At any given time, thousands of Texas prisoners have been approved for parole but not yet released. At least 42 of those people died in the 12 months after the coronavirus first swept the state.
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.
Watch: Meet the Texas doctors on a mission to vaccinate their rural communities
Worried about a possible resurgence of COVID-19 infections, doctors Carolyn Salter and her husband, Michael Gorby, have taken it upon themselves to get lagging vaccination rates up in rural East Texas.
Some medically vulnerable Texans feel left behind as the state returns to normal
The possibility that the vaccine won’t work — or that, as some worry, it could even hurt them — is a devastating blow after a year of sacrifice, isolation and waiting for protection against the virus.
Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill to punish businesses that require proof of COVID-19 vaccination
Abbott’s signature means that businesses that require so-called vaccine passports can’t get state contracts and could lose state licenses or operating permits.
Texas lawmakers responded to the pandemic by limiting what the government can do in response to a pandemic
Lawmakers didn’t succeed in curtailing the governor’s power during a disaster, but they did pass bills that prohibit so-called vaccine passports and ban the mandatory closure of churches and gun stores.
Effort to curb governor’s pandemic emergency powers falls short at Texas Legislature
The proposal’s low bill number signaled it was a priority of new House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican who referred to the legislation as “the House’s blueprint for pandemic response.”
Without child care, Texas’ unemployed mothers are struggling to reenter the workforce as federal benefits cease
Many Texas mothers are ready to return to work, but a lack of child care is keeping them at home. Alicia Reed worries how she will provide for her four children after her federal unemployment benefits are cut at the end of June.
Texas youth show up in “amazing” numbers as state tries to vaccinate 1.7 million children now eligible for COVID-19 shot
In the days since the federal approval of the shot for their age group, about 6% of Texas children ages 12-15 have gotten a dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Gov. Greg. Abbott says no public schools or government entities will be allowed to require masks
While 30% of Texans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the vast majority of children are unvaccinated. The Pfizer vaccine was authorized last week for children as young as 12.
What it’s like to be a doctor in training in the middle of a pandemic
After years of studying how to practice medicine, they quickly learned how to treat COVID-19 patients, relay difficult news to loved ones and manage their own mental health during a pandemic.



