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Publicación 1192 de SAN ANTONIO – Revista Digital 18 de febrero – 24 de febrero / 2021
Gracias por SEGUIRNOS, este artículo contiene la revista digital de SAN ANTONIO de ¡Que Onda Magazine! De fecha 18 de febrero – 24 de febrero / 2021
Publicación 1192 de DALLAS – Revista Digital 18 de febrero – 24 de febrero / 2021
Gracias por SEGUIRNOS, este artículo contiene la revista digital de DALLAS de ¡Que Onda Magazine! De fecha 18 de febrero – 24 de febrero / 2021
Publicación 1192 de HOUSTON – Revista Digital 18 de febrero – 24 de febrero / 2021
Gracias por SEGUIRNOS, este artículo contiene la revista digital de HOUSTON de ¡Que Onda Magazine! De fecha 18 de febrero – 24 de febrero / 2021
Harris County Attorney’s Office Offers Online Resource for the Public to Report Price Gouging
In response to millions of Harris County residents being impacted by the historic winter storm, Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee is urging the public to report incidents of price gouging and other consumer complaints committed by those looking to take advantage of the tragedy.
“This historic weather event is incredibly challenging for Harris County residents who are already under strain because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overpaying for necessities to survive freezing temperatures is the last thing folks need to worry about. I urge you to report price gouging on our website. We will hold businesses and individuals accountable for unfair practices,” said County Attorney Menefee.
During a declared state of emergency, the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act makes it illegal for a business or individual to sell or lease fuel, food, medicine, lodging, building materials, construction tools, or other necessities at an exorbitant or excessive price. Texas is currently in a state of emergency and the County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) is using reports submitted through its website to pursue actions against those that seek to take advantage of Harris County residents in these trying times. Residents can get specific information at harriscountycao.org/report-price-gouging. It details what information people need to provide in order to file a complaint. The HCAO will investigate the complaint and take action as appropriate. More information on the investigation and available actions can be found on the website.
File a report with the HCAO for suspected price gouging or other unfair business practices in Harris County. It’s best to take a picture of the products and prices and keep the receipts to make a report.
3 Options for Filing a Report
- Email to consumerhelp@cao.hctx.net. Follow the instructions at harriscountycao.org/pricegouging.
- Text complain, pictures, and receipts to 346-354-7459.
- Website – Complete the online form at harriscountycao.org/report-price-gouging.
Harris County residents and interested persons can also receive updates from HCAO, via Twitter at @HarrisCountyAO and Facebook at facebook.com/HarrisCountyAttorney.
Houston-area warming centers open, due to severe cold weather
Lakewood Church officials said no one will be turned away. Gallery Furniture opens two locations and the GRB.
Lakewood Church is continuing to operate as a warming center and shelter for those needing to escape the frigid temperatures.
Officials said approximately a dozen people took shelter at the church Sunday and they are expecting more as hundreds of people deal with power outages in their homes.
“We have beds, blankets, and other supplies,” officials said. “No one will be turned away.”
If you’re headed to Lakewood for shelter, you are instructed to arrive at either entrance on Edloe or Norfolk streets.
Gallery Furniture two locations
Gallery Furniture is open to people now as a warming center. Right now it’s ONLY the location on the North Freeway. They had originally also opened the Highway 99 location but have since had to shut it down because of electricity loss.
Unfortunately, no pets are allowed.
They’re asking people to wear masks. They have heat and food.
It’s the first time Mattress Mack opened its stores as shelters since Hurricane Harvey.
“There’s a lot of pain out there,” Mattress Mack said. “The least we could do is open the store up, let people come into a warm place. (We have) Plenty of sofas available, plenty of TVs available, plenty of mattresses available, and lots of hot food. Tough times never last, tough Texans do, and we’ll get through this also.”
George R. Brown Convention Center
The warming center at the GRB is at full capacity and is currently not taking in more people. A warming bus is available onsite for those who need assistance with transportation to the warming shelter. If you need help finding a warming shelter, please call 311. The George R. Brown Convention Center is continuing to operate as a warming center but is not accepting any more people in need.
YMCA/Red Cross
Judson Robinson Jr, Community Center
2020 Hermann Drive
Foster YMCA
1234 W 34th St, Houston
Houston Texans YMCA
5202 Griggs Road
River Pointe Church
If you go to the warming center here, bring blankets, snacks, and masks. River Pointe Church is located at 21000 Southwest Freeway.
More Houston centers
There are also warming centers open at the National Association of Christian Churches and Bayland Park.
Houston police, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and homeless outreach groups are giving people rides to the warming centers.
