Gov. Greg Abbott this week swiftly ended countless community debates across Texas over whether masks should continue to be required in classrooms. Public schools can no longer mandate masks starting June 5, he said in his latest pandemic orders.
Officials at many Central Texas districts, which are scheduled to end the school year before the order goes into effect, said they would comply with Abbott s orders. Districts that defy the order, which applies to students, employees and visitors, could face a fine of up to $1,000.
Some districts including Round Rock, Eanes and Hays already had moved to make masks optional in June, after most classes end.
Thursday, May 13, 2021
The Texas Department of State Health Services announced that adolescent Texans between the ages of 12-15 are now eligible to receive a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Texas’ move follows federal guidance, allowing the newest age group to receive a vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the vaccine for adolescents on Monday and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended it for 12-15 year olds on Tuesday.
“While children are less likely than adults to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19, they can be infected with the virus and spread infection in their homes and communities,” said Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infections disease services, and chair of the state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel. “DSHS believes that promptly vaccinating the adolescents in this age group is another valuable tool that will help end the COVID-19 pandemic and have a direct and positive effect on schools be
Susan Valadez looks at a Texas Department of State Health Services advertisement encouraging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine before she enters a Walmart in Fort Worth on April 30, 2021. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune
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At its peak, the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Williamson County was administering about 4,000 doses per day.
Now it’s half that.
County health officials will close the North Austin drive-thru hub in mid-May, shifting the responsibility to a growing number of doctors, pharmacies, public health offices and other smaller providers who have closer relationships with and easier access to the county’s estimated 200,000 eligible residents who haven’t yet gotten vaccinated.