Budget cuts meant skimpier caches of protective equipment, and Texas’ chronic shortage of public health workers has made the response more difficult, experts said.
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.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Balancing higher health risks and spotty internet, reopening college in the Rio Grande Valley is a challenge
At UT-Rio Grande Valley, administrators spent a tense summer preparing for the fall semester while local coronavirus rates spiked, the area spiraled into further economic depression and debate raged across the nation about how to safely send college students back to school.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Share of positive COVID-19 cases as Texas reopened was higher than originally reported, new state calculations show
Public health experts say discrepancies in key metrics, such as the positivity rate, made it difficult for officials to make informed policy decisions.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott used pandemic as cover to ban abortions in Texas, former Planned Parenthood head says
Cecile Richards, a Texas native, made the comment in an interview during The Texas Tribune Festival that aired Wednesday. Limits on abortion access earlier this year spurred legal battles.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Analysis: It’s hard to make good pandemic policy if the Texas data is fuzzy
The state’s public health experts are changing their calculation of one of the governor’s go-to measures of the spread of coronavirus. It’s an improvement, but the new version has some bugs of its own.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas officials change how the state reports positivity rate after testing backlogs skewed coronavirus data
The Texas Department of State Health Services said it will now rely on a calculation that takes into account the date on which a coronavirus test was administered, rather than when it was reported.
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Coronavirus in Texas
“It’s like walking into a ghost town”: Under tight pandemic restrictions, college football returns to Austin
With just over 15,000 fans in a stadium that holds more than 100,000, the University of Texas kicked off the football season after requiring mandatory COVID-19 tests for students who attended the game.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas eased restrictions for nursing homes — but she still can’t see her mom and knows that isolation can be deadly
Jimmie Arnold’s mother-in-law and mother were in the same nursing home in Bryan when Gov. Greg Abbott barred all visitation to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, listen to why Arnold says after six months, it’s taking its toll.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas college football returns with thousands of fans in the stadiums as campus cases grow
The University of Texas at Austin will face off against The University of Texas at El Paso on Saturday with thousands of fans in the stadium and new safety precautions.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Lawmakers call on Gov. Greg Abbott to plan to expand broadband access as pandemic worsens disparities
A bipartisan group of 88 state lawmakers said in a letter that a statewide broadband plan is well overdue.