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December 28, 2020 - Aurora Concepts has setup a phone line for phase 1B vaccine recipients to sign up on a waiting list for the next allocation to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Phase 1B recipients are people 65 years of age and older and people over age 16 with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at greater risk.
Call 936-598-3296 to sign up. The phone line will be active for the waiting list from Monday, December 28th through Wednesday, December 30th daily from 8am until 5pm. You can also email dbarnes@auroraconcepts.net to sign up.
Celina Figueroa is seen injecting Dr. Dixon Golden with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
December 28, 2020 - Hope Community Medicine in Center received and administered its first coronavirus vaccine at the office located on Tenaha Street today, December 28, 2020.
According to Mike Belgard, Hope Community Medicine CEO, the clinic is one of several locations in Center that have received the vaccine and will be administering to medical professionals. Those locations he mentioned besides the Hope Community Medicine were Brookshire Brothers, Aurora Concepts, and CVS.
There are specific guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which indicate who first receives the vaccine and then what individuals are next. At this time the vaccine administrations are at Tier 1, which means only medical professionals are receiving the injections currently.
Dr. Dixon Golden was at the Hope Clinic to receive the shot and he welcomed media to witness the event on Monday morning.
"I feel good, thank you Jesus," said Dr. Dixon. "One of the miracles of modern medicine, it's a blessing to me."
Belgard explained Dr. Golden does work for The Hope Clinic which makes him eligible to be one of the first recipients.
The vaccine being offered locally is the vaccine which has been developed by Moderna Therapeutics.
"Today we have 10 people who are first responders and that kind of thing coming in, and then after that like tomorrow we're going out to Lakeside [Assisted Living] and I'm going to give it to their staff, and their residents who want it," said Belgard.
Belgard says he wants to make sure everybody has the opportunity to receive the vaccine, and as long as possible the vaccine will be available at no charge.
"They're not going to have to pay for an office visit to get it, if you have insurance, we'll bill your insurance, but we're not going to charge you a co-pay we're not going to do any of that stuff. It'll be free to the patient so to speak," said Belgard.
Receiving the vaccine doesn't mean instant immunity and Belgard explained that isn't anything new relating to vaccines as it has to do with how any one individuals body reacts to the vaccine.
"Some people might get the shot and not get any antibodies just like with Hepatitis B for instance. All of our healthcare workers before nurses go to nursing school, they have to get their Hepatitis B titer done so that we know that they have antibodies to Hepatitis," said Belgard. "A lot of them had all the shots when they were kids. They come back, they have no antibodies, so we have to re-immunize them."
Those receiving the Moderna vaccine will receive two shots, one on the initial visit and then another in 28 days to receive the full 95% efficacy. Another very important factor is those receiving the shot must have the same one for both doses.
"It has to be the same vaccine, and people aren't going to be able to go get one vaccination here and then go to Brookshires and get the second one, because they want to be able to keep track of it," said Belgard.
Belgard confirmed those being vaccinated will still need to take precautions such as masking and washing hands.
"I look for the general population to be able to get it probably within the month of January, probably about the third week," said Belgard.
It's important for those getting a vaccine to make an appointment ahead of time since the vaccine is kept frozen and has to be prepared ahead of time for the recipent. Once it's moved from freezer to a refrigerator it only lasts for five days.
"If you had the Covid early on, I would say go ahead and get the shot," said Belgard. "If you recently had the Covid, you're probably good for about, I read a study that was a joint US/UK study that they said that most people that had a moderate to severe case was good with antibodies for up to six months. But, that's all the data they had."
Belgard said after medical professionals, those in the public who will initially be eligible to receive the vaccine will be those 65 and older with serious pre-existing medical conditions.
December 26, 2020 - The Texas COVID-19 Dashboard reports 7 new cases Christmas Day and no new recoveries. The new cases raise the estimated active cases to 42.
December 25th (3:40pm) Numbers:
Total Confirmed Cases - 642 (1 new cases)
Total Probable Cases - 375 (6 new case)
Total Fatalities - 40
Total Estimated Active Cases - 42
Total Estimated Recovered - 935
December 24, 2020 - The Texas COVID-19 Dashboard reports 3 new cases yesterday, December 23rd and 3 new cases today, December 24. Over the two days, there were 10 new estimated recoveries lowing the estimated active cases down to 35.
December 24th (3:05pm) Numbers:
Total Confirmed Cases - 641 (1 new cases)
Total Probable Cases - 369 (2 new case)
Total Fatalities - 40
Total Estimated Active Cases - 35
Total Estimated Recovered - 935 (9 new)
December 23rd (4:25pm) Numbers:
Total Confirmed Cases - 640 (2 new cases)
Total Probable Cases - 367 (1 new case)
Total Fatalities - 40
Total Estimated Active Cases - 41
Total Estimated Recovered - 926 (1 new)
December 23, 2020 - Anyone needing access to county offices should be aware the courthouse and county clerk's offices are closed as of December 22, 2020 and will re-open December 28, 2020.
