By Sahar Chmais Nearly 65% of eligible Hays County residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and some have begun receiving their booster shots. As of Aug. 13, immunocompromised Texans became eligible to receive a booster shot using the the Pfizer vaccine. Since then, more than 9,300 Hay...

Staff Report  So far, 400 Hays County residents have applied to the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program. But with four ERA employees processing the applications, the process is moving slowly. For more efficiency in processing applications, Hays County will expand the ERA program through the Co...

By Sahar Chmais COVID-19 hospitalizations have stayed steady since a gradual decrease two weeks ago. As of Monday, Sept. 27, there were 43 Hays County residents hospitalized with COVID-19. Last week, that number was 44. A total of 364 COVID-related fatalities have occurred in Hays County. Of the 43 ...

By Sahar Chmais Hays County Court at Law 3 Judge Daniel O’Brien has COVID-19, delaying his docket for the week. Though it is unclear where O’Brien may have contracted the virus, on Thursday, Sept. 2, a prosecutor attended O’Brien’s court and later that evening tested positive for COVID-19, according...

By Sahar Chmais The hospital entrance is deceptive; aside from COVID screening questions, everything is normal and calm. But behind the main doors, especially where COVID-19 patients stay, there is tension, tables outside rooms holding special equipment and air purifiers, according to Teri, a regist...

By Sahar Chmais Hays County commissioners will allocate up to $5 million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to create a Public Defender’s Office (PDO). After a long debate on whether ARP funds are viable to use on a PDO in Hays County, the allocation passed unanimously. The creation of a PDO has be...

By Sahar Chmais Five ICU beds remain available in Trauma Service Area O (TSA-O) as of Aug. 22; TSA-O serves 11 counties, including Hays and Travis counties. Not all ICU beds in the area are occupied by COVID-19 cases, but 262 of the 496 occupied ICU beds are coronavirus patients. Lack of ICU bed spa...

By Sahar Chmais Based on a preliminary study, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may not be as effective in protecting against the Delta and Lambda variants, according to a study. The study was conducted in a laboratory using blood samples, which may not be what is reflected in the real world. S...

By Sahar Chmais After a pop-up vaccine clinic ended, a Latin woman in her 60s was cleaning the venue when she began to stare at the organizers, perplexed and curious about the vaccine. “I asked if she got a vaccine and she said no,” said Michelle Cohen, founder of Hays Latinos United. “I asked why n...

By Sahar Chmais HAYS COUNTY – COVID-19 numbers are not showing a slowdown in Hays County, as 20 deaths have been reported since the beginning of 2021. Residents started 2020 unaware of COVID-19’s bitter lash and what it may bring. In 2021, the virus has left few untouched from its wrecking force. Fa...