Gov. Abbott considering an end to Texas mask mandate

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he is working on a plan to remove all statewide coronavirus restrictions and will make an announcement soon.

Vaccine 'passports' may open society, but inequity looms

Governments say getting vaccinated and having the proper documentation to prove it will smooth the way to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and such efforts have gotten a head start in Israel.

‘Symptomatic’ South Carolina elementary student who visited school nurse was held in storage closet

An elementary school student who attends Myrtle Beach Elementary School in South Carolina visited the school nurse for COVID-19-like symptoms and was placed in a storage closet to isolate themselves from other students, district officials say.

Study: Infectious coronavirus particles can survive on clothing for up to 3 days

Researchers at a public university in England studied cloth typically used for uniforms in a hospital setting and found that coronavirus particles survived on the items for up to three days, and standard washing machines don’t effectively remove the virus from fabrics.

California, New York coronavirus variants: Researchers tracking spread of new strains

Two different coronavirus variants have been detected by scientists in California and New York City, researchers say. Here’s what we know about each new strain.

'Save Our Seniors' initiative will help homebound Texans get vaccinated

As part of the statewide initiative, Texas will deploy more than 1,100 National Guardsmen to assist communities in vaccinating homebound seniors.

Study suggests money can buy happiness — perhaps more than previously thought

The Wharton School study found there was no dollar value at which money stopped mattering to a person’s well-being, contrary to influential research that found happiness plateaued around $75,000 a year.

CVS offering COVID vaccine to eligible people in Greater Austin area

CVS is offering COVID-19 vaccines to eligible people at 47 select CVS Pharmacies across Texas including the Greater Austin area.

California halts system of shared vaccine codes after misuse

Group codes were shared over email and passed on, leading some people to sign up for shots who were not eligible because of their age or occupation.

How would vaccine makers adapt to COVID-19 variants?

COVID-19 vaccines appear to be working against today’s variants, but companies are making plans to update their shots if needed.

Pfizer researching effects of 3rd COVID-19 vaccine dose

Pfizer said it will offer a third dose to 144 volunteers, drawing from people who participated in the vaccine’s early-stage U.S. testing last year.

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, flu has disappeared in the US

February is usually the peak of flu season, with doctors' offices and hospitals packed with suffering patients. But not this year. Flu has virtually disappeared from the U.S., with reports coming in at far lower levels than anything seen in decades.

Fry's Electronics is no more, permanently closing all stores

No timetable was announced for the closure, but the company statement said it had ceased regular operations and began an orderly wind-down process Wednesday.

Moderna begins clinical trials for booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine to combat South Africa variant

Moderna says it has sent its new COVID-19 vaccine candidate designed specifically to combat the highly transmissible South Africa coronavirus variant to the National Institutes of Health for a Phase 1 clinical trial.

US military begins delivering COVID-19 vaccine doses to Texas, New York

The U.S. military is beginning to deliver shots at coronavirus vaccination centers in Texas and New York and says service members will start staffing four centers in Florida and one in Philadelphia next week.

Pfizer's COVID-19 shot is 92% effective at reducing severe illness, 'real world' mass vaccination study finds

A large real-world test of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine confirms that it’s very effective at preventing serious illness or death, even after one dose. The results come from a mass vaccination campaign in Israel.