Some San Antonio City Council members say a city fund that, in part, could help cover the travel costs for women seeking legal, out-of-state abortions isn’t being rolled out quickly enough.

Most of the San Antonio City Council appears open to using at least part of the $500,000 Reproductive Justice Fund to help cover the costs of women traveling out of state to access legal abortions.

The FDA advisers give the green light to Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines for kids under the age of five. According to the White House, shots could be ready as soon as next week.

San Antonio Metropolitan Health District officials say it’s not a good idea to intentionally expose yourself to the virus amid strained hospital resources.

San Antonio and Bexar County officials came together Friday afternoon to update the public about the current status of COVID-19 in our area amid a continuous surge of cases and a third consecutive week at the “severe” risk level.

As the City of San Antonio and Bexar County continues to respond to the rising surge of new COVID-19 cases being reported daily, as well as an increase in demand for testing and an increase in hospitalizations, City and County officials will provide an update on efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus to help keep residents safe.

Local health officials are sounding the warning about “fake testing sites,” though it’s unclear how big of a problem those are at the moment.

The COVID-19 positivity rate in Bexar County has fallen three points this week and is now at 7.6%, and the risk level is now moderate.

Bexar County and San Antonio leaders are seeing a surge in hospitalizations and more people getting tested amid an increase of COVID-19 cases in our area and across the state.

Bexar County’s mask mandate for public schools is allowed to remain in effect after the latest in a back-and-forth court battle between the county and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

San Antonio and Bexar County officials painted a grim picture of what frontline responders are facing right now during the latest coronavirus surge fueled by the delta variant.

The Bexar County Health Authority has issued a health directive for schools after a judge granted San Antonio and the county a temporary restraining order against Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates in schools.

Effectively, the ruling allows Bexar County and San Antonio officials to issue a mask mandate in public schools and other guidance like quarantine protocol - for now.

The 7-day rolling average is 126 cases, and four new deaths were reported this week.

A plea is resounding from local health leaders in Bexar County when it comes to the new Delta COVID-19 variant and vaccines. They're asking people to ensure they get the second dose of two-shot vaccines, like Pfizer and Moderna.

Metro Health is urging people to get the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccines, reminding that both doses are required for maximum protection.

Vaccination numbers continue to grow in Bexar County, but not everyone is ready, or possibly able, to get their first dose yet.

Nirenberg reported 558,995 first-dose COVID-19 vaccines have been administered. He said 341,895 people are fully vaccinated.

SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County Health Authority Dr. Junda Woo on Tuesday issued a fourth amendment to the current health directive related to school systems in Bexar County, which remain in the Red Zone. The revised health directive now allows for virtual or hybrid learning in the Red Zone, but stresses the importance of restricting other gatherings when community COVID-19 levels are high. AdHere are some of the latest recommendations in the amended health directive:Contact sports should be deferred. Additionally, staff should wear eye protection when working indoors and within 6 feet of students who are unable to wear masks. In the event of Stay Home, Work Safe or similar orders, in-person learning will cease for the duration of the orders.

