On March 9, the Graduate School of Biomedical Science, part of Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, hosted their annual Student Research Week. This event is a student-run opportunity for all
Lubbock Receives Surge of Doses for All 3 COVID-19 Vaccines
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Almost exactly 1 year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the City of Lubbock and other cities like it are starting to report infection rates similar to those reported at the very start of the crisis.
As of Wednesday, March 10, the City of Lubbock was only reporting 171 active cases of the virus in Lubbock County. Similarly, there are only 28 hospital patients currently being treated for COVID-19.
Texas Health and Human Services reports that all 22 hospital districts are reporting COVID hospitalization percentages below 10%, save for the El Paso region, which is currently at 11%. Texas Trauma Service Area B, which encompasses the South Plains, is reporting at just under 4%.
One year ago, citizens of Lubbock and the United States began to watch their lives rapidly change due to a novel coronavirus. As this milestone approaches, Texas Tech and City of Lubbock officials looked back on the difficult decisions they had to make and the chaos that is COVID-19.
Lubbock Mayor, Dan Pope, said he specifically remembered March 12, 2020, the day the University of Texas and Tech basketball game was canceled. He was supposed to go on a trip that weekend and canceled to monitor the COVID-19 situation, the next Tuesday, March 17, Lubbock reported its first coronavirus case.
âWeâve learned a lot,â Pope said.Â
The COVID-19 vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson has recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. However, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine differs from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine.
Katherine Wells, director of public health for the City of Lubbock, explained some differences between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
âThe technology with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is different from the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines,â Wells said. âModerna and Pfizer are mRNA vaccines, and Johnson & Johnson is a more traditional vaccine.â
Wells said the initial data showed Moderna and Pfizer are more protective than the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. However, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trials were done later when there were more vaccine trials.
Texas Tech Health Sciences Center President, Lori Rice-Spearman, provided a statement regarding Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order that rescinds the mask mandate and operating limits on businesses.