Barbie Robinson is seen in this photo posted on social media by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on March 9, 2021. HOUSTON – A new director has been named to lead Harris County Public Health. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Tuesday night that Barbie Robinson will lead the county’s health department. NEW: We’re proud to announce Barbie Robinson as Harris County’s new Public Health Director. She was selected after an incredibly thorough search, and I'm confident she'll tackle the toughest public health challenges in our region with ambition, mastery and creativity.

(AP Photo/Mark Baker)CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is advancing the start of its coronavirus vaccination program to mid-February, with plans to inoculate 15% of the population by late March. Mexico’s vaccination effort continues at a glacial rate, with about 7,500 shots administered Wednesday, a rate similar to previous days. John Bel Edwards and public health officials said Wednesday that efforts are being made to speed up vaccinations for the coronavirus. So far, state officials have administered 126,602 of the 522,550 doses the state has received. More than 329,000 people have been vaccinated in Florida — or about 1.5% of the population — almost all of them either health care workers, residents in care homes, or people over the age of 65.

KATY, Texas – Health experts are hoping to see increased traffic at testing sites this week now that the Thanksgiving holiday is over. The same data also shows a surge in testing days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. In Harris County, 21,109 people took a test from Nov. 17 through Nov. 30, according to Harris County Public Health. Now, city and county health experts are hoping that the upward trend continues this week. “We do know that the incubation period again for COVID-19 is two to three days,” Dr. Shah said.

HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo warned against holiday gatherings Tuesday and urged state leaders to act to address the recent increase in coronavirus cases and positivity rates in Harris County. The judge said the county’s positivity rate is at 8.2%, noting that the number has been creeping up since late summer. A manageable positivity rate is 5%, medical experts have said. “That’s why we need the state to step in and lead or get out of the way and let us lead,” Hidalgo said. Hidalgo said state leaders have been picking-and-choosing metrics instead of using a consistent system to determine when it is safe to reopen.

HOUSTON – The top health official in Harris County is leaving to become the next Secretary of Health for Washington state. Dr. Umair Shah joined Harris County Public Health as a deputy director in 2004 and has become a familiar face to Houstonians since becoming the executive director of HCPH in 2013. Shah has been a vocal health advocate amid the coronavirus pandemic, insisting people stay home as case numbers started to rise in March. He also pushed forward plans for COVID-19 testing and contact-tracing. Shah’s resignation is effective Dec. 18.

HOUSTON School districts in Harris County will not return to partial in-person learning until at least Sept. 8, according to an order signed by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Officials cited the countys high coronavirus positivity rate, requiring school districts that had planned to offer both online and in-person learning to pivot. The Klein Independent School District was one of them and its superintendent asked county health leaders Tuesday for clarity on how and when school campuses will be considered safe enough for in-person learning to return. We are at a point where people need to stay home, where no gathering should take place, much less in a school, Hidalgo said. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Tuesday said local school districts should decide how they will reopen.

HOUSTON Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo will be holding a news conference Friday to make an announcement regarding coronavirus in the city and county. According to a news release, Hidalgo and Turner will be joined by state Rep. Armando Walle, the countys recovery czar, and health experts, Dr. Umair Shah, of Harris County Public Health, and Dr. David Persse, of the Houston Health Department. The news conference is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Click2Houston.com is planning to offer a live stream of the event.

HOUSTON Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is urging the superintendents of school districts within Harris County to keep the first eight weeks of the 2020-21 school year entirely virtual and not return to campus until at least October. In the Monday letter, Hidalgo and Dr. Umair Shah of Harris County Public Health said the county is facing an extremely challenging time and continues to be at Threat Level 1 on the Harris County COVID-19 Threat Level System. The Texas Education Agencys new guidelines, allow districts to continue virtual learning for the first eight weeks of the school year and county officials urged the superintendents to take that route. Hidalgo and Shah detailed certain recommendations they believed school districts should act on. They are:In-person, face-to-face instruction should not be made available for any grades (from Pre-K through Grade 12) until October 2020.

HOUSTON Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo held a news conference Monday where she addressed the growing number of coronavirus cases in Houston and a new $30 million small business assistance program. The strategy of just filling our hospital beds with sick residents is wrong, Hidalgo said. Its the wrong way to pursue public health policy. It is the wrong way to get ahead of this virus, and its wrong morally. Its also not working.Of those hospitalized since the beginning of May, over 50% are Hispanic and 25% of people hospitalized since March have been black despite both being minorities in the community, Hidalgo said.

HOUSTON – The federal government has launched a new database to track COVID-19 in the nation’s nursing homes. The national pictureAccording to CMS, there have been more than 95,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 32,000 deaths in nursing homes as of May 31. But when looking at the data for individual nursing homes, there are some discrepancies. Importance of tracking the virus in nursing homesIn Texas, roughly 40% of all COVID-related deaths have been in nursing homes. Both state and federal officials say those are just some of the reasons why tracking COVID-19 hotspots in nursing homes is crucial.

HUMBLE – A Humble nursing home was hit with a quarantine order after a rash of COVID-19 related deaths were reported. The order was issued Thursday by the Harris County Public Health Department against the Oakmont Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center of Humble. Dr. Umair Shah, the executive director of the Harris County Public Health Department, said he was particularly bothered by delays in reporting COVID related deaths. Shah said 56 residents and staff are also currently being monitored for COVID-19. Shah said both the county and state regulators addressed infection control issues at Oakmont during two visits.

HOUSTON The peak of coronavirus is the date at which our area has the highest number of cases. Early on when coronavirus appeared in Houston, experts threw out dates they predicted that peak would hit. Dr. Umair Shah, of Harris County Public Health, said the truth is, we wont know when the peak happens, until after it happens. Shah said looking at other countries in summer months doesnt give us a clear answer for what to expect yet. While were hopeful it follows the family of coronaviruses, the reality is its too early to know, Shah said.

Now, the messaging from Harris County Public Health is “keep the distance, stop the spread”. That seems like a reasonable answer since the goal is to stop the pandemic, even if the virus is unstoppable. “I like the message because you know ‘flatten the curve’ is a little abstract for people,” he said. What is the Trust Index? We rate this a yellow on our Trust Index for “be careful.” Keeping the distance slows the spread and may eventually stop the pandemic, but that’s not as catchy.

HOUSTON – Families won’t be spending this weekend in Houston and Harris County parks. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo signed an order Wednesday to close all county parks from Thursday at 8 p.m. to Monday at 8 a.m. to promote social distancing. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner followed by announcing on Thursday afternoon that all city parks will also be closed through Easter weekend. “We want people to be spiritually together but physically apart,” said Dr. Umair Shah, the executive director of Harris County Public Health during a press conference Wednesday. On Wednesday, Harris County officials reported 135 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths, bringing the total to 961 cases and 19 deaths in Harris County, excluding the cases in the city of Houston.

HOUSTON – Dr. Umair Shah of Harris County Public Health sums up the rollout of drive-thru testing sites in a few short words: "This isn't just a simple operation." He is not alone when it comes to an understanding of the complexities behind drive-thru testing locations. "I think it's complex for a number of reasons," said Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack. The stadium will soon be home to a new drive-thru testing facility for Harris County and the surrounding areas. As for the site at Legacy Stadium, there was a call for transparency by one area resident during the build-out,"I don't know anything about this.