Coronavirus in Texas 4/8: The latest developments on the pandemic
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2e862e645e5e598715441d0d071ae8ba/El%20Paso%20During%20Coronavirus%20Pandemic%20TT%2040.jpg)
-
![A medical workrs walks near Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso.]()
Credit: Emily Kinskey for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus is spreading in Texas nursing homes. But the state won't share the details.
Families and advocates for nursing home residents are calling on Texas officials to release the numbers and names of facilities where coronavirus infection has been reported, as other states have done. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fabfc5937bcbf3b041e6fb8f5bb94d4d/Tomball%20Nursing%20Home%20MS%20TT%2002.jpg)
![Paramedics disinfect a gurney in their ambulance before leaving a 131-bed nursing home in Tomball. The nursing home is the site where an elderly man lived before dying this week of a COVID-19 infection. March 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Food banks rely on donations from grocery stores. But as Texans rush stores, grocers have less to give.
Demand for assistance from food banks is off the charts. But volunteers are staying at home, and grocery stores, which typically are key donors to pantries, are seeing their shelves depleted. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5ce54d3c223d206c28b19fe0bd064bd9/Austin%20food%20bank%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![People in over 3,000 vehicles made their way to the parking lot of Nelson Field at Northeast Early College High School in northeast Austin to pick up a 30-pound box of food on April 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziel/USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters -
Texas can enforce abortion ban during coronavirus pandemic, federal appeals court rules
Republican state officials have said barring the procedure in almost all cases is essential for preserving hospital resources during the pandemic. Abortion providers call it political opportunism — and unconstitutional. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b7d8616c2d3560ab80901dc77d6fbdcd/Planned%20Parenthood%20EG%2020%20TT.jpg)
![A Planned Parenthood examination room in Austin on Jan. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas cities: See how social distancing could reduce stress on hospitals
New estimates from University of Texas at Austin researchers show what it would take to spread out hospitalizations in 22 Texas metro areas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5e7a30d395bccc381c77f63f9d8f3328/social-distancing-pointer-02.gif)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Emily Albracht -
Texas Democrats again sue to ease vote-by-mail rules during coronavirus pandemic
The Texas Democratic Party is asking both federal and state courts to rule on whether any voter in upcoming elections should be able to ask for an absentee ballot to mail in and avoid possible infection at polling places. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5f9c250715f2cda4825df8cd940bbf52/Mail%20in%20Ballot%20TT.jpg)
![Mail-in ballot envelopes at the Travis County Elections division headquarters.]()
Credit: Charlie Pearce for The Texas Tribune -
Cancel chemo or risk compromised immune system? Cancer patients and oncologists confront coronavirus challenges
To combat coronavirus, hospitals and medical providers were told to cancel procedures and surgeries that aren't urgent. But cancer patients facing delayed chemotherapy treatments say the stakes are higher for them. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/78ed0c2cce3d37e9deded7d8db94dc87/01%20Medical%20Care%20Urgent%20Care%20MN%20TT.jpg)
![A doctor cares for a patient at MedSpring Urgent Care clinic on South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road in Austin.]()
Credit: Martin do Nascimento for The Texas Tribune -
Texas City nursing home residents with coronavirus being treated with unproven hydroxychloroquine drug
The physician and nursing home medical director who prescribed the drug is a campaign surrogate for President Donald Trump. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/40d46342f8b5b6fc0986e983fe33b20e/Coronavirus%20Sanitizer%20REUTERS%20TT%2004.jpg)
![A coronavirus safety sign and sanitizing products at the entrance to Ventec Life Systems, a ventilator manufacturer that has seen a large increase in demand since the global coronavirus disease outbreak began. Washington, March 18, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson -
Watch Gov. Greg Abbott deliver the latest on efforts to contain the coronavirus in Texas
With nearly 7,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday, Abbott will relay what the state is doing to contain the spread of the infectious disease. Watch live starting at 2 p.m. Central. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/31ca6d204e6d955a67c1c770ccdb8a20/Abbott%20Mobilizes%20National%20Guard%20JV%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announces the activation of the Texas National Guard in response the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement was made from the Governor's Conference Room in the Texas Department of Emergency Management Command Center. Abbott was joined by Chief Nim Kidd, head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar/POOL via The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: What makes a business essential depends on where you sit
Nonessential businesses in Texas (and elsewhere) have been told to close — a measure intended to increase social distance and to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. But every business is essential to someone. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6be2aac1a88e6279d3740c764271903c/Book%20People%20CR%20TT.jpg)
![Book People book store in Austin.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Health care workers on the front lines of coronavirus don't get expanded paid sick leave protections
The Labor Department has urged employers to “be judicious” in exempting their workers. Critics say the exemption hurts nurses and doctors, who have already complained about their lack of protective equipment. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0a6c6fb09f08da3dcce75103b2b0a206/Drive%20Up%20Testing%20Site%20Kyle%20EG%20%20TT%2015.jpg)
![Licensed vocational nurse Ahmad Nejat looks over as he meets with the COVID-19 testing team at the Austin Regional Center testing site in Kyle on March 31, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas 4/5: State reports 6,812 cases and 127 deaths
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/265124cc82f7c1f30e200ce2a2386c48/covid-19_testsite_RM_6.jpg)
![Harris County Health Department nurse Harriet Lewis administers a test at a Harris Co. testing site located at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown on March 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Reggie Mathalone for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas 4/4: Officials investigate San Antonio nursing home experiencing outbreak
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b172f7b08bd46a4eecc1f0a328677b74/ATX%20COVID%20Medical%20MG%20TT%2002.jpg)
![Medical personnel walk along an elevated walkway at the Dell Seton Medical Center on March 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott isn't calling it a stay-at-home order. But he's telling Texans to stay at home.
