Here are things to know for Monday, March 29:
1. Texas will receive more than 1 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week
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Texas will receive more than one million first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week, state health officials said.
“It’s absolutely a big day. It’s something that we’ve been waiting for for the past year. I think everybody’s been waiting for it too,” said Chris Van Deusen, spokesperson for the Texas Dept. of State Health Services.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the state will distribute more than 818,410 first doses and 587,950 second doses to providers in 202 of the state’s counties. The federal government will send more than 200,000 additional first doses directly to pharmacies and federally-qualified health centers.
2. Houston Health Department’s 5,000 new COVID-19 vaccination appointment slots claimed in an hour
All 5,000 of the Houston Health Department’s new COVID-19 vaccination appointments were claimed about an hour after they were made available Sunday morning, according to the department.
The Houston Health Department opened 5,000 new COVID-19 vaccination appointment slots for first doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The doses will be administered April 1-3 at Delmar Stadium.
3. Pop-up vaccination site at Booker T. Washington High School in Independence Heights available Monday
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, along with the United Memorial Medical Center, is hosting a vaccination site in the Independence Heights community on Monday.
The neighborhood outreach site is at Booker T. Washington High School at 4204 Yale Street.
Vaccinations will be provided from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or while supplies last.
No pre-registration required.
4. Texas prisoners started getting vaccinated in February, months after many became eligible
Texas prisoners over the age of 65 and with health conditions started receiving vaccinations in late February, months after many of them were eligible, according to a statement Thursday from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Almost 2,000 vaccine doses have gone to qualifying prisoners as of Thursday, according to the statement. TDCJ did not provide information on the split between first and second doses or how many prisoners have received shots.
The first several hundred of these vaccinations went to prisoners after a freezer failure forced officials to distribute the remaining Moderna vaccines within a few hours.
5. Family offers reward after American Bully stolen from front yard
A family is hoping police and a reward will help return one of their dogs that was stolen from their yard in broad daylight.
“You have literally torn our house apart. We just want her back. I don’t understand what you want to do with her,” Alma said.
Alma says she cannot stop thinking about her dog named, Little Girl.
Little Girl is an 8 months old American Bully and weighs about 60 pounds. Her breed is worth between $5,000 and $7,000.