Lee said she flew from Houston to Washington DC just for the Saturday event and wanted to make sure kids and families in need had presents to put under the Christmas tree.
“Our number one priority, of course, was to protect our children,” said Jackson Lee. “COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 300,000 Americans. We’ve lost thousands in Texas, and we’ve lost thousands here in Houston and Harris County. We wanted this to be joyful, but we wanted us to be safe, and the kids to be safe. We didn’t want to be dragged along these holidays. “
The event was a drive-thru event and Houston leaders Mayor Sylvester Turner, HPD chief Art Acevedo, and HFD chief Samuel Pena helped load the toys for families waiting in line.
Pablo Vasquez, Nurse Manager of the Highly Infectious Unit at Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital, was one of the health professionals who received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday.
“We’re not quite there,” said Vasquez. “But it’s the beginning of the end and that gives me hope.”
He said he has seen an increase in COVID-19 patients being admitted to local hospitals.
“I think this is a direct result of the Thanksgiving holiday and that people are likely to relax the standards of social aloofness that they are used to or try to make exceptions because it is family,” Vasquez said. “But that’s clearly what we’re seeing with the greatest risk. You know, small group gatherings, small family gatherings where the infection is just spreading.”
Vasquez, along with city and Harris County leaders, are urging people to get tested before the holidays to protect you and your family.
“One important thing to know is that if you are being tested, you must of course be isolated or quarantined until the results come back,” Vasquez said. “Knowing the type of test and making sure you get a test from a trustworthy source so you can trust the result you are getting.”
The CDC advisory committee met Saturday to discuss distribution of the Moderna vaccine, the second COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in the US.
“It’s great news because it expands our range of vaccines,” says Dr. Catherine Troisi, infectious disease epidemiologist at UTHealth School of Public Health. “The Moderna vaccine has the advantage of being able to store at normal freezing temperatures and keep it in the refrigerator for 30 days, so it will really help in more rural areas that just didn’t have the capacity to keep anything at -80C.”
Health workers and nursing homes are still the top priority when it comes to vaccinations, and eventually the general public will have access to the vaccine.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said the Houston Health Department will receive a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna as part of its week two assignment to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“We have reported that the state is providing 3,000 doses to the city of Houston to the health department,” said Mayor Turner. “ We will follow the initial protocols, which means that the health workers, workers within the Houston Health Department will of course be eligible for the vaccines and then we will work with the hospitals and our senior facilities such as nursing homes. , to make sure they use what we get. I think this is the first distribution of much, much more. “
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