The HCSO’s Homeless OutReach Team (HOT) is working 24/7 to make sure homeless people who decline to go to a warming station have coats, gloves, hats, blankets, sleeping bags, and tents.
League City
The League City Police Department opened a warming center at the Hometown Heroes Recreation Center.
Space is limited and animals are not allowed.
Masks are required. Food and blankets will not be provided.
Galveston
The City of Galveston is opening a warming center at the McGuire Dent Recreation Center beginning Monday, February 15, 2021, at 6 p.m. It will remain open until Tuesday morning.
It’s located at 2222 28th St.
No meals will be provided and people will be tested for COVID-19 upon entry. Masks are required.
The Salvation Army also opened warming centers in Galveston
However, the shelters at 601 51st St. and at Central Church at 3308 Avenue O 1/2 both lost power on Monday morning.
There were 92 people staying at the shelters and they will remain there because there are no other options.
Officials said they are in need of “portable lights (lanterns/flashlights) and batteries to go in them, power banks for staff to charge cell phones and hand warmers.”
Sante Fe
The Santa Fe Fire Department has opened its firehouse as a warming center. They have cots and meals provided by the Red Cross.
Chambers County
The county will reopen the McLeod Park Warming Center on Tuesday at noon. The site will remain open until 5:30 p.m.
West U
The City of West University Place opened its recreation center at 4210 Bellaire Blvd. as a warming center for residents.
It’s not an overnight shelter and will have limited capacity and amenities.
Pearland
A warming center is open for day use at the Recreation Center and Natatorium (4141 Bailey Rd). Space is limited. If you decide to go, no pets, wear a mask, and If you have COVID symptoms please do not come.
Friendswood
The Friendswood Library is open Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. as a Warming Center. No animals are allowed. Masks are required. The City is not providing food or blankets, just a place for our residents without power to get warm.
Montgomery County
- OverUnder Church – 600 S. Frazier St. Conroe, TX 77301
- Church Project – 602 Pruitt Rd. The Woodlands, TX 77380
- Madeley Ranch Elementary – 3500 Madeley Ranch Rd. Montgomery, TX 77356
Source: www.khou.com
Local carbon monoxide poisoning cases surge
Houstonians and others desperate to heat their homes without power poisoned themselves in record numbers on Tuesday by running cars or generators in the garage and grills in the home, emergency officials said.
More than 100 patients in less than 24 hours had to be rushed to Memorial Hermann, its medical director reported. More than half of them, children.
“It certainly happens when it gets cold, but never in these numbers,” said Dr. Samuel Prater. “This is an absolute public health disaster.”
“This carbon monoxide is … a poison that deprives your brain and your heart and your other vital organs of oxygen,” he added. “And children are actually more at risk from some of the long-term brain damage.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said more than 300 reports of carbon monoxide poisoning were reported Tuesday. The Houston Fire Department reported 90 emergency calls of the poisoning, including 14 at one station in Cy-fair.
Early Tuesday morning, first responders conducting a welfare check found a family of four in their Southwest Houston townhome unconscious with the car running in the garage.
“Some of the long-term effects that you can see is you can see some permanent brain damage, sometimes, whether that’s stroke-like brain damage, or even sometimes, very unusual, we call them psychiatric symptoms,” he added. “So even folks who don’t die, they can still have some long-term, permanent brain damage as a result of the poisoning if it is not quickly identified and then remedied.”
Source: www.click2houston.com
Maintaining water pressure in Houston is becoming increasingly difficult
The water system in Houston on Tuesday is operating in emergency mode and officials are urging people to use water sparingly.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a tweet that “it is becoming increasingly difficult” to maintain water pressure.
He said people should not run their water to prevent frozen pipes and they should turn off their water if the pipes have burst.
The Houston Public Works Department said in a tweet that people should only use water for “health & safety reasons.”
Source: www.click2houston.com
COVAX Statement on WHO Emergency Use Listing for AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine
According to the WHO:
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), and the World Health Organization (WHO), as co-leads of the COVAX initiative for equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, alongside key delivery partner UNICEF, are pleased to welcome the news that two versions of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine have been given WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL). Yesterday’s announcement means that two versions of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, produced by AstraZeneca-SK Bioscience (AZ-SKBio) and the Serum Institute of India (AZ-SII), are now available for global rollout through the COVAX Facility.
Building on the early information provided in the interim distribution forecast published on 3 February 2021, COVAX will now complete the process of final Q1/Q2 allocations of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine to Facility participants. Information on these final allocations will be communicated to all participants and published online the week of February 22nd.