(Photo by Go Nakamura/Getty Images)SAN ANTONIO – Even as more San Antonio residents get vaccinated, COVID-19 trends have continued at alarming rates, with virus-related hospitalizations hitting an all-time high at area hospitals on Tuesday. During the county’s daily COVID-19 update, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg confirmed the grim news about the hospitalization record. With more than 180 new COVID-19 hospital admissions reported, officials said area hospitals are currently caring for 1,318 people afflicted with the virus, the most since the pandemic began last year. The worsening situation will likely result in a greater number of deaths related to COVID-19, San Antonio Metro Health Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo said. The peak in hospitalizations comes amid rising new COVID-19 infections, although reporting dates have been staggered due to the holidays.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Tuesday night. Nirenberg reported 124,800 total COVID-19 cases and 1,574 total deaths in Bexar County, an increase of 2,152 new cases as of Tuesday. Nirenberg said the new cases reported on Tuesday is a new single-day record high since the beginning of the pandemic. City officials also reported that 1,318 patients are hospitalized, 369 are in the intensive care unit and 185 are on ventilators. The last all-time high was reported on July 13, with 1,267 COVID-19 patients in the hospital.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Metro Health issued a new directive on Tuesday advising against in-person education, but school districts in Bexar County aren’t planning on closing campuses. Northeast ISD, Northside ISD and San Antonio ISD say that students who are already on-campus will be able to stay there. “We’re staying open because our schools are safe. We’re staying open because our data shows there’s no spread. We’re staying open because our safety protocols are effective,” NEISD spokeswoman Aubrey Chancellor said.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Metro Health Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo has issued an amended health directive that says “in-person instruction is not recommended at this time” for schools in San Antonio and Bexar County. “The school indicator bar is in the Red Zone, which means in-person learning is not recommended,” Woo said. In-person learning should be highly restricted and take place with fixed pods of six students at most. Image courtesy of San Antonio Metro Health. Related: Metro Health issues recommendations against indoor dining and gatherings

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Tuesday night. Nirenberg reported 89,940 total COVID-19 cases and 1,406 total deaths in Bexar County, an increase of 1,294 new cases as of Tuesday. City officials also reported that 646 patients are hospitalized, 220 are in the intensive care unit and 114 are on ventilators. The school COVID-19 risk level is “high.” Dr. Junda Woo, medical director of the Metropolitan Health District, issued an amended health directive on Tuesday with guidance for public and private schools. View the health directive below or click here:

SAN ANTONIO – The Northside American Federation of Teachers is demanding that the district follow Metro Health’s recommendations for schools. The union also urged San Antonio Metropolitan Health District Medical Director, Dr. Junda Woo and other city officials to advocate for students and staff. However, we remain confident in the health protocols and safety measures in place at all District schools and facilities. These protocols will continue to be practiced on a routine basis and we ask that you reinforce them at home. The letter reminded parents that students and staff who traveled internationally over Thanksgiving should self-quarantine for 14 days before returning to in-person learning.

SAN ANTONIO – Dr. Junda Woo, the Bexar County health authority, issued a new health directive on Monday, recommending that people not dine in at establishments or gather indoors with people they do not live with to decrease the spread of COVID-19. When you have to be around others, try to bring in fresh air by opening a window or increasing ventilation. Bundle up, mask up and stay safe.”See guidance from Metro Health in the directive below or click here. To view other public service announcements on social distancing, prevention and testing by the county, click here. Coronavirus update San Antonio, Nov. 30: Leaders report 1,117 new COVID-19 cases; positivity rate down to 9.2%

SAN ANTONIO – The city of San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District wants to keep people informed when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, which is not yet available. In its effort to educate and inform Bexar County residents about vaccine developments, Metro Health even created a COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Committee. Early in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program, there will be a limited supply of the vaccine, health officials said, adding that supply will increase into 2021. Once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved for distribution, Metro Health will follow CDC and the Texas Department of State Health Services’ recommendations on vaccine allocation and priorities and will update the local plan accordingly, as needed. To keep the community informed about the changing situation, Metro Health and community partners will host virtual town halls to answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.

SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s Note: Watch the entire briefing in the video player above. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Thursday night. Nirenberg reported 53,971 total COVID-19 cases and 1,073 total deaths in Bexar County, as of Thursday, an increase of 177 new cases. Five new deaths were reported today. City officials also reported that 231 patients are hospitalized, 87 are in the intensive care unit and 36 are on ventilators.