The order "requires all Texans to stay at home except to provide essential services or do essential things like going to the grocery store," Abbott said this week. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6f5d563162f45c656704162c1b2d4c91/Abbott%20Covid%20Presser%20March%2031%20POOL%20TT%2004.jpg)
![Gov. Greg Abbott, flanked by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, left, and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, speaks during a press conference at the state Capitol over the state's response to the coronavirus on March 31, 2020.]()
Credit: Nick Wagner/POOL via American-Statesman -
Along the border, the population is high risk for coronavirus, but testing is in short supply
Gov. Greg Abbott promised that all those who need a coronavirus test “will get one,” but near the border tests are scarce, and the death toll is beginning to rise. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/39717b5eba6f7848ada7d28093666ae3/Drive%20Up%20Testing%20Site%20Kyle%20EG%20%20TT%2022.jpg)
![Kristen Howell, a licensed vocational nurse, relays patient information to the testing team at the Austin Regional Clinic COVID-19 drive-up testing site in Kyle on March 31, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: It’s still religion even if you’re not congregating in person
To help keep the new coronavirus at bay, Gov. Greg Abbott wants us to stay away from each other, but he made an exception for church services. That was a critical mistake during the 1918 flu pandemic. It still is. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/979011fcb26f14e09955dca1f9e21f98/02_St_Marys_Cathedral_MG_TT.jpg)
![The interior of St. Mary Cathedral in downtown Austin on Jan. 30, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus outbreak at Texas City nursing home follows cluster of patients at San Antonio facility
Officials in both regions are tracking the movements of nursing home staffers, many of whom work at multiple facilities. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/be75d6d3a905556a91a9d9167ae793f3/Coronavirus%20Lab%20Results%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![A test tube with 2019-nCoV on the label on January 29, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic -
“A church is hands on”: Why these Texas churches aren't closing their doors
As religious groups across the state move their services online in response to COVID-19 and local governments mandate stay-at-home orders, there are still some who say in-person gatherings are an integral part of their faith. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7282b49a36dabadaeb3619a59bf5c04b/Church%20Prayer%20IPA%20TT%2026.jpg)
![A parishioner prays in a church in Texas.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Despite coronavirus risks, some Texas religious groups are worshipping in person — with the governor's blessing
COVID-19 has spread rapidly in Texas, and many congregations closed their doors and moved religious services online. But there are some religious groups who say it’s their right to remain open because they believe they provide an essential service to their communities. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/65f6059a4a1f8a50bcd80972c16f0c55/City%20on%20a%20Hill%20Church%20Houston%20MS%20TT%2032.jpg)
![Worshippers arrive for a church service at City on a Hill Church in Houston. Rubber gloves were handed out as people arrived and a sign on the door asked people to sit six feet apart as a precaution. April 1, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Expecting a rush of COVID-19 patients, hospitals prepare their most important resource: health care workers
With elective procedures canceled, hospitals are reassigning staff. But even the best-laid plans may go awry if clinicians fall ill in large numbers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8ee7e7363bbf66f7fcb95d758dd019a0/Houston%20COVID%20File%20MS%2098.jpg)
![Outside the trauma center at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston on April 1, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune