Coronavirus in Texas

Abbott also called on the Legislature to pass a law expanding the ban on vaccine mandates. Full Story 

A judge has yet to decide in the state's lawsuit against the district for defying the governor's executive order. Full Story 

West, the former chair of the state Republican party, tweeted that his oxygen levels are low and he will likely be hospitalized, but says his condition is “not serious.” Full Story 

Since 2008, the number of Texas students learning English as a second language who take longer than five years to become proficient is growing. Full Story 

Plaintiffs say the governor’s order denies children with disabilities, who are at a high risk of illness and death from the coronavirus, access to public education. Full Story 

About 40% of Texas nursing home workers are unvaccinated and could face dismissal or quit their jobs under a federal vaccination requirement for the industry. Full Story 

Health officials say that the state’s high rate of unvaccinated people contributed to a summer surge in hospitalizations, which preceded the spike in deaths. Full Story 

The U.S. Department of Education announced the inquiry days after the Texas Education Agency quietly updated its guidance to say school districts can’t require masks. Full Story 

Hotez is co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital. Wen is a professor of health policy and management at George Washington University. Full Story 

The Texas fight over mask mandates is confusing. We’re here to help. Full Story 

Parents remain divided over whether to require masks in the classroom. For Carmen Campbell, there’s just too much uncertainty right now to feel comfortable sending her son back. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast. Full Story 

Student and staff COVID-19 cases declined after districts reported their highest levels in January since the pandemic began. But the data is incomplete and likely an undercount. Full Story 

University leaders have encouraged mask-wearing and getting vaccinated, but they say Gov. Greg Abbott has prevented them from requiring either. Full Story 

Pregnant women are getting vaccinated at lower rates than the general population. “This variant is much more aggressive, [and] pregnant women are getting sicker much faster,” one doctor says. Full Story 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued nine more school districts over their masking rules. One says it doesn’t mandate them. Another says it doesn’t enforce mask-wearing at Paxton’s request. Full Story 

More than 11% of those who received their first dose haven’t gotten a second shot, and more than 1 million people are more than 90 days overdue. Full Story 

It's usually the state suing the feds, but now the federal government is suing Texas for outlawing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. There are more lawsuits between the state and federal governments to come. Full Story 

High vaccination rates, geography and a sense of community in the wake of 2019’s Walmart shootings help keep El Paso’s delta numbers low, experts and locals say. Full Story 

Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have long threatened to sue school districts that defy Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates. On Friday, Paxton made good on that threat. Full Story 

Stuck between Biden's and Abbott’s competing vaccine rules for employees, public hospitals consider their next move even as most private systems already require vaccination for employees. Full Story