SAN ANTONIO – The latest dashboard developed by the University of Texas in Austin COVID-19 Modeling Consortium covers the entire state. Lauren Ancel Meyers, the consortium director, said projecting the spread of the virus not only uses cellphone mobility patterns, it also relies on hospital admissions. “We are not looking at case counts or test positivity, we are only looking at hospitalization data,” Meyers said. The dashboard also includes the projected mortality rates, the reproductive rates of how many will be infected and the spread of new cases. “This model is one of many that we’re aware of, and they all roughly align," said Metro Health medical director Dr. Junda Woo.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez, along with Metro Health Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo, updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Thursday night. Here are a few of the highlights:Nirenberg reported 45,811 total COVID-19 cases and 767 total deaths in Bexar County, as of Thursday, an increase of 189 new cases. Rodriguez said the Bexar County Commissioners Court is working to make voting safer and more accessible amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Rodriguez said commissioners are exploring mega voting sites to maximize social distancing, 24-hour polling locations during early voting and increased curbside or drive-thru options. Greg Abbott increased the early voting period , giving people more opportunities to cast their ballot before Election Day.

SAN ANTONIO – The Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio has created a solution for parents searching for a place where their student can learn while most campuses continue virtual learning during the first few weeks of school. Last month, Metropolitan Health District Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo issued a health directive stating that virtual learning should continue until Sept. 7th. The Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio (BGCSA) will launch a Learning Pod program to help students succeed away from the classroom. AdGarvens said many of the kids struggled with virtual learning and experienced setbacks with their curriculum. RELATED: UIW offers free back-to-school vaccines for San Antonio school children

SAN ANTONIO The City of San Antonio has added a new school safety indicator to its COVID-19 dashboard to help school districts and parents understand the current risk level to reopening schools to in-person learning. The indicator, which was revealed Wednesday during a virtual town hall hosted by the city, shows the current risk level is at high, which is the red zone. Dr. Junda Woo, the Metro Health medical director, says when the risk level is at red or yellow, reopening schools is optional. The green zone means the risk level is low, but social distancing guidelines and face masks are still necessary. The COVID-19 Pre-K - 12 consultation group came up with the recommendation to create the new school safety indicator tool.

SAN ANTONIO The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District will issue an amended health directive next week that will include recommendations to guide school districts on safe restarting of face-to-face instruction. Greg Abbott and other top GOP state leaders released a statement saying that local health authorities cant preemptively close schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a news release, city officials said they disagreed with the analysis of state officials regarding the Texas Health and Safety Code, which local officials said grants the local health authority powers beyond quarantine, namely powers to institute preventative measures. The goal of an amended health directive is to relieve the confusion and uncertainty for families, teachers and school administrators and to provide recommendations and health indicators for schools to consider as they return to in-person instruction, the news release said. Woo will gather input from other health experts and school stakeholders based upon health indicators for the amended health directive.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and other local leaders updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Thursday night. Here are a few of the highlights:Nirenberg reported 40,253 total COVID-19 cases and 347 total deaths in Bexar County, as of Thursday, an increase of 1,323 new cases. This is the first time hospitalizations have dropped below 1,000 since June 30, according to the citys dashboard. Kevin Wolff, commissioner for Bexar County, filled in for Judge Nelson Wolff today. Nirenberg said anyone who needs mental health support should call the Texas Health and Human Services hotline at 1-833-986-1919.

SAN ANONIO The City of San Antonio will be hosting a virtual town hall on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. on the reopening of schools. The town hall will include a live discussion with co-chairs of the COVID-19 PreK-12 consultation group co-chaired by Dr. Junda Woo, the San Antonio medical director, and David Nungaray, the Bonham Academy principal. During the town hall, the city will also reveal the new school safety indicator that will be included on the citys COVID-19 dashboard. There will be several ways to watch the town hall including the citys website, Facebook page and TV channel. KSAT will also live stream the town hall.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Thursday night. Here are a few of the highlights:Nirenberg reported 34,633 total COVID-19 cases and 298 total deaths in Bexar County, as of Thursday, an increase of 1,078 new cases. We are running out of room in the jail to separate them, he said about the inmates. Woo said Metro Health is testing at nursing homes and other similar facilities as close as possible to once a week. Track daily spikes in COVID-19 cases in San Antonio, Bexar CountyMORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT:

SAN ANTONIO City officials confirmed Thursday the East Side nursing home designated earlier this year to house COVID-19 positive patients has reduced its number of residents. We understand that HHSC (Health and Human Services Commission) remains on site doing intensive work with River City. The facility has intentionally reduced the number of residents it is serving so they can provide attentive care to a smaller number of patients. Seven residents at River City have died from COVID-19 complications since the start of the pandemic. River City was one of two San Antonio nursing homes chosen in April to house COVID-19 positive patients.

