During Monday’s briefing, Turner said the Houston Health Department had reported 777 cases of COVID-19, bringing Houston’s total to 111,211. In addition to the new cases, Turner reported three more deaths from the virus, bringing the total number of deaths in the city to 1,530.
As the COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll out, the Houston Health Department and Houston Fire Department will both receive 3,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week.
“We are prepared to receive that inventory. We have the tools and equipment to properly store the equipment and a plan to administer those vaccines to those workers,” said Samuel Pena, chief of the fire department at Houston.
As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase, there are growing concerns about the reports of a new strand of the virus in the UK. During Monday’s briefing, Dr. David Persse of Houston Health Department said the new variant does not cause more serious illness.
“The new mutant virus does not appear to be more deadly, does not cause more serious illness, does not cause death. The change appears to be that the virus is more easily transmitted,” said Dr. Persse.
With the city of Houston seeing its COVID-19 positivity rate increase, Mayor Turner is urging Houstonians to cancel their upcoming Christmas gatherings.
“To avoid a wave on top of a wave, you have to postpone the trip until sometime next year. I know a lot of people are flying from here and there, I just don’t think it’s a wise thing to do now,” Turner said. . . “There is, of course, hope on the horizon with the approval of two vaccines.”
Health workers have already started getting the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and President-elect Joe Biden was given a vaccination Monday.
Biden received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on live television on Monday as part of a growing effort to convince the American public that the vaccinations are safe. The president-elect took a dose of Pfizer vaccine at a hospital not far from his Delaware home hours after his wife, Jill Biden, did the same.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is expected to receive a vaccination shot tomorrow, Dec. 22.
Abbott announced Monday that the public will be admitted back into the Capitol on January 4. That’s about a week before the Texas Legislature meets again. The decision comes as new cases of coronavirus and hospitalizations have been rising to the highest levels since the summer. Texas had more than 9,800 coronavirus patients in the hospital as of Sunday, the most since a deadly summer outbreak.
Copyright © 2020 KTRK-TV. All rights reserved.