WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. experts are expected to recommend Covid-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country. Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — As the Delta variant has caused hospitalizations to surge in New Mexico, state officials have issued an urgent call for nurses to help volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps, ABC affiliate KOAT reported. On Monday, the New Mexico Department of Health issued a statement asking for nurses and anyone with
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EL PASO, Texas — A fully-vaccinated person was among 14 El Pasoans who died from Covid-19 over the past week, health department officials reported Monday. All of the latest fatality victims had underlying health conditions and most were men. They included: 1 man in his 40s3 men in their 60s2 women in their 70s3 men
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court has blocked mask mandates ordered by two of the nation’s largest counties that defied Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as COVID-19 cases surge. The unsigned order by the state’s highest court Sunday halts mask requirements that county leaders in Dallas and San Antonio put in place as the
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EL PASO, Texas — With El Paso’s hospitals said to be nearly at capacity on Saturday, County Judge Ricardo Samaniego asked City/County Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza to issue a mask-wearing mandate for schools in the community. “Currently, the hospitals in the El Paso community are nearly at capacity treating non-Covid patients. El Paso is
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UPDATE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory panel voted unanimously Friday to recommend an additional dose of Pfizer or Moderna for immunocompromised people. (This recommendation applies only to people who already had an initial series of mRNA — it does not apply to people who received J&J.) Immunocompromised people will not need a
Continue Reading By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is refusing landlords’ request to put the Biden administration’s new eviction moratorium on hold, though she ruled that the freeze is illegal. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich says her “hands are tied” by an appellate ruling from the last time courts considered the evictions
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RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas — Six school districts in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley filed a lawsuit Thursday afternoon against Gov. Greg Abbott in the latest push back against his executive order banning mask mandates. The Wall Street Journal reports the suit contends that school districts have the authority to operate and issue regulations over their
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — The White House Covid-19 task force, including the president’s chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, held a briefing on Thursday. It came as the CDC predicted that new Covid-19 deaths and hospitalizations will go up over the next four weeks, which falls inline
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SANTA TERESA, New Mexico — The Gadsden Independent School District has more than 12,000 students enrolled in it’s schools this fall semester and of those, all elementary school students must wear a mask. The district is enforcing masks for students and staff in doors and in school buses, per New Mexico state guidelines. The same
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EL PASO, Texas — El Paso hospitals have started receiving transfers of Covid-19 infected patients from other cities across Texas where hospitals are being overwhelmed by a new wave of coronavirus cases – many tied to the highly-contagious Delta variant. The Hospitals of Providence in El Paso confirmed to ABC-7 on Wednesday that its facilities
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EL PASO, Texas — The Delta variant has been detected in El Paso, posing a new threat and raising a recurring issue among parents who have students returning to the classroom. Several Texas public school districts are now defying the governor’s order preventing mask mandates – although none are in the Borderland, but some El
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EL PASO, Texas — The El Paso Catholic Diocese is mandating that all church employees get vaccinated against Covid-19, and will require any that any unvaccinated parishioners wear face masks to church services. The requirements are outlined in a letter from Bishop Mark Seitz that has been circulated throughout the diocese; a copy of that
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EL PASO, Texas — The city of El Paso opened a new mega-testing site for Covid-19 in east El Paso on Wednesday as worries about the Delta variant grow with people rushing to get tested. The site is located at the County SportsPark, just west of Loop 375, at 1780 N. Zaragoza and is open
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton are asking Texas’ 5th Court of Appeals to block Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ newly issued mask mandate, they announced in a joint press release on Wednesday evening. The release said Jenkins’ mandate violates the governor’s executive order banning local officials from requiring residents to wear masks. It cited
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DALLAS, Texas — Mask-wearing is now required in Dallas public schools and businesses after Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins on Wednesday became the latest local official to defy Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on local mask orders. “We are all team public health and the enemy is the virus,” Jenkins said. “Right now, the enemy is winning.” The
Continue Reading Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, says the believes the FDA will approve Covid vaccines soon and mandates will likely soon follow.
Continue Reading By Jacqueline Howard, CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its recommendation for pregnant people to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Previously, the public health agency was vague in its recommendation. “If you are pregnant, you can receive a Covid-19 vaccine,” previous guidance read. Now, the CDC is strengthening its guidance, recommending
Continue Reading By Kyung Lah, Cheri Mossburg, Sarah Moon and Ray Sanchez, CNN California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that teachers and other school employees must either be vaccinated against Covid-19 or submit to regular testing. California will become the first state in the nation to implement such a requirement. “To give parents confidence that their children
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CANUTILLO, Texas — It’s been more than a week since students with the Canutillo Independent School District have been back in the classroom. The district is focusing on safety and communicating with parents through it’s newest hire, Dr. Maria Fuentes, public health emergency manager. Fuentes said her goal is to stay up to date on
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UPDATE: After a two-hour special meeting that included public comment and an executive session discussion behind closed doors, the Socorro Independent School District Board of Trustees took no action “regarding mask policies for all students and personnel” – which was the lone item on their agenda. You can watch the entire meeting in the video
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — As hospitals across Texas are being filled to the brink with Covid-19 patients, El Paso is fairing much better. As of Tuesday, 87 patients were being treated for Covid-19, according to the city of El Paso’s Covid-19 dashboard. It’s a number El Paso hasn’t seen since mid-May, with hospitalizations slightly increasing
Continue Reading SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A Texas district judge granted the city of San Antonio and Bexar County a temporary restraining order, blocking Gov. Greg Abbott’s restriction on localities imposing mask mandates. On Tuesday, Judge Antonia Arteaga made the ruling following almost an hour of arguments from attorneys. Arteaga said she did not take her decision
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UPDATE: EL PASO, Texas — The Socorro Independent School District may join three other key school districts in the state – Dallas, Austin and Houston – in going against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order forbidding school mask mandates. The SISD Board of Trustees is scheduled to take up the matter on Tuesday at 6 p.m., according to
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AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott is appealing for out-of-state help to fight the third wave of Covid-19 in Texas. The Monday appeal comes as a county-owned hospital in Houston raises tents to accommodate their Covid-19 overflow. Private hospitals in the county already were requiring their staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Meantime, the
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — A dozen cases of the very contagious Covid-19 Delta variant have been confirmed in Dona Ana County. The tally came from a report prepared by the New Mexico Department of Health at the start of August. (See below to read the document.) Three cases of the Delta variant were previously
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WASHINGTON, DC — More than 99.99% of people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 have not had a breakthrough case resulting in hospitalization or death, according to an analysis of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Aug. 2, more than 164 million people in the United States were fully
Continue Reading El PASO, Texas — A fully-vaccinated person and a woman with no underlying health conditions were two of the seven El Pasoans who died over the past week from Covid-19, according to data released Monday by public health leaders. The total number of Covid deaths in El Paso County throughout the pandemic now stands at
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — The Pentagon will require members of the U.S. military to get the Covid-19 vaccine by Sept. 15, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press. That deadline could be pushed up if the vaccine receives final FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise. “I will seek the president’s approval to make
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EL PASO, Texas — The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of El Paso is aiming to get the younger age groups vaccinated. Medical officials held a vaccination clinic Sunday specifically looking to vaccinate the 12 to 15 year-old students who are returning to in-person learning. “Kids have died of Covid, twice as many children
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