VACCINATIONS

For so many parents, the long wait is now over.

Joshua Kimmich denied he was an "anti-vaxxer" after expressing unease about long-term side effects.

Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced the expansion of the county’s $100 COVID-19 vaccination incentive program during a media briefing Thursday afternoon.

Members of the Houston City Council voted on Wednesday to approve incentives for vaccinations up to $150.

It's obvious that more-vaccinated places have fared better in the fourth wave of coronavirus infections.

The White House said last week was the strongest week of first-time vaccinations since early June.

Houston is offering free gift cards to those who get fully vaccinated.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging Germans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying the more people get the shot “the more free we will be again.”

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that he will be signing a law into place that will prohibit any Texas business from requiring vaccine passports or vaccination information.

At the Igloo headquarters along I-10 in Katy, Wednesday morning was all about vaccinations.

Out of all of the counties in the state of Texas, Fort Bend County leads in vaccinations per capita, according to the county judge.

The weekly average of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Illinois continues to decline even as the supply of vaccines remains steady.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson will visit Thomas Street Clinic Wednesday to announce the Federal American Rescue Act grant that was recently provided to the Harris Health System for expanded vaccinations, testing, and contact tracing.

First- and second-graders line up for Salk Polio vaccine shots on April 23, 1955. Regardless of where anyone stands on the matter, we know that vaccinations have been protecting us from diseases for decades. In 1921, the United States recorded 206,000 cases, which resulted in 15,520 deaths, according to the History of Vaccines website. According to the CDC, polio was once one of the most feared diseases in the U.S. Since 1979, there have been no polio cases that originated in the U.S.

The city’s share of the doses — 60% of the total allocated to the United Center — will be made available to people 65 and older, front-line workers in essential industries and those who qualify under state rules based on preexisting health conditions, with the exception of smokers. The city, which gets its own vaccine supply from the federal government, has not opened up its other vaccination sites to people under 65 with underlying health conditions — a point of contention with the state.

HOUSTON – COVID-19 vaccinations and testing can resume now that the winter storms that hit Texas last week have passed. People who had vaccine and testing appointments that were canceled due to the winter storms will be rescheduled, Harris County Public Health said. Those with appointments for their first or second vaccine doses, or waiting for their second vaccine appointment, will be contacted soon. HCPH said it needs additional vaccines to vaccinate everyone waiting for their second doses. “Testing is still critically important to help stop of the spread of COVID-19,” HCPH said in a news release.

HOUSTON – Numbers compiled from the CDC paint a demographic picture of exactly who has received the COVID-19 vaccine so far. But how do the numbers behind the numbers add up? Ho pointed out that the two groups targeted for the initial rollout were healthcare professionals and senior citizens in nursing homes. She said since about 75% of the medical field is female, it makes sense that more women have been vaccinated at this point. Ad“Usually what happens is that if men need assistance in their older age it’s usually their wife taking care of them and then it’s the women,” Ho said.

RICHMOND, Texas – Nearly 30,000 COVID-19 vaccines have been shipped to Fort Bend County for distribution this week, county officials confirmed Tuesday. The announcement comes as county officials said Fort Bend would now be designated as a vaccine hub for the state. Fort Bend County received nearly 12,000 Pfizer vaccine doses, according to George. AdJudge George said Fort Bend County partnered with Memorial Hermann as a way to increase access to the vaccine. Fort Bend County reached out to hospitals like us to be able to serve the community in this mass vaccination process,” Patel continued.

More than 10,000 doses have been administered through the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, according to Associate Director Chris Myhaver. “We know that our veterans are very excited about getting the vaccine and our staff is very enthusiastic about getting the vaccine to our veterans,” Myhaver said. However, in an effort to get more veterans vaccinated, the hospital is launching a vaccine clinic on Saturday. AdVeterans 75-years and older can walk into the medical center and get vaccinated without an appointment. The VA is planning to eventually expand the administration of the vaccine beyond the medical center to outpatient clinics in the future.

HOUSTON – Hundreds of people were vaccinated Saturday at the Bayou City Event Center in Houston. But you needed an appointment, but those are in high demand, according to Mayor Sylvester Turner. On Friday, Houston Health Department said 1,600 slots for next week were booked in a matter of minutes. Because what that does is really kind of clutter up our system and we have challenges related to social distancing,” said Houston Health Department Director Stephen Williams. I think at the Denver Harbor Center, and then today we’re picking up the between today and next week we’re picking up the rest of them,” Turner said.

“This is not easy work. If it was easy, we would have done it already,” Lightfoot said at a news conference to talk about COVID-19 vaccinations. “But I’m personally involved, and I’m confident we will get to the right place and be able to present something to the City Council for a vote as soon as we are able.”

12/14: CBSN AM Hospitals expected to start vaccinations; New Honduras caravan heading to U.S. border.

And this week on FACE THE NATION, breaking news this morning as the massive operation to vaccinate hundreds of millions of Americans is officially underway. ALEX AZAR (Health and Human Services Secretary/@SecAzar): Good morning, Margaret. Do it right, do it measured, get the job done right, anticipate problems, but know they're going to be hitches and hiccups as we go and we will work to solve it. ROBERT GARRETT: Well, so far, Margaret, they're-- they're holding up well. I think that's a-- a-- a concerning harbinger for the challenges they're going to face with the vaccine in that last-mile challenge.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar that aired Sunday, December 13, 2020, on "Face the Nation." MARGARET BRENNAN: Operation Warp Speed told Pfizer to ship out just short of three million doses this week. AZAR: So- so they're about- they're about 6.4 million doses. And we're shipping half of the remaining, so that's 2.9 million doses going out. That was actually the new part, which said we have 900 million doses under guaranteed contract for the United States.

SEATTLE – About 750 Seattle Public Schools students still haven't provided vaccination records or exemptions and may be excluded from school starting Wednesday, the school district said late Tuesday. This week, officials urged students without confirmed vaccination records to stay home Wednesday. "If students without updated immunization records arrive at school, they will be placed in a designated room or space and the child's family will be contacted to come pick them up," a news release from the school district said. At least 135 students were immunized at those clinics, school system spokesman Tim Robinson had said. There are also 28 school-based health centers that can still help families of students who need vaccinations, the school system said.

Measles outbreak prompts school to keep students home Vaccinations almost wiped out measles. But a recent trend in vaccination waivers is believed to have contributed to a new outbreak in southern California. At least one school is now telling certain students to stay home as a way to prevent the outbreak from spreading. Ben Tracy reports.