x
Breaking News
More () »

Coronavirus updates: TDCJ to stop intake of inmates from county jails Monday

Here is a look at the latest COVID-19 headlines from around Houston, Texas, and the world.

We are continuing to track the latest headlines and updates regarding the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Get today's latest updates and top headlines below.

>> THIS BLOG HAS BEEN ARCHIVED; GET THE LATEST UPDATES BY CLICKING HERE

Today's top headlines

How you can get tested for COVID-19 | Map: Local COVID-19 cases | Coronavirus symptomsFrequently Asked Questions

Latest updates

>> THIS BLOG HAS BEEN ARCHIVED; GET THE LATEST UPDATES BY CLICKING HERE

Here are the latest updates from around the Houston area and the world (all times are Central/Houston time):

APRIL 11 9:22 p.m. — The Texas Department of Criminal Justice will stop the intake of all inmates from county jails starting Monday.

"Following the disaster declaration issued March 13, 2020, statutory time requirements have been waived specific to the transfer of jail inmates into the TDCJ system," TDCJ spokesman Jeremy Desel said in a statement. "This action is necessary and temporary."

TDCJ says 72 of its employees, staff or contractors and 167 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. 

APRIL 11 8:22 p.m. — Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo shared a heat map showing which areas of the county are most affected by COVID-19.

APRIL 11 6:10 p.m. —The Texas Department of Criminal Justice says 72 of its employees, staff or contractors and 167 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19.

Two additional facilities were placed on precautionary lockdown Saturday at the Scott and Terrell Units. Other precautionary units include Bell, Beto, Byrd, Clements, Darrington, ETTF, Estelle, Goree, Hutchins, Jordan, Leblanc, Murray, Robertson, Scott, Smith, Stringfellow, Telford, Terrell, Woodman and Wynne. 

TDCJ says the precautionary lockdowns extend for 14 days from the date of a positive test and may be extended to the date of the most recent positive test.

They said there are an additional 10,651 offenders on medical restriction who may have had contact with either and employee or offender with a positive or pending COVID-19 test.

APRIL 11 5:39 p.m. — The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says 51 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, and nine jail inmates have tested positive for the virus.

APRIL 11 5:15 p.m. — Harris County Public Health shared a race and ethnicity breakdown of the COVID-19 deaths in the county and in the city of Houston.

In Harris County, where there are 4.7 million people, according to the U.S. Census, 69.9 percent of the population is white; 43.3 percent Hispanic, 19.9 percent African American, 7.4 percent Asian, 1.1 percent is American Indian and Alaska native and 1.9 percent is two or more races.

In Houston, 37.3 percent of the population is white, 36.5 percent is Hispanic, 16.9 percent is African American, 7.5 percent is Asian and 1.8 percent is another ethnicity.

APRIL 11 5:05 p.m. —  The first round of federal relief checks was set to be processed Thursday as part of the federal response to the coronavirus. And scammers are hoping to cash in on them.

The 3 most common stimulus check scams we can expect to see: fake checks; advance fees; and phishing attempts. More details

APRIL 11 4:44 p.m. —  For nowHarris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said it's too early to reopen the county and return to business as usual. She is concerned doing so before faster testing is readily available could lead to a second peak. 

Hidalgo said our projected peak is the end of April if people continue to stay home. Otherwise, the peak will come later, the number of cases will be higher and the hospital system could become overwhelmed. Read more.

APRIL 11 3:55 p.m. — To help increase the number of health care workers on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is easing regulations for physicians in training.

Under the temporary waivers, Texas medical facilities associated with the Graduate Medical Education training programs can use those with a physician-in-training permit outside their training program. More details

 APRIL 11 3:10 p.m. — A fourth person at a senior living apartment complex has died in The Woodlands, according to the Montgomery County Public Health District. He was a man in his 80s who was a resident of The Conservatory at Alden Bridge. This is the 4th death related to the senior living apartment complex and the fifth person to die of COVID-19 in Montgomery County.

