Five years after Texas’ first COVID death, the state spends less on public health, vaccination rates have dropped and a distrust of authority has taken hold.
Coronavirus in Texas
As the coronavirus spread across the state, The Texas Tribune covered the most important health, economic, academic and breaking developments that affected Texans. Our map tracker showed the number of cases, deaths, tests and vaccinations in Texas from 2020-22.
For Texans with long COVID, specialized centers can provide more effective treatments — if they can access them
Long COVID clinics in Texas are few and far between, often with months-long waitlists. But these centers can provide care that validates stigmatized patients, offers unique treatments and teaches physicians more about the new condition.
Texans brace for the end of nearly three years of pandemic Medicaid coverage
Millions of Texans — mostly children, young adults and new moms — stayed on Medicaid for the duration of the pandemic. The state will soon start reevaluating eligibility.
Texas hits 1,000 days under Greg Abbott’s public health disaster as a new COVID-19 wave and legislative session loom
After more than 92,000 deaths and 8 million reported COVID-19 cases in Texas, the state remains one of less than a dozen still under a statewide disaster or public health emergency.
Watch Anthony Fauci speak at the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival
The nation’s top infectious disease specialist on the pandemic without end and his future plans.
T-Squared: We’re sunsetting our COVID-19 data tracker
After nearly two and a half years, we’re no longer tracking daily coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, deaths and vaccinations in Texas.
How coronavirus impacted Texas: Hospitalizations, vaccinations, cases and deaths
From April 2020 to August 2022, the Texas Tribune used data from the Texas Department of State Health Services to track coronavirus hospitalizations, vaccinations, cases and deaths. We stopped updating these numbers in August 2022.
Familiar racial disparities emerge in first month of COVID-19 vaccinations for the youngest Texans
Kids ages 6 months to 4 years became eligible for the vaccine last month. Experts say a number of factors could be hampering parents from getting their kids vaccinated.
Texans have been slow to vaccinate their youngest against COVID-19, but they’re slightly ahead of the national average
For some parents of kids under 5 who want to vaccinate them, the wait has been excruciating, fraught with delays and close calls. Others are hesitant to have their young children vaccinated.
Experts say Texas is ready for latest COVID-19 uptick but advise caution
It’s still unclear what the increase in cases will mean for the state, but doctors and hospitals say Texas is better prepared to face a surge than before.