December 22, 2020 - The Texas COVID-19 Dashboard reports 6 new cases yesterday and 35 new estimated recoveries. The estimated number of active cases is now 39.
December 22nd (6:05pm) Numbers:
Total Confirmed Cases - 638 (2 new cases)
Total Probable Cases - 366 (4 new cases)
Total Fatalities - 40
Total Estimated Active Cases - 39
Total Estimated Recovered - 925 (35 new) (Correction)
December 23, 2020 - On December 20, 2020, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality required the Paxton public water system, 2100012 to issue a Boil Water Notice to inform customers, individuals, or employees that due to conditions which occurred recently in the public water system, the water from this public water system was required to be boiled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
The public water system has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed by this public water system used for drinking water or human consumption purposes and has provided TCEQ with laboratory test results that indicate that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use as of 12/23/2020.
If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact Stacy Cranford 903-692-4313.
December 22, 2020 - Due to a broken water main the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the Paxton water system ID# 2100012 to notify customers that were without water 12/19/2020 on HWY 84, FM 699 and all side roads (anyone without water) to boil their water, prior to consumption (e.g., washing hands/face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc). Children, seniors, and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow these directions.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.
In lieu of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the public water system officials will notify customers that the water is safe for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
Once the boil water notice is no longer in effect, the public water system will issue a notice to customers that rescinds the boil water notice in a manner similar to this notice.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact Vince Di Verdi 936-692-4313
December 22, 2020 - The state of Texas will prioritize people who are at the greatest risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19 for the next phase of vaccination. More than 70 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Texas have occurred in people 65 and older, and scientific evidence shows that adults of any age with certain medical conditions have an increased risk of hospitalization and death if they get sick with COVID-19.
At a meeting Dec. 17, the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel recommended vaccinating these diverse groups in Phase 1B of vaccine distribution to limit the loss of life from COVID-19 and help reduce the burden on the state’s hospitals. Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD, has approved that definition.
“The focus on people who are age 65 and older or who have comorbidities will protect the most vulnerable populations,” said Imelda Garcia, EVAP chair and DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services. “This approach ensures that Texans at the most severe risk from COVID-19 can be protected across races and ethnicities and regardless of where they work.”
The state is currently in Phase 1A of vaccine distribution, which includes residents of long-term care facilities and front-line health care workers. With an estimated 1.9 million Texans in those groups, it will likely be at least a few weeks before a transition to Phase 1B occurs. The timing will depend on the amount of vaccine provided to Texas and the uptake of vaccine among the priority populations.
The Phase 1B priorities are below, and additional information is available at dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine/EVAP-Phase1B.pdf. The full EVAP will continue to meet and make recommendations about the prioritization of additional groups for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Texas Phase 1B COVID-19 Vaccine Priorities
- People 65 years of age and older
- People 16 years of age and older with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19, such as but not limited to:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
- Solid organ transplantation
- Obesity and severe obesity (body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher)
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
December 21, 2020 - The Texas COVID-19 Dashboard reports only 3 new cases over the past two days and no new estimated recoveries. The estimated number of active cases is now 68.
December 21st (5:10pm) Numbers:
Total Confirmed Cases - 636 (0 new cases)
Total Probable Cases - 362 (1 new case)
Total Fatalities - 40
Total Estimated Active Cases - 68
Total Estimated Recovered - 890
December 20th (1:40pm) Numbers:
Total Confirmed Cases - 636 (2 new cases)
Total Probable Cases - 361 (0 new cases)
Total Fatalities - 40
Total Estimated Active Cases - 67
Total Estimated Recovered - 890
December 20, 2020 - State Highway 7 (SH7) east of Center was the scene of a single-vehicle crash Saturday, December 19, 2020 stemming from distracted driving.
When first responders arrived at the location, the vehicle involved was on it's side blocking one lane of traffic.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Keith Jones, at 12:50am a white 2012 Ford F-150 driven by a 17-year-old driver was westbound on SH7 just before CR 3120 when a text was received on his phone.
The driver reached for his phone resulting in driver inattention and struck a guardrail on the right side of the roadway. The truck then rolled and skid into the eastbound side of the roadway and came to rest facing east.
No injuries were reported resulting from the crash.
The driver was issued citations for failure to maintain a single lane and violation of restriction G - no cell phone under the age of 18.
Center Fire Department personnel and the Shelby County Sheriff's Department assisted during the crash investigation.
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