COVID vaccines
Starting today, if you’re over 16, you can get a COVID-19 vaccine. The trick is getting in line and getting an appointment to actually get the shot. And that isn’t easy for everyone. Public health expert Tim Callahan says it’s especially hard for people who don’t have Internet access to make an appointment.
“Certain communities are unable to navigate these processes, certain communities are going to be left out of this process and are therefore going to be more likely to have negative health outcomes from COVID-19 and more likely to die,” says Callahan.
He says the state needs to monitor who is getting these shots, and if there is a certain group not getting them, then the shots need to be set aside for them to make sure they do.
Local mark order
The State of Texas is expected to keep up the pressure on Austin over the local mask order. Attorney General Ken Paxton has been dealt a setback with the judge’s ruling that Austin can continue forcing you to wear a mask in public. Mayor Steve Adler says it’s only a matter of time before Paxton makes his next move.
“At the end of the day, I don’t know how this will eventually end up in the courts. I’m sure it will get appealed to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court,” says Adler.
The judge has cited pretty firmly with Austin also expressing concern over the injection of personal choice into the issue. The county health authority says vaccination rates are still far too low to get rid of the local order.
Statewide camping ban
The State House committee is considering a statewide camping ban in response to the City of Austin doing away with its camping ban. That move is costing the city future convention business, says JW Marriott General Manager Scott Blalock, who testified in favor of the bill at a hearing last week. He says Austin was in line for a major convention until organizers were approached by several homeless people downtown just last week.
“I have to remove your city in your hotel from the list of potential options because of what I experienced last night,” says Blalock.
He says that isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
Shooting near Braker Lane
A man was shot to death Sunday near Braker and IH-5. According to a woman, a man entered her residence and started shooting her boyfriend, who later died at the hospital. There isn’t a good description of the suspect who is still at large, but police say there isn’t a danger to the general public.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-3-29-21
