vaccinations

In a national survey, less than 20% of U.S. adults were concerned about respiratory viruses or interested in getting shots. A North Texas infectious diseases specialist talks about why.

San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District reported 646 new COVID cases in the week ending October 17. That's up slightly from the week before when 616 new cases were reported.

In Texas, students entering kindergarten at public schools are required to have up-to-date vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and Hepatitis A. Ten percent of toddlers haven't even started the series.

Politics, religion, distrust and disinformation all play a role. "I've realized that there's no convincing somebody once they have their mind made up," says a social worker in Beaumont, Texas.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Tuesday he is suing the federal government over the Defense Department’s vaccine mandate for military service members, saying the requirement interferes with his authority over the Texas National Guard. Abbott accused the Biden administration of violating the Second Militia clause of the Constitution and undermining his commander-in-chief power.

It’s the first vaccination increase since early April.

The social network says it will focus on groups, pages and accounts repeatedly sharing false claims about vaccines.

With vaccine still scarce, and eligibility differing from place to place, some people have easier access to "extra" doses than others. Careful, ethicists warn. Going out of turn is a slippery slope.

The administration is in its early days, but the infectious disease expert says he's encouraged by the new president's attitude about the pandemic. Science, Fauci says, is "going to rule."

The controversial debate about the need for and efficacy of vaccinations has resulted in an impasse for people on both sides of the argument. At the core…