RELATED: 4 residents of a Woodlands apartment complex for seniors have died due to COVID-19

Montgomery County also had some good news to share. The Patton Village police officer who spent weeks on a ventilator in ICU has been released from the hospital.

APRIL 11 2:32 p.m. — Walt Disney World will furlough 43,000 more employees.. Disney said it plans to stop paying wages to the workers in about a week, while allowing them to keep their benefits for up to a year as they stay home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The deal with the workers unions was announced on Saturday. This is the largest wave of furloughs since the theme park resort closed in mid-March. Read more.

APRIL 1:15 p.m. In less than a week, crews have built an outdoor medical center at NRG Park. If needed, it can treat up to 250 patients. The facility will be used if hospitals fill up. The cost, so far, is $11 million, according to County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Most of that money will be refunded by the federal government. Full story.

APRIL 11 12:55 p.m. Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Lina Hidalgo will have an update at approximately 1 p.m. on local efforts to battle COVID-19. 

APRIL 11 11:42 a.m. — The United States surpassed Italy on Saturday morning with the most reported deaths of any nation, CNN reports citing Johns Hopkins University

The US now reports at least 18,860 coronavirus deaths. Italy is reporting at least 18,849 coronavirus deaths.

APRIL 11 10:48 a.m. The Fort Bend County Health & Human Servies reported 33 cases and one additional death today, bringing the county's total death count to 11. Click here for a breakdown of cases in each county.  

APRIL 11 10:31 a.m. Even though bars and clubs remain closed, alcohol sales are skyrocketing around Texas. One study showed 20-percent of Texans are drinking on the job while working from home. Read more here

APRIL 11 10:17 a.m. — Public schools in New York City's 1.1 million-student district will be closed for the rest of the academic year, but online education will continue as the city struggles to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday. Read more here

APRIL 11 9:19 a.m. — Italy’s special commissioner for the virus emergency urged people to stay at home for Easter and Easter Monday, days when Italians customarily visit friends and relatives or take outings into the countryside.

Domenico Arcuri says, ’’The virus has not been defeated, but we are on the right path. We see the indicators, but not the end of the tunnel. In fact, the end of the tunnel is still far away.”

APRIL 11 8:53 a.m. — As state orders have shut down restaurant dining rooms, the coronavirus is proving to have some sort of impact on the meat industry in Texas.  

"The current impact that we have seeing is just that the supply side, meaning that suppliers have had to pivot and be able to send enough trucks and get those that supply to the grocery stores to maintain that grocery store case," said Woodward. "The uncertainty in futures markets and uncertainty and the volatility of those markets have probably lost on paper a third of the value of their livestock here just in the last month."

APRIL 11 8:16 a.m. — Two NASA astronauts who have spent more than half a year at the International Space Station are expected to return to a drastically changed world next week.  

Andrew Morgan said the crew has tried to keep atop the pandemic news. But it’s hard to comprehend what’s really going on and what to expect, he noted, when his nine-month mission ends next Friday. Read more here

APRIL 11 7:55 a.m. — Washington County announced its second COVID-19 death. The individual was a female who is between 90-99 years old with multiple underlying conditions. She passed away Friday. Click here to see a breakdown of cases and deaths in each county. 

APRIL 11 6:41 a.m. — The Salvation Army has launched, what it's calling, the first nationwide hotline to provide emotional and spiritual support to anyone impacted by the crisis. The service is open to anyone looking for spiritual guidance, local services, or just someone to talk to. 

The number to call is 1-844-458-HOPE (4673). Staff are available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST, and counselors speak English and Spanish. Read more here.

APRIL 10 10:37 p.m. — A Houston-based oil and gas giant is joining the fight against COVID-19  by re-purposing its 3-D printers to make personal protective equipment for health care workers which is in short supply worldwide. More details here.

APRIL 10 8:51 p.m. — Harris County has released a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by city.  Some cities below are in multiple counties.  These are the Harris County numbers for those cities.

APRIL 10 8:35 p.m. — There are now 18 state prisons on lockdown due to an employee or prisoner who’s tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice issued a new directive this week, ordering any prison that has a positive case of COVID-19 must lock down and undergo a 14-day quarantine period from the date of the most recent positive test.

