Dallas County adds 989 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths on Wednesday, Dallas Judge Clay Jenkins reports.
As the highly contagious delta variant has driven up COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the state, Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest nonprofit hospital system in Texas, announced that it will require all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Baylor has over 40,000 full-time employees in North and Central Texas, and workers must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1. According to a report by the UT Southwestern Medical Center, hospital volumes had risen 89% in the previous two weeks, with hospitalizations being especially high in areas with low vaccination rates. Read more with The Dallas Morning News.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is launching the Texas Vaccine Outreach and Education Grant program, KERA reports. The goal of the grant is to increase the number of fully vaccinated Texans and slow the spread of COVID-19 by providing grants of $50,000 – $150,000 to a wide range of groups engaged in vaccine education. DSHS is encouraging educational agencies, faith-based organizations, government entities, community coalitions, associations and nonprofit groups to apply for the federal funds.
