Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade
Read full article: Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenadeCeline Dion made a triumphant return Friday with a very public performance, closing out the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony from the Eiffel Tower.
COVID-19 summer 2024 update: University Health epidemiologist answers commonly asked questions
Read full article: COVID-19 summer 2024 update: University Health epidemiologist answers commonly asked questionsDr. Jason Bowling, a hospital epidemiologist with University Health and infectious disease specialist with UT Health San Antonio answers frequently asked questions about the COVID illness and the vaccine.
July 2024 COVID Q&A with Dr. Jason Bowling
Read full article: July 2024 COVID Q&A with Dr. Jason BowlingUniversity Health epidemiologist Dr. Jason Bowling explains on how long to wait to get vaccinated after a COVID infection, whether to get the vaccine if you've had COVID and if you can get more than one respiratory virus at a time.
To fight poverty, some Texas cities gave aid with no strings attached. Conservatives are pushing back.
Read full article: To fight poverty, some Texas cities gave aid with no strings attached. Conservatives are pushing back.Guaranteed income programs let participants use funds however they see fit. Critics argue they're not a good use of taxpayer dollars.
Biden and Trump ask voters if they're 'better off' than they were 4 years ago. It's complicated
Read full article: Biden and Trump ask voters if they're 'better off' than they were 4 years ago. It's complicatedBoth former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are posing the time-tested question “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”.
COVID-19 pandemic started 4 years ago today. Here’s what happened in San Antonio that week
Read full article: COVID-19 pandemic started 4 years ago today. Here’s what happened in San Antonio that weekFour years ago on March 11, life as we knew it changed as the World Health Organization announced that the coronavirus had become a pandemic.
Walgreens to pay $275,000 to settle allegations in Vermont about service during pandemic
Read full article: Walgreens to pay $275,000 to settle allegations in Vermont about service during pandemicWalgreens has agreed to pay $275,000 to settle allegations about service in some of the national pharmacy chain's Vermont stores during the coronavirus pandemic.
University Health shares respiratory disease rates as CDC issues warning about low immunizations
Read full article: University Health shares respiratory disease rates as CDC issues warning about low immunizationsLow vaccination rates and an increase in respiratory diseases could strain health care system, CDC says
Texas attorney general sues Pfizer, claiming vaccines didn’t end pandemic quickly enough
Read full article: Texas attorney general sues Pfizer, claiming vaccines didn’t end pandemic quickly enoughExperts argue other assertions made in the lawsuit filing are completely unsubstantiated, such as one claiming that vaccinated people were more likely to die from COVID-19, which Texas health data disputes.
In a hot oil and gas economy, a West Texas welder charts his own course one cup of coffee at a time
Read full article: In a hot oil and gas economy, a West Texas welder charts his own course one cup of coffee at a timeFabian Maldonado has supported his Odessa family for years on his welding salary. Wanting more, he’s gambling that a mobile coffee trailer can withstand the booms and busts of the industry.
Ban on COVID vaccine mandates by private businesses, including health care facilities, passes Texas Senate
Read full article: Ban on COVID vaccine mandates by private businesses, including health care facilities, passes Texas SenateThe bill offers no exceptions for doctors’ offices, clinics or other health facilities. Senators agreed to let those entities require unvaccinated employees to wear personal protective gear or take other “reasonable” measures to manage the spread.
For Texans with long COVID, specialized centers can provide more effective treatments — if they can access them
Read full article: For Texans with long COVID, specialized centers can provide more effective treatments — if they can access themLong 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.
Texas lawmakers again try to prohibit private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccines
Read full article: Texas lawmakers again try to prohibit private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccinesA Senate panel on Tuesday advanced such a measure. The debate centered largely around the safety of the vaccine and whether doctors’ offices and health care facilities should be exempt.
Hard times hitting home? Here are ways to avoid foreclosure amid pandemic
Read full article: Hard times hitting home? Here are ways to avoid foreclosure amid pandemicDuring a time in which some people are being furloughed or have lost their jobs altogether, the reality of foreclosure can become a scary thing.
Britain's COVID-19 response inquiry enters a second phase with political decisions in the spotlight
Read full article: Britain's COVID-19 response inquiry enters a second phase with political decisions in the spotlightBritain's inquiry into the response to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the nation has entered the second phase with political decision-making taking center stage.
