The virus has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 U.S. health care workers; others could face lasting mental scars. It’s “the time when we’re needed most,” one doctor said, “and we’re burned out.”
Edgar Walters
Edgar Walters worked at the Tribune from 2013 to 2020, most recently covering health and human services. Before that, he had a political reporting fellowship with the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Berlin. He is a graduate of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked as an editor for The Daily Texan. When not in the newsroom or at the Capitol, he could be found on the volleyball court, standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas may receive initial coronavirus vaccine doses for 1.4 million people this month, Gov. Greg Abbott says
The governor said a vaccine could start arriving by mid-December. The state has said health care workers will be the first to receive voluntary vaccinations.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas must boost coronavirus control efforts amid “full resurgence” of infections, White House report says
Among the task force’s recommendations: Officials in Texas should significantly reduce capacity in indoor spaces, including those that are privately owned.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas again sets record for new coronavirus infections as testing also sees sustained highs
The apparent record comes one day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Public health authorities have urged people to celebrate apart this year as many Texas hospitals report overwhelming volumes of COVID-19 patients.
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Coronavirus in Texas
These health care workers will be first in line for a COVID-19 vaccine
Hospital-based nurses, doctors, custodians are among the state’s “first tier” of vaccine recipients once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves one or more for the public.
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Coronavirus in Texas
COVID-19 vaccines may be coming soon, but most Texans won’t get them for months. Here’s why.
Officials are preparing for the massive undertaking of distributing a vaccine that may require multiple doses and subzero storage temperatures across a state that covers 270,000 square miles and some 170 rural counties.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas’ new coronavirus surge is leaving critically sick patients stranded in rural areas, hospitals say
Rural hospitals say they’re in a bind as larger facilities in places like Lubbock, Amarillo and El Paso fill with coronavirus patients and often cannot accept gravely ill patients who need more advanced care than small hospitals can offer.
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Health care
Texas social workers will no longer be allowed to discriminate against LGBTQ Texans and people with disabilities
The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council voted unanimously to restore protections for social workers’ LGBTQ and disabled clients after backlash from advocates and lawmakers.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Coronavirus hospitalizations are up in Texas as some fear the state is headed toward another surge
Experts blame social gatherings like birthday parties and football games for the recent upticks. They say there is widespread fatigue for following stringent guidelines to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid crowded indoor spaces.
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Health care
New Texas rule lets social workers turn away clients who are LGBTQ or have a disability
A professional organization of social workers called the change “incredibly disheartening,” while Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said it was necessary to conform with existing state law.