Coronavirus in Texas

Viruses constantly change by mutating, and the coronavirus is no exception. But health experts say it's difficult to know the exact number of variants currently around the world. Full Story 

National Guard teams will visit DeWitt, Marion, Real, Sherman and Starr counties as part of a newly created State Mobile Vaccine Pilot Program. Full Story 

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, unsuccessfully pushed for similar federal legislation. Abbott's support comes as Texas intensive care units are filling up with coronavirus patients. Full Story 

The high court vacated two rulings from the lower U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals that sided with Texas GOP officials arguing that Gov. Greg Abbott’s March 2020 executive order prohibited abortion under all but a few narrow circumstances in an attempt to preserve medical resources for COVID-19 patients. Full Story 

While COVID-19 guidelines will vary between lawmakers’ offices, communication between legislators and the public will largely consist of phone and video calls or small, in-person meetings by appointment. Full Story 

While doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have begun to arrive, the pandemic is far from over. Share your story with us. Full Story 

Across Texas, hospital intensive care units are being battered as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in a post-holiday surge. Dozens of facilities have reported that their ICUs have been at or above 100% capacity for weeks, leaving staff overworked and stretched thin. Full Story 

The new weekly test requirement is possible with the help of a new multimillion-dollar, on-campus lab that produces test results in less than 24 hours. Full Story 

State officials told Dallas leadership the plan was "not acceptable," and threatened to cut the county's vaccine supply. Full Story 

As the state began the massive undertaking of distributing the coronavirus vaccine, early data problems left state officials with immunization records that were outdated, incomplete and sometimes misleading. Full Story 

Some 78% of the 1,725,575 doses already shipped to providers have been used, including second doses, Gov. Greg Abbott said, and Texas is set to receive 333,650 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Full Story 

The Austin-based group founded by anti-vaccine activist Del Bigtree regularly posts information questioning the safety of the coronavirus vaccines. Doctors and scientists say both the Moderna and the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Full Story 

Legislating is a social enterprise. It draws crowds of Texans who want to testify, to be heard, to sightsee and to watch government in action. And it’s tailor made for spreading a contagious disease. Full Story 

Hospitals in the Abilene, Bryan-College Station and Laredo areas have run out of intensive care unit beds. State health officials are “greatly concerned” about high numbers of hospitalized people throughout Texas. Full Story 

Dr. Mark Escott, the interim medical director for Austin Public Health, told The Texas Tribune that he asked Ascension Seton hospital system “if they would be willing to vaccinate lawmakers and key staff if they had availability.” Full Story 

State Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, told The Texas Tribune he tested positive Thursday — three days after lawmakers gaveled in for this year’s legislative session Full Story 

The milestone comes as intensive care beds are dwindling across the state and as experts predict daily coronavirus cases and hospitalizations will worsen following an influx of holiday season gatherings. Full Story 

Twenty-eight coronavirus vaccination hubs will receive most of the state's next shipment of COVID-19 vaccines this week, with 158,825 doses shipping to providers able to manage large-scale efforts as more doses arrive in the state. Full Story 

Absentee ballots, which only certain groups of Texans are eligible to use, have traditionally been a tool utilized by the GOP, and in 2016, higher percentages of Republican voters cast absentee ballots than did Democratic voters. Full Story 

Steve Johnson, 75, says trying to get his first COVID-19 vaccine dose in Wise County highlighted the shortcomings of the distribution plan. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast. Full Story