Texas Standard For February 10, 2021

The wait for a vaccine and the frustration of many over even getting on a list. We put some questions to a doctor on the state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel today on the Texas Standard. And: We’ll also explore the equity of vaccine distribution, and whether teachers should be higher on the priority list. Also: A push by Texas sports teams to legalize betting. And the new voice that’s come out in hesitation. Plus: Texas through the lens of a new PBS “Nature” documentary. Those stories and more today on the

By Texas StandardFebruary 10, 2021 9:30 am

Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, February 10, 2021.

Vaccine Rollout Panel

Many Texans have been frustrated by their attempts to get a COVID-19 vaccine. What everyone in Texas wants to know is when there’s only a limited supply of vaccine available how does the state decide where the doses go? Dr. Ryan Van Ramshorst, a San Antonio pediatrician and one of 17 members of the Texas COVID-19 Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel talks to the Standard about how vaccine allocation works in Texas.

Vaccine Equity for Black Texans 

Black communities in the Houston area have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. But less than half of Black individuals plan to get vaccinated, according to a recent poll from the University of Houston. That hesitation in large part comes from medical mistrust. Houston Public Media’s Sara Willa Ernst unpacks the history behind it and what officials are doing to repair that trust.

Teachers and Vaccines

Public education advocates continue to push for Texas teachers to be a priority when it comes to receiving COVID-19 vaccines. While several other states across the United States have bumped public school teachers up in the vaccine line as frontline workers, so far Texas hasn’t done the same. Ovidia Molina is president of the Texas State Teachers Association and she talks to the Standard.

Sports Betting in Texas 

It is as easy as it’s ever been to gamble on sports. That’s true if you’re in Nevada – where all sorts of games of chance are allowed. In Texas, sports gambling is illegal. But betting on games still happens here though. Which is part of the rationale behind a new bill to legalize it, that’s got the backing of some of the biggest names in Texas pro sports. Lauren McGaughy, investigative reporter for The Dallas Morning News, has been covering this and joins the Standard to talk about it.

‘Nature’s’ Big Bend Special

For 39 seasons, the program “Nature” has aired on PBS channels across the country, giving viewers sweeping views of the Alps or the Sahara, or up-close examinations of hummingbirds or weasels. Now, in an episode airing tonight – it’s “Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas.” Austin-based Skip Hobbie served as a producer and primary cinematographer for the episode and talks to the Standard.

Stories from Texas:  Sarah in the Summertime

PolitiFact: John Kerry and Hurricane Harvey

All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.

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