Leading Long COVID expert becomes patient, using unique therapy to ease symptoms
Read full article: Leading Long COVID expert becomes patient, using unique therapy to ease symptomsFlow Therapy, also known as Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (or EECP), has been around for 20 years. It is mainly used for people with cardiovascular disease and heart failure, but it has recently shown success for many Long COVID patients.
To mask or not to mask? Biden goes both ways after first lady tests positive for COVID-19
Read full article: To mask or not to mask? Biden goes both ways after first lady tests positive for COVID-19President Joe Biden turned up in a mask for the first time in months on Tuesday, a day after his wife tested positive for COVID-19.
So, you have COVID. What is the latest recommendations for isolating, treating now?
Read full article: So, you have COVID. What is the latest recommendations for isolating, treating now?The virus caused major disruption to our lives and, understandably, many people were just hoping it would go away. Unfortunately, it hasn’t. And it probably won’t.
School district in South Texas temporarily closes due to uptick in COVID-19 cases
Read full article: School district in South Texas temporarily closes due to uptick in COVID-19 casesA school district in South Texas is closing temporarily after seeing a surge of COVID-19 cases among students and staff members.
Latest San Antonio Metro Health data shows COVID cases have increased 387% since early July
Read full article: Latest San Antonio Metro Health data shows COVID cases have increased 387% since early JulyCOVID-19 is still present in Bexar County, and we’re seeing a sharp rise in cases as kids return to school.
CDC reports increase in hospital admissions nationwide due to COVID-19
Read full article: CDC reports increase in hospital admissions nationwide due to COVID-19There’s been a 12.1% spike in hospitalizations across the country due to COVID-19 in the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Texas Supreme Court says Gov. Greg Abbott’s COVID ban on local mask rules was lawful
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court says Gov. Greg Abbott’s COVID ban on local mask rules was lawfulSeveral of Texas’ largest cities sought to put in place mask requirements, which Gov. Greg Abbott overturned. The ruling is a legal win for Republicans in Austin their ongoing symbolic fight with cities, often run by Democrats.
Texas school ratings show improvement compared to 2019, but those in poorer neighborhoods still lag
Read full article: Texas school ratings show improvement compared to 2019, but those in poorer neighborhoods still lagThis year’s TEA ratings were done differently than in previous years. Instead of the usual A-F ratings, which were last given in 2019, the agency gave only A-C ratings. Districts and schools that would have received a D or F instead received a “Not Rated” label this year.
UK was ill-prepared for pandemic because resources were diverted to Brexit, ex-health chief says
Read full article: UK was ill-prepared for pandemic because resources were diverted to Brexit, ex-health chief saysBritain's former health secretary has told an official inquiry that the U.K. was ill-prepared for a pandemic partly because government resources had been diverted away from pandemic planning to brace for a possibly chaotic no-deal Brexit.
Now that the pandemic is ‘over,’ we want to know how it changed your life
Read full article: Now that the pandemic is ‘over,’ we want to know how it changed your lifeThe World Health organization declared earlier this month that the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer an emergency, putting a three-year end to the virus that killed at least 7 million people and turned the world upside down.
Federal COVID-19 grant can help recipients pay past due mortgage, taxes & utilities
Read full article: Federal COVID-19 grant can help recipients pay past due mortgage, taxes & utilitiesMany people in Bexar County are still living with the financial consequences of COVID-19 on top of any lingering physical effects.
Texas schools say it’s time to stop tying mental health funding to school safety money
Read full article: Texas schools say it’s time to stop tying mental health funding to school safety moneyFederal pandemic aid helped build public school mental health services in Texas. School officials now brace for the expiration of those funds next year. They’re urging lawmakers to create a dedicated funding stream for mental health assistance in schools.
Lawmakers consider long-shot $2.3 billion proposal to keep struggling child care providers afloat
Read full article: Lawmakers consider long-shot $2.3 billion proposal to keep struggling child care providers afloatThree years after the COVID-19 pandemic upset the fragile child care industry, about a third of the state’s child care providers remain closed.
Community health groups celebrate education, vaccinations as COVID-19 emergency declaration ends
Read full article: Community health groups celebrate education, vaccinations as COVID-19 emergency declaration endsDr. Adelita Cantu was the first person in Bexar County to get the first COVID-19 shot in Bexar County in December 2020. Since then, she's joined a community-wide coalition to educate and vaccinate the community to reduce COVID deaths.
