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The Houston Chronicle’s Live Updates blog documents the latest events of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the Houston area, the state of Texas and across the United States
Latest updates of the day
11:28 Should you insure your next vacation?
With COVID cases skyrocketing, there is uncertainty as to whether people can keep their travel plans ahead. One solution to alleviating some concerns about the future, according to the Washington Post, is to purchase travel insurance.
But who benefits from your travel insurance and what does it cover? Is it worth the cost?
10h53 The United States Food and Drug Administration recommends a third COVID-19 vaccine for people who are immunocompromised.
Houston Methodist will begin administering these injections on Monday, writes journalist Julie Garcia. Check here if you are eligible.
10:36 Last week, Montgomery County broke its record for COVID-19 hospitalizations during the pandemic, writes reporter Hannah Dellinger.
And the vast majority of new cases and hospitalizations involve unvaccinated people. As of Friday, 50% of the county’s residents were vaccinated.
9:44 In this week’s COVID support service, reporter Gwendolyn Wu answered questions about the need for better masks, whether the delta variant spreads easily on surfaces, and what a fully vaccinated person should do to ensure safety of others if they test positive for COVID-19.
9:11 A rapidly growing number of places across the United States are requiring people to prove they have been vaccinated, according to a recent Associated Press article.
To teach in a school, work in a hospital, see a concert or eat in a restaurant, cities like New York, New Orleans and San Francisco require that people be vaccinated against COVID-19 first.
8:22 With less than three weeks to kick off, Texas A&M football is at least 85 percent vaccinated, Chronicle’s Brent Zwerneman reports.
Coach Jimbo Fisher said on Sunday the Aggies football team was “in a very good shape” heading into the team’s first game of the season against Kent State.
“We’re extremely high, we’re in the mid-80s or so (as a percentage) and we’re working on our rate… guys are doing a really good job,” Fisher said. “We’re not at 100 (percent) but… it’s everyone’s individual choice.”
The Aggies open their season Sept. 4 at Kyle Field.
8:12 Ron Rivera, head coach of the NFL Washington football team, had strong words about vaccine misinformation in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
“You have some, quite frankly, (swear words) spreading a bunch of false information, leading people to die,” Rivera said in this morning’s MMQB column.
Rivera, who was treated for skin cancer last year, has been openly frustrated by his team’s reluctance to get the shot. Washington was one of two teams less than 50% vaccinated in mid-July.
7:56 a.m. For the first time in 50 years, a woman runs OTC.
Leigh Ann Runyan is now tasked with bringing back Houston’s biggest convention, as yet another deadly wave of COVID-19 looms.
After being canceled last year due to COVID, the conference returns today.
Schlumberger, the world’s largest oil services company, will not be present, however. The company made the “difficult decision” to drop out on Friday after speaking with officials at Texas Medical Center about the local increase in coronavirus cases.
Runyan, who lives in Dallas, spoke to Shelby Webb of the Pre-OTC Chronicle about how she and her team kick-started the conference, what’s changed, and how her past experience helped her rise to one of the biggest logistical challenges of the history of the conference.
You can read Webb’s Q&A with Runyan here.
7:19 To get as many Texans vaccinated as possible, the Houston Chronicle editorial board says it’s time to start reaching out to people who can be reached.
“The individual persuasion approach is not necessarily the most effective,” the editorial board wrote, “but it may be the most effective for vaccine proponents who have resisted any other large-scale push.”
You can read more editorials from the Chronicle opinion desk, which is separate from the newsroom, on their Editorials landing page.
7:06 The biggest risk to oil prices this week comes from the continued spread of the delta variant and its potential impact on energy demand, analysts said.
6:58 More than 46% of eligible Texans had still not been totally unvaccinated as of last week.
You can visit our interactive page for more graphics and maps tracing the spread of COVID and the distribution of vaccines.
6:55 a.m. Young patients were once thought to be immune from COVID, but Julian Gill’s new report on a Galveston intensive care unit plagued by the delta variant paints a different picture.
“A lot of young people think they are invincible, but we have no immunity to this virus,” says Dr. Gulshan Sharma in the story. “A lot of (young) people keep looking at how the death rate is 1% or 2%, but for them the death rate is either 100% or 0… or he’s going to come out or he’s going to die. “
In Texas, COVID infects more people in their 30s than any other age group, with people in their 20s in second place.
6:45 a.m. Over the weekend, the Texas Supreme Court revived Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask warrants in Dallas and Bexar counties, giving the governor a victory in the ongoing battle over requirements for masks in schools.
The similar but separate Harris County case is unaffected by Sunday’s decision, and local officials said they plan to keep their rules in place. But a sweeping move by all-Republican judges could affect Harris County and other jurisdictions that have passed mask requirements.
Sunday’s stay is also temporary, as the court has yet to issue a final decision in the case. The case will continue to be heard in lower courts; Bexar County has one hearing today and Dallas County has a one week hearing starting Tuesday.
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