Those prisons are: Bell, Beto, Byrd, Clements, Darrington, ETTF, Estelle, Goree, Hutchins, Jordan, Leblanc, Murray, Robertson, Smith, Stringfellow, Telford, Woodman and Wynne.

Nearly 21,000 prisoners are affected by the lockdowns.

In all, 69 TDCJ employees or contractors and 132 prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19.

APRIL 10 8:22 p.m. — President Trump, who is now weighing when to re-open the country’s economy, is pointing to models that are now forecasting U.S. death rates far lower than originally estimated. He says, “We’re saving so many lives compared to what it could have been.”

But experts warn that re-opening the country too soon could cause a devastating new spike in infections.

"I only hope to God that it's the right decision," Trump said at Friday's White House coronavirus task force press conference about reopening the country. "I would say without question it's the biggest decision I've ever had to make."

APRIL 10 8:06 p.m. — If you’ve found it easier to breathe the past couple of weeks, there’s some hard data that helps explain why. A side effect of COVID-19 crisis has been Houston's air is cleaner. KHOU 11 Investigates breaks it down.

APRIL 10 7:44 p.m. — Willis ISD announced tonight its canceling its May 22 graduation. The district said Sam Houston State University Coliseum, where it holds its graduations, has closed. It's hoping to reschedule. "We are sad for our seniors, but plans will be made to honor them in a special way," the district said. More info here.

APRIL 10 6:43 p.m. — In an updated memo posted online today, The Buckingham said 14 people have tested positive, including nine residents and five staff members.

In all, 116 people in the facility have been tested. Twenty-eight residents and 11 employees have tested negative.

APRIL 10 5:55 p.m. — There are now 44 Harris County sheriff employees who have tested positive for COVID-19, many of whom work at the Harris County Jail. Eight inmates in the jail have also tested positive.

APRIL 10 5:20 p.m. — A senior living facility in Houston has quarantined some residents after multiple employees and residents have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

In a memo sent posted online, The Buckingham said 10 people have contracted COVID-19 as of Thursday evening, including eight residents and two employees. The facility plans to release updated numbers tonight and expects more positive cases. Read more here.

APRIL 10 4:12 p.m. — Here's an updated count on COVID-19 cases across counties in the Greater Houston area as of Friday afternoon.

APRIL 10 3:30 p.m. — Montgomery County is reporting 14 new positive COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total to 245. There have been 76 recoveries and four deaths. 

RELATED: Map: Keeping track of Houston-area coronavirus cases

APRIL 10 3:24 p.m. — Houston health officials are investigating a potential COVID-19 outbreak at a nursing home. Dr. David Persse said at an afternoon news conference that two people tested positive, sparking the city to test everyone at the facility.

Health officials didn’t name the facility because not all test results have come back yet.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said he’s asking all nursing homes and senior living facilities in the city to abide by a new set of rules during the pandemic: employees can only work at one facility, employees must have their temperature taken before their shifts, and all employees must wear masks during their shifts.

There's been coronavirus outbreaks at two senior living facilities in Greater Houston. One was at The Resort in Texas City, where 83 residents and employees have tested positive. The other is at 28 cases at Park Manor at Quail Valley in Missouri City.

Coronavirus symptoms

The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  Some patients also have nausea, body aches, headaches and stomach issues. Losing your sense of taste and/or smell can also be an early warning sign.

Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.

But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk for becoming seriously ill. However, U.S. experts are seeing a significant number of younger people being hospitalized, including some in ICU.

The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.

Human coronaviruses are usually spread through...

  • The air by coughing or sneezing
  • Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
  • Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.

Help stop the spread of coronavirus

  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Eat and sleep separately from your family members
  • Use different utensils and dishes
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with your arm, not your hand.
  • If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
  • Follow social distancing

Lower your risk

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
  • If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.

Get complete coverage of the coronavirus by texting 'FACTS' to 713-526-1111.

Before You Leave, Check This Out