As Title 42 comes to an end, El Paso declares state of emergency
Read full article: As Title 42 comes to an end, El Paso declares state of emergencyEl Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said asylum-seekers are camping out on the sidewalks and staying at shelters in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, under the false notion that they will be allowed to enter the U.S. once Title 42 expires.
Japan to lift COVID-19 border controls before holiday week
Read full article: Japan to lift COVID-19 border controls before holiday weekJapan will lift most of its coronavirus border controls, including a requirement that entrants show proof of three vaccinations or a pre-departure negative test, beginning Saturday as the country’s Golden Week holiday season begins and a large influx of foreign tourists is expected.
Bexar County officials continue to see low turnout for updated booster vaccine
Read full article: Bexar County officials continue to see low turnout for updated booster vaccineData from the San Antonio COVID-19 Dashboard shows us that only 15.1 percent of people in Bexar County have the updated booster.
San Antonio COVID numbers declining, but latest variant causing concern
Read full article: San Antonio COVID numbers declining, but latest variant causing concernCOVID-19 cases continue to drop in the San Antonio area, but as the city prepares for bigger events like Fiesta, local health officials say people must stay vigilant.
Texas Rent Relief Program portal closing early after applications exceed available funding
Read full article: Texas Rent Relief Program portal closing early after applications exceed available fundingThe Texas Rent Relief Program is closing its portal for applications after being swarmed with requests just 24 hours into its launch.
Texas opening applications for $98 million in available funds for rent, utility relief
Read full article: Texas opening applications for $98 million in available funds for rent, utility reliefThe Texas Rent Relief Program has $98 million available to help people with rent and utility bills, and people will soon be able to apply for those funds.
UK health chief's leaked messages revive raw pandemic debate
Read full article: UK health chief's leaked messages revive raw pandemic debateCOVID-19 has shot back into the headlines in Britain through the leak of more than 100,000 private messages sent or received by the health minister as the government scrambled to respond to the new respiratory virus.
Ex-UK health chief defends record after COVID messages leak
Read full article: Ex-UK health chief defends record after COVID messages leakBritain’s former health minister is denying wrongdoing after a newspaper published extracts of private messages he sent in the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.
GOP launches probe into COVID origins with letter to Fauci
Read full article: GOP launches probe into COVID origins with letter to FauciHouse Republicans have kicked off an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 by issuing a series of letters to current and former Biden administration officials for documents and testimony.
More Americans apply for jobless benefits last week
Read full article: More Americans apply for jobless benefits last weekMore Americans filed for jobless benefits last week, but layoffs remain historically low despite the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate policy intended to cool the economy and bring down inflation.
Gov. Greg Abbott says he won’t give up COVID-era power until Texas lawmakers ban vaccine mandates, strengthen border
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott says he won’t give up COVID-era power until Texas lawmakers ban vaccine mandates, strengthen borderAbbott doubles down on his long-standing call to lawmakers to prohibit local governments from enacting mask and vaccine mandates.
EXPLAINER: How will we know if the U.S. is in recession?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: How will we know if the U.S. is in recession?A second consecutive quarter of economic growth underscored Thursday that the nation isn’t in a recession despite high inflation and the Federal Reserve’s fastest pace of interest rate hikes in four decades.
Several Texas Republicans against “critical race theory” advance in State Board of Education primary races
Read full article: Several Texas Republicans against “critical race theory” advance in State Board of Education primary racesAll 15 seats of the State Board of Education are up for grabs in November, and there were more than 50 candidates vying for their parties’ nominations.
U.S. Supreme Court rules to keep Title 42, the pandemic-era policy to quickly turn away migrants, for now
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court rules to keep Title 42, the pandemic-era policy to quickly turn away migrants, for nowThe court ordered the Biden administration to continue enforcing the policy while Texas and other states that want to keep the Trump-era rule in place prepare their legal arguments.
Texas elections secure despite COVID-related “irregularities” in 2020, audit finds
Read full article: Texas elections secure despite COVID-related “irregularities” in 2020, audit findsFour Texas counties were evaluated in a 359-page audit released by Secretary of State John Scott on Monday, two weeks before he steps down as chief election official.
White House reveals winter COVID-19 plans, more free tests
Read full article: White House reveals winter COVID-19 plans, more free testsThe Biden administration is once more making some free COVID-19 tests available to all U.S. households as it unveils its contingency plans for potential coronavirus surges this winter.