San Antonio Students may be off of Bexar County campuses until after Labor Day, but at least some on a task force meant to advise the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District are still wary. The task force, which a Metro Health spokeswoman describes as more of an ad-hoc group of advisors, consists of district officials, health experts, teachers, students and other community members. It has met once so far, on Thursday, the day before Metro Health Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo issued a health directive for all K-12 schools, public or private, in Bexar County. The new directive Woo issued forbids schools from re-opening for in-person instruction until at least after Labor Day on Sep. 7. But I think they can listen even harder.The list of task force members, as provided by the city, includes the following:

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Thursday night. Here are a few of the highlights:Nirenberg reported 27,047 total COVID-19 cases and 229 total deaths in Bexar County, as of Thursday, an increase of 691 new cases. Probable cases in San Antonio are just the positive antigen tests, Nirenberg said. Wolff said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar will join the panel on Friday to discuss the COVID-19 response at the jail. Track daily spikes in COVID-19 cases in San Antonio, Bexar CountyMORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT:

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and other local officials updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Thursday night. Here are a few of the highlights:Nirenberg reported 17,679 total COVID-19 cases and 165 total deaths in Bexar County , as of Thursday, an increase of 954 new cases. Six of those deaths were current, and 13 of them occurred over the past three weeks. The older deaths were reported after the medical examiner conducted post-mortem COVID-19 tests on cadavers of people who had symptoms related to the virus. Track daily spikes in COVID-19 cases in San Antonio, Bexar CountyMORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT:

SAN ANTONIO COVID-19 is affecting thousands of young adults in Bexar County, with more than 2,000 people between the ages of 20 to 29 testing positive for the virus. KSAT spoke with three young adults who described their experiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic:Tiffanie JewTiffanie Jew, who is 26 years old, recently graduated from Texas A&M San Antonio. Jew tested positive for COVID-19 and believes she got the virus from a family member. Im not going to resort to fear as a motive, and I resort to my faith with what I do, Santos said. NOTE: Watch the story in the video player above to learn more about the young adults experiences.

Here are a few of the highlights:Nirenberg reported 2,636 COVID-19 cases and 72 deaths in Bexar County , as of Friday. She said Metro Health saw accumulating positive case numbers, and residents and staff members were tested. She also said Metro Health can go into these facilities to test earlier than scheduled if there are positives. Nirenberg said the city has now done 100% universal testing at 62 of the 67 nursing homes in the area. Coronavirus data: San Antonio cases stabilizing, but officials urge vigilance to avoid second waveMORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT:

SAN ANTONIO – Metropolitan Health District officials are warning about the dangers of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine after reports that President Donald Trump said he is taking it to prevent the novel coronavirus. Dr. Junda Woo, medical director of the Metro Health, advises against taking the drug for COVID-19. Trump attacks study, defends using malaria drug for COVID-19“We don't have conclusive science right now to show that it helps,” Woo said, adding that taking the drug could yield dangerous side effects. She isn’t saying the drug could not have an effect on the coronavirus, but it's too early to tell. Woo said it is promising to see that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization for the drug remdesivir.

According to Metro Health, there aren’t many simple answers when it comes to the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19. And it depends on whether your test goes to the Metro Health lab or a private lab. What should I do about the coronavirus without health insurance, paid sick leave? A doctor would make that determination and then contact Metro Health for a test. Woo said Metro Health is joining the CDC in recommending that seniors think twice before going to mass gatherings.