 months old, had tested positive for COVID-19 and died.

Beaches at Port Aransas, Padre Island, Corpus Christi closed to vehicles, curfew in place

Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales on Wednesday issued a new order that limits access and adds curfews at beaches within the county, which encompasses Port Aransas, Padre Island and Corpus Christi. Until 6 a.m. Aug. 1, unless extended or rescinded, vehicle access points will be closed at county beaches and parks, the order states. We need some help: Corpus Christi official asks tourists not to visit beaches amid COVID-19 surgePeople with physical disabilities or disabled veterans will be allowed to use golf carts on beaches. Canales made the plea to out-of-towners Monday during an interview with the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi has recorded 70 COVID-19 deaths and 7,532 total cases.

We need some help: Corpus Christi official asks tourists not to visit beaches amid COVID-19 surge

Canales made the plea to out-of-towners Monday during an interview with the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. We are not stable we are in a free fall and we need some help from Texas, Canales told the newspaper. In recent weeks, Corpus Christi has become a COVID-19 hotspot, and local officials worry it might be due to tourism. Infant dies of COVID-19 in Corpus ChristiTexas A&M University Corpus Christi researchers analyzed cellphone data recorded over two recent holidays Memorial Day and Independence Day. Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb expressed similar sentiments to the New York Times.

Infant dies of COVID-19 in Corpus Christi

Nueces County officials announced Friday that an infant has died of COVID-19. According to a news release from the city of Corpus Christi, the patient was a boy younger than six months of age but would not release further information due to privacy reasons. Corpus Christi Councilman Ben Molina said the boy was only six weeks old, as did Nueces County Commissioner John Marez. The Health District just received notice of a COVID-19 related death of a six week old infant. My... Posted by John Marez on Friday, July 10, 2020Corpus Christi has been hard hit by the spread of COVID-19, with more than 5,000 cases reported since the pandemic began.

County park, boat ramps at Medina Lake closed for July 4th weekend

SAN ANTONIO – Medina Lake Park in Bandera County will be closed this Fourth of July weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic. The park, which is operated by the county, will stay closed until Wednesday, July 8, due to the virus, according to officials. The boat ramp at the park will also be closed to the public. Medina Lake Park is just one of the dozens of recreational areas in Central and South Texas that will not be open during the biggest holiday of the summer due to the virus. Cameron County, which includes South Padre Island, has also announced all county parks and county beaches will be closed over the weekend.

Texas boat captain fined more than $26,000 for overfishing red snapper

NORTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – A Texas boat captain received 17 citations for going over the daily bag limit for red snapper on July 6. Nueces County Game Wardens received a tip that a fisherman was regularly bringing in red snapper in excess of the daily bag limit, which is four fish per person per day, on North Padre Island, according to a spokesperson with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Four San Antonio lakes to be stocked with thousands of rainbow troutWardens located a recreational fishing vessel near North Padre Island with seven anglers on board and discovered 31 red snapper in an ice chest and an additional 14 red snapper in an anchor storage compartment. The boat captain, whose identity wasn’t released, was issued 17 citations for going over the daily bag limit, according to the spokesperson. The captain was convicted in Nueces County court on Nov. 12 and fined more than $26,000, the spokesperson said.