The Galveston Children’s Center was forced to shut down during Easter weekend after health officials said conditions were deemed “unfit for humans to live there.”

The Galveston County Health District announced Tuesday the first flu-related pediatric death in the county this year.

Up to 2,000 people will be able to receive free vaccinations during Galveston Pride weekend in an effort to protect themselves against monkeypox, health officials announced Wednesday.

Galveston County Health District announced Wednesday its first probable monkeypox case in an out-of-state resident, according to a release.

The Delta variant of COVID-19 has been identified in additional sample cases in the recent coronavirus outbreak at a church camp in Galveston County, according to the Galveston County Health District.

HOUSTON – Galveston County and local health partners announced Wednesday a new online waitlist application for those seeking to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. You do not have to be a resident of Galveston County or a UTMB patient to sign up for the waitlist, officials said. “This will be the single portal for people to come on and get in line to get their vaccine.” Dr. Philip Keiser, the Galveston County Local Health Authority said. Galveston County, UTMB Health and the Galveston County Health District continue to follow Texas Department of State Health Services eligibility requirements and are only vaccinating those that fall under Phase 1A, health care workers, and Phase 1B, those 65 and older or 16 and older with certain medical conditions. County leaders believe the on-line vaccine waitlist will help simplify the process to get people vaccinated.

HOUSTON – All available appointments for the Galveston County Health District vaccine clinic have been filled and registration is now closed, authorities say. The demand for COVID-19 vaccines is so high it crashed the Galveston County Health District’s website Monday morning as people rushed to book one of a thousand appointments. Every slot was filled in less than 20 minutes, according to Dr. Philip Keiser, the local health authority for Galveston County. He said the state only sends the Galveston County Health District 6,000 vaccines a week, which non-Galveston County residents are vying for too. Vaccines will be administered at the Galveston County Health District in Texas City.

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas – Galveston County Judge Mark Henry, Galveston County Local Health Authority Dr. Philip Keiser, and Dr. Janak Patel with the University of Texas Medical Branch held a news conference on Wednesday to discuss mass vaccination efforts in Galveston County. The first mass vaccination site in Galveston County will be at the Walter Hall Park. We are going to -- we think -- be doing 1,000 (doses) a day hopefully starting next week.”The vaccination site will be in Galveston County, but per state rules, will not be limited to residents of Galveston County. The sign-up is currently through UTMB and the Galveston County Health District. pic.twitter.com/dwO0XXIjwb — Galveston County TX (@GalvCoTx) January 19, 2021Be sure to watch the video to be published at the bottom of this article for a full recording of this event.

HOUSTON – Galveston County health officials said they hope to begin offering coronavirus vaccine appointments again after the state designated two agencies in the county as vaccine hubs. On Saturday, the state named UTMB Health Galveston and the Galveston County Health District as the hubs for the county. Dr. Philip Keiser, the health authority for Galveston County, said officials are anticipating 5,000 doses to arrive in the county this week. The vaccine shipment is expected to arrive either Tuesday or Wednesday. County officials are providing updates on the vaccine at gchd.org.

GALVESTON, Texas – The COVID-19 vaccine hubs will soon open across Texas but not in Galveston County, at least not during the first round. The initial list includes three hubs in the Houston area; all three are located in Harris County. Between the vaccine allocation amounts so far and lack of a hub, Dr. Keiser said he doesn’t want the state to forget about people in his county. Dr. Keiser said the Galveston County Health District has only received 600 doses so far. In a statement, Galveston County is encouraging residents who want the vaccine to call the state and ask that more doses be sent to the county.

BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas – Nineteen counties in North Texas are facing new restrictions, after seven straight days where the percentage of COVID-19 hospitalizations topped 15%. Some sports in Galveston, Brazoria and Chambers County are seeing numbers increase. On Friday, the current hospital rate was 7.2% in Galveston County and 9.7% in Brazoria County. Galveston County Judge Mark Henry requested an exemption from the Governor if the hospital region reaches the 15 percent threshold. Dr. Anthony Rogers in Brazoria County says they’re trying their part to stop the spread of the virus.

The number of coronavirus patients in Texas hospitals has nearly doubled since October, and average infections are at their highest point in almost three months — leaving health officials and funeral homes bracing for a potential crush of hospitalizations going into the holidays. Local funeral homes are readying extra refrigerated storage space, as the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the far West Texas city has shot up nearly tenfold since the start of September. The new wave of infections stands in contrast to the summer surge, when Gov. The fatigue comes as hospitals in El Paso and parts of West Texas have filled with coronavirus patients, and as other regions have seen steady increases in infections that could presage their own wave of hospitalizations. Multiple floors have been converted to house coronavirus patients, and they have leased space from a children’s hospital to treat adults who are not infected with COVID-19.

HOUSTON At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, older people accounted for most of the positive cases. Channel 2 Investigates wanted to know if younger people really are driving the current climb in coronavirus cases. There also have been positive cases for the Houston Texans, the Houston Astros and the Dallas Cowboys. Our average age last week of people that were positive was age 30, the average age of people getting tested was 47, he said. Hays County home of Texas State University reported 875 of 1448 cases are people under 30 this week.

Galveston County residents and those who live in county municipalities, which include portions of Harris County, can receive a new free COVID-19 antibody test. Hospitals throughout the state, including in Galveston County, are not at or near capacity, Governor Abbott said this week. Many antibody tests have proven to be inaccurate. He added that antibody testing also helps healthcare professionals treat those with acute coronavirus. We can contain the plasma part of the blood that contains antibodies of COVID-19, Dr. Laposata said.

TEXAS CITY, Texas – Inside a Texas City senior living facility is a cluster of COVID-19 infected people. Larry Edrozo claims his mother was prescribed the 5-day hydroxychloroquine drug regimen without her consent, and without any other family members’ consent. “I was a little bit disturbed to see the doctor said at this stage, consent was not necessary,” said Larry Edrozo. But is it crossing the line to try an experimental therapy without a patient or families’ consent, as Larry Edrozo claims? Now it’s Monday and I still haven’t heard anything from the doctor’s office,” Larry Edrozo said.