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By Kelsey Thompson |
MOST RECENT

Amazon begins rollout of statewide vaccination clinics for employees
The program, which began this week in San Marcos, gives Amazon and Whole Foods employees and contractors direct access to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Why Texas has not yet distributed $18 billion in federal funds intended for public schools
As budget decisions loom for school districts across Texas, state leaders are holding on to federal funds intended for public schools to use in addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials: No grace period to follow end of statewide waiver for vehicle title, registration requirements
Officials with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles announced April 5 there will be no grace period following the end of the temporary waiver of certain vehicle title and registration requirements this month.

Department of State Health Services launches Texas Public Health Vaccine Scheduler
The new tool will give Texans one place to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine through multiple health departments, including the eight DSHS public health regions—which provides public health services to nearly 200 Texas counties—as well as more than a dozen local health entities statewide.

More than 74,000 vaccine first doses coming to Austin-area providers in next week
The total allocation is fewer than the area received last week from the state.

CDC loosens guidelines on social distancing in schools
The updated guidance recommends students maintain 3 feet of social distancing in classrooms while wearing masks.

Texas vaccine rollout: After 90 days, over 2.9 million fully inoculated
That figure represents about 13% of Texans over age 16—roughly one of every seven.

Public Utility Commission of Texas names new director of ERCOT accountability
Three weeks after the the state's power grid failed leaving millions of Texans without power amid freezing temperatures, the Public Utility Commission of Texas named Adrianne Brandt as the agency's new director of ERCOT accountability in a news release March 11.

Proposed curriculum, funding changes: 14 public education bills filed in the 87th Texas Legislature
Hundreds of bills related to public education have been filed in the 87th Texas Legislature, from curriculum requirement additions to funding formula changes.

SURVEY: More than 70% of Texas restaurants still requiring employees to wear masks despite statewide mandate lift
The majority of Texas restaurant owners will choose to continue requiring staff to wear face masks after March 10 when Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide mask mandate lifts, according to the results of an informal survey conducted by the Texas Restaurant Association in early March.

EXPLAINED: See how the 3 COVID-19 vaccines available in the US stack up
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna—both two-shot vaccines—have higher efficacy rates for preventing illness than the single-shot Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine; the vaccine efficacy rates stand at 95%, 94.1% and 66.3%, respectively.

Q&A: Virologist discusses COVID-19 response and rollback of state restrictions
Dr. Benjamin Neuman, a virologist with the Texas A&M University System, spoke about the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas ahead of the March 10 rollback of mask and capacity rules.