Point of Order: The incoming speaker speaks
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks politics, policy, priorities and the pandemic with Dade Phelan, the presumptive speaker of the Texas House. Full Story
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After a rocky start, Gov. Greg Abbott promises to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations across Texas
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
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference in Austin on Dec. 17, 2020, regarding COVID-19 and the Pfizer vaccines that have been sent to hospitals across Texas. Gov. Abbott was adamant that despite rising cases and deaths, he will not be ordering any shutdowns. Gov. Abbott also said he has not received the vaccine, but he will take it when the time comes.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Texas Legislature isn’t like Congress, right?
The Texas Legislature is more bipartisan than Congress, historically speaking. But a unique set of issues to address and an atmosphere of division emanating from Washington, D.C., could test that in the session that starts Tuesday. Full Story
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![Signs adorn every seat in the House Gallery to ensure social distancing in the house chamber. Jan 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas announces sites for next COVID-19 vaccine shipment
State health officials said Sunday that 28 hubs will be getting 158,825 doses this week. Full Story
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![Arlington Fire Fighter Samuel Rochin, right, administers a COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare worker Vannia Atao at the Esports Stadium in Arlington on Jan. 05, 2021.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
In rural Texas, frustration with a disjointed vaccine rollout grows: “We’re better than this”
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
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![Health care workers at the UT Health/Dell Medical School administered COVID-19 vaccines in Austin on Dec. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Advocates worry vaccines will be out of reach for Black and Hispanic neighborhoods devastated by COVID-19
In the state's largest metropolitan areas, vaccine distribution centers like hospitals and pharmacies are more common in white, affluent neighborhoods. Full Story
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![People waited in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show Grounds in Mercedes on Jan. 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
UT-Austin keeping most classes virtual through January as coronavirus infections soar in Travis County
The flagship university in Austin is urging students to space out their return to campus for spring semester to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as cases in Travis County reach record highs. Full Story
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![Students walk around the University of Texas at Austin on Aug. 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding for The Texas Tribune -
Clogged phone lines and ethical dilemmas: Texas health providers scramble to roll out vaccine with little state guidance
More than 8 million Texans qualify to receive COVID-19 vaccines, but fewer than 2 million doses have shipped. Providers are facing clogged phone lines, crashing websites and tough decisions about who will get the first shots. Full Story
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![Jeffrey Warnken, R.Ph., right, and his wife Sandra Warnken R.Ph. organize vaccine paperwork at 38th St. Pharmacy in Austin on Jan. 7, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
More than two dozen of Texas’ rural hospitals haven’t received any COVID-19 vaccines
Those lucky enough to be near another provider with shots available are relying on neighborly generosity — encouraged but not mandated by the state — to innoculate front-line workers while they wait. Full Story
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![David Lee, Chief Executive Officer at Otto Kaiser Memorial Hospital in Kenedy, speaks with staff in the ER.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A frustrating vaccine rollout in Texas that should’ve been smoother
The vaccine rollout in Texas is bumpier than it ought to be, especially because the federal and state governments in charge of distributing vaccines have known for months that they’d be doing this as soon as the drugs were developed. Full Story
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![Tarrant County residents wait in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Esports Stadium in Arlington on Jan. 05, 2021.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Already in crisis, Texas hospitals treat record numbers of COVID-19 patients while preparing for another post-holiday surge
The state has reported at least 28,545 fatalities tied to the virus, available intensive care unit beds are at a low and health experts say Texans can’t vaccinate their way out of the current surge. Full Story
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![A nurse visits a patient in the COVID-19 ward at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Health System in Edinburg on June 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
About 200,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will be shipped next week to Texas, mostly for large “vaccination hubs”
Some doses will also go to smaller providers, while hubs will set up registration phone numbers and websites to streamline distribution, according to the state health agency. Full Story
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![Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Linda Yancey receives the fifth Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Medical Center in Houston on Dec. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
First Texas case of more contagious coronavirus variant identified in Harris County
It does not cause a more severe disease, and vaccines “are expected to be effective against it,” the health services department said of the strain. Full Story
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![A sign urges resident to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hidalgo County. Dec. 7, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Democrats ask Gov. Greg Abbott to overhaul COVID-19 vaccine distribution process
“The dearth of reliable public information leads to skepticism over the government’s ability to look out for the public health,” state Rep. Vikki Goodwin wrote in the letter, which 37 other House Democrats signed. Full Story
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![Eager valley residents look amongst the rows of cars lined up at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show Grounds in Mercedes. Area residents lined up overnight to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Jan 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Congressman Kevin Brady says he’s tested positive for COVID-19
Brady, a ranking member of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, said he will begin treatment Wednesday. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, spoke on a panel for the Lincoln Reagan Dinner, at the Bayou City Events Center in Houston in 2017.]()
Credit: Spike Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
Texas gives Medicaid recipients using Planned Parenthood until Feb. 3 to find new health care provider
The extension comes after the conservative U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in November sided with Texas officials who have long tried to block Planned Parenthood from participating in Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for the poor. Full Story
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![The exterior of Planned Parenthood's Downtown Austin Health Center on Jan. 14, 2020. The location was being renovated at time of capture.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
More vaccines on the way to Texas this week as the state's COVID-19 situation worsens
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas are at record levels, while just under half of the vaccine doses shipped to Texans have been given out, according to state numbers. Full Story
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![Vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are ready to be administered on Dec 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Early in the pandemic, Texas banned most abortions. After the ban lifted, second-trimester abortions jumped, a new study shows.
Texas officials cited a need to preserve medical supplies as a reason to crack down on abortions. A new study finds that many Texans left the state during this time seeking the procedure. Full Story
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![A women's health clinic in Texas.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger tests positive for coronavirus
Granger tested positive for the respiratory disease after arriving in Washington, D.C. and is “asymptomatic and feeling great,” her office said in a statement. Full Story
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![Incumbent U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, speaks to supporters at the Blue Mesa restaurant in Fort Worth during the 2020 primary election on March 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick says senators will be tested for coronavirus, seating will be limited for opening day of the Texas Senate
An announcement of protocols for the Jan. 12 event did not mention masks. Full Story
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![The state Senate floor in Austin on Mar. 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune