Jan 7, 2021
U.K. is now in
Texas. Harris County Judge
Lina Hidalgo tweeted late this morning health officials had confirmed a case of the new virus, believed to be more contagious than the one which caused the pandemic. Hidalgo calls it a disturbing development and encourages people to change their behavior by wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and good hygiene.
“The fact that this person had no travel history suggests this variant is already circulating in Texas,” said
Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner.
“Genetic variations are the norm among viruses, and it’s not surprising that it showed up here given how rapidly it spreads. This should make us all redouble our commitment to the infection prevention practices that we know work: masks any time you’re around people you don’t live with, social distancing, and personal and environmental hygiene.”
The New Strain of Covid-19 Is in the Houston Area houstoniamag.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from houstoniamag.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said that she expected that Harris and surrounding counties would likely have to start reimplementing occupancy restrictions for local businesses and halt non-essential elective surgical procedures, all thanks to Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide order that tied reopenings to COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“Unless things change in the next few hours, unless there’s a 180-degree shift, we do sadly expect to cross that threshold, to cross that 15 percent for seven days, and to join the other regions that are now in a situation where they’re having to roll back the reopening,” Hidalgo said earlier on Tuesday.
‘Very limited supply right now’: Judge Lina Hidalgo discusses demand of COVID-19 vaccine in Harris County
Brandon Walker, Reporter
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HOUSTON – While millions of Texans qualify to be vaccinated under Phase 1B of the state’s vaccination plan, many are discovering making an appointment or even finding a supply of doses to be a challenge.
“They’re in very, very limited supply right now,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, on the county’s supply of doses.
Thus far, Harris County Public Health has received roughly 8,000 doses, according to Hidalgo, who adds most of the supply has been distributed to larger hospitals and retail pharmacies. Kroger and H-E-B both have outlined their vaccination plans. However, not every entity offering the vaccine is in Phase 1B of its rollout.