In order for doses to be delivered via this first allocation round, several critical pieces must be in place:
- All Facility participants must have given national regulatory authority for the vaccines in question, a process which can be expedited by issuing special authorizations for use based on granting of WHO EUL.
- All Facility participants must have signed indemnity agreements with the manufacturers in question in order to receive doses through COVAX. The COVAX Facility is helping to facilitate the process of getting these agreements in place. In particular, COVAX is supporting AMC-eligible participants by negotiating a template indemnity agreement on their behalf – saving time and resources – and establishing a no-fault compensation mechanism and fund.
- AMC-eligible economies must have submitted National Deployment and Vaccination Plans (NDVPs) through the COVID-19 Partners Platform, which have then been reviewed and validated by COVAX.
In preparation for this unprecedented global rollout, COVAX partners have been working closely with all Facility participants for many months, providing support for regulatory and indemnity, and liability issues as well as the submission of completed NDVPs. Throughout this process, Facility participants have been moving at speed to ensure all preparations are in place for the first deliveries.
As participants fulfill the above criteria and finalize readiness preparations, COVAX will issue purchase orders to the manufacturer and ship and deliver doses via an iterative process. This means deliveries for this first round of allocation will take place on a rolling basis and in tranches.
Due to the high number of doses available as well as the high number of countries getting ready for delivery in Q1 2021, the capacity of suppliers and freight forwarders will be under considerable pressure. Shipment timelines will be impacted by logistical preparedness and delivery lead times, which may vary depending on the location of the receiving participant.
Based on this, COVAX anticipates the bulk of the first round of deliveries taking place in March, with some early shipments to those that have already fulfilled the above criteria, occurring in late February. More information related to these first deliveries will be shared in the coming days.
Source: www.who.int
WHO lists two additional COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use and COVAX roll-out
According to the WHO:
AstraZeneca/Oxford-developed vaccines to reach countries in the coming weeks
Today WHO listed two versions of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for these vaccines to be rolled out globally through COVAX. The vaccines are produced by AstraZeneca-SKBio (Republic of Korea) and the Serum Institute of India.
WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) assesses the quality, safety, and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and is a prerequisite for COVAX Facility vaccine supply. It also allows countries to expedite their own regulatory approval to import and administer COVID-19 vaccines.
“Countries with no access to vaccines to date will finally be able to start vaccinating their health workers and populations at risk, contributing to the COVAX Facility’s goal of equitable vaccine distribution,” said Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products.
‘But we must keep up the pressure to meet the needs of priority populations everywhere and facilitate global access. To do that, we need two things – a scale-up of manufacturing capacity, and developers’ early submission of their vaccines for WHO review.”
The WHO EUL process can be carried out quickly when vaccine developers submit the full data required by WHO in a timely manner. Once those data are submitted, WHO can rapidly assemble its evaluation team and regulators from around the world to assess the information and, when necessary, carry out inspections of manufacturing sites.
In the case of the two AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines, WHO assessed the quality, safety, and efficacy data, risk management plans, and programmatic suitability, such as cold chain requirements. The process took under four weeks.
The vaccine was reviewed on 8 February by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), which makes recommendations for vaccines’ use in populations (i.e. recommended age groups, intervals between shots, advice for specific groups such as pregnant and lactating women). The SAGE recommended the vaccine for all age groups 18 and above.
The AstraZeneca/Oxford product is a viral vectored vaccine called ChAdOx1-S [recombinant]. It is being produced at several manufacturing sites, as well as in the Republic of Korea and India. ChAdOx1-S has been found to have 63.09% efficacy and is suitable for low- and middle-income countries due to easy storage requirements.
WHO emergency use listing
The emergency use listing (EUL) procedure assesses the suitability of novel health products during public health emergencies. The objective is to make medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics available as rapidly as possible to address the emergency while adhering to stringent criteria of safety, efficacy, and quality. The assessment weighs the threat posed by the emergency as well as the benefit that would accrue from the use of the product against any potential risks.
The EUL pathway involves a rigorous assessment of late phase II and phases III clinical trial data as well as substantial additional data on safety, efficacy, quality, and a risk management plan. These data are reviewed by independent experts and WHO teams who consider the current body of evidence on the vaccine under consideration, the plans for monitoring its use, and plans for further studies.
As part of the EUL process, the company producing the vaccine must commit to continuing to generate data to enable full licensure and WHO prequalification of the vaccine. The WHO prequalification process will assess additional clinical data generated from vaccine trials and deployment on a rolling basis to ensure the vaccine meets the necessary standards of quality, safety, and efficacy for broader availability.
Source: www.who.int