News

The Woodlands Township COVID-19 Update – March 11

By The Woodlands Township | March 11, 2021

The Woodlands Township shared the following COVID-19 Update on Thursday, March 11, 2021.

Township Facilities Open, Safety Protocols In Place

The Woodlands Township announces all of its facilities are open while at the same time maintaining safety protocols for its employees and visitors due to COVID-19. Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-34 took effect Wednesday, March 10, 2021 and no longer requires business occupancy limits and a statewide mask mandate unless a county is experiencing “high hospitalizations” as defined in the Order. At this time, The Woodlands Township will continue with face coverings at Township facilities and in participation of Township programs and events, including meetings at Town Hall and programs and services at boat houses, adventure courses and recreational centers. The Township asks that participants abide with safety protocols when visiting a Township facility. Facemasks can be removed while actively engaged in physical exercise/activities where a distance of six feet from other individuals not associated with you can be maintained at all times. Read complete protocol statement.

VACCINE NEWS

COVID-19 Vaccinations to be Available for Ages 50+
Texas will continue to protect those at the greatest risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 by expanding vaccination to people 50 to 64 years of age on March 15, 2021. Read the news release.

Learn the Facts About the COVID-19 Vaccines
To stop this pandemic, it will require the use all of the prevention tools. Vaccines are one of the most effective tools to protect health and prevent disease. Vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses so the body will be ready to fight the virus. Take a look at the COVID-19 Fact Sheet to learn more about the vaccines.

Vaccine Hubs and Waiting Lists
A number of COVID-19 Vaccine Hubs and vaccination sites are available around The Woodlands and Montgomery County. The Woodlands Township has compiled this information for residents to use in making their decisions regarding COVID-19 vaccines. You may be placed on a waitlist until more vaccine supply is available.Your patience is appreciated. Learn more.

Individual hospitals, physicians’ offices and pharmacies may also have vaccines available to eligible populations. Please check their websites for additional information. You can find a list of providers and additional information on the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website here: https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine-hubs.aspx.

The Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management offers call center hours Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Montgomery County residents, 65 years and older. Call 936-523-3916 during these hours to be assisted.

Harris County has established a hotline for their senior constituents through the HCP4 Encore Department. The HCP4 Encore staff is available as a resource to offer more information on the vaccination registration process from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 713-274-4050.

What to Know When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated
People who are fully vaccinated can start to do some things they stopped doing because of the pandemic, according to a news announcement from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). It’s good to know what’s considered safe and what precautions should still be followed after being fully vaccinated. Read more.

Vaccine Facts: Should I Expect Side Effects from the COVID-19 Vaccines?
Side effects after getting a COVID-19 vaccine are normal signs your body is building protection. Side effects may even feel like flu and might affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Get more information now.

COVID-19 Texas Vaccination Data Dashboard
A dashboard is available through the Texas Department of State Health Services showing COVID-19 vaccination data in Texas. The charts below illustrate vaccines allocated, shipped and administered in the state of Texas, Montgomery County and Harris County. View the dashboard.

“Save Our Seniors” Initiative to Vaccinate Homebound Seniors In Texas
As part of the statewide Save Our Seniors Initiative, the state will deploy more than 1,100 National Guardsmen to assist communities in vaccinating homebound seniors. The guardsmen will be broken up into teams that will deploy across the state. Some members of these teams will focus on identifying and registering homebound seniors for the program while others will visit homes and administer vaccines. The state is dedicating up to 8,000 vaccines to this initiative for the first week and will work with organizations like Meals On Wheels and nursing groups to identify homebound seniors who volunteer to be vaccinated. The program launched Monday, March 1, 2021. Read complete release.

STATE NEWS

Abbott Rescinds Most COVID Executive Orders
Businesses are now able to operate at 100 percent capacity and the mask mandate by the State of Texas came to an end Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Mask wearing will now be determined by individual businesses. The Governor highly encourages Texans to use good-faith efforts. Available resources and recommendations can be found through the Texas Department of State Health Services: www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus. Read the Executive Order.

COVID-19 TESTING

Extended Hours for Free COVID-19 Testing
The Curative COVID-19 Testing at three locations in The Woodlands will now be open until 6 p.m. daily. The new Curative walk-up testing location at The Rob Fleming Aquatic Center is located at 6535 Creekside Forest Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77389. Appointments are recommended for this location, and can be made here

This new testing location is an addition to the two other current sites, The Woodlands Township Town Hall, located at 2801 Technology Forest Blvd., The Woodlands, TX 77381, and Sterling Ridge Park and Ride, 8001 McBeth Way, The Woodlands, TX 77382.

For more information about COVID-19 testing by Curative, please visit the Township website, or www.curative.com.

Please note, the FDA recently issued a warning regarding false test results from Curative.

SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council
SETRAC is a powerful coalition of providers, responders and other healthcare related partners united together to save lives and improve health outcomes through research, education and collaboration. You can find more information and view hospital use related to COVID-19 on their website, setrac.org.

COUNTY NEWS

Montgomery County Public Health District, in conjunction with the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, can confirm mass vaccinations continue in our county by appointment. To check eligibility, click here: https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine.aspx.

You can join the Montgomery County COVID-19 waitlist by clicking here: https://coronavirus-response-moco.hub.arcgis.com/pages/vaccinations. If you are 65+ years of age and do not have internet access, you can join by calling 936-523-3916, Monday-Thursday 8:00am-4:30pm or 8:00am-4:00pm. After signing up, please check your email daily.

Individual hospitals, physicians’ offices and pharmacies may also have vaccines available to eligible populations. Please check their websites for additional information. You can find a list of providers and additional information on the DSHS website here: https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine-hubs.aspx.

Today, Montgomery County can confirm three additional deaths related to COVID-19.

A woman in her 50s, from Conroe, died in the hospital. She had co-morbidities in addition to testing positive for COVID-19.
A man in his 50s, from Conroe, died in the hospital. He had co-morbidities in addition to testing positive for COVID-19.
A man in his 80s, from Willis, died in the hospital. He had co-morbidities in addition to testing positive for COVID-19.

Montgomery County can also confirm:

TOTAL cases of COVID-19 increased by 199 to 46,993 since Wednesday’s (3/10) report. All 199 were tested since 2/25/2021.
ACTIVE cases of COVID-19 decreased by 40 to 2,227 since Wednesday’s (3/10) report.
92 county residents are known, as a result of contact investigations, to be in the hospital. Contact investigations have not been initiated on all reported cases.
24,040 people have clinically recovered.

The Testing Positivity Rate for Montgomery County is 12%, down from 14% last week. This number is updated weekly on Wednesdays.

Source: UT Health, School of Public Health
*These numbers include PCR and rapid antigen testing. We do not include antibody testing.

You can view the case-by-case updates on the MCPHD website here: https://mcphd-tx.org/coronavirus-covid-19/confirmed-cases/. You can refer to the dashboard here: https://coronavirus-response-moco.hub.arcgis.com/.

Do your part to slow the spread of COVID-19:

Avoid groups of people.
Practice social distancing.
Wear a mask in public (over your nose and mouth) or with others who live outside your household. Never share a mask with others.
Teach children proper hygiene and the correct way to wear a mask.
Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.
Disinfect surfaces in your car and around your home.
As supply and eligibility increases, get vaccinated.

Do you have general questions regarding COVID-19, COVID-19 testing or vaccines? The Montgomery County COVID-19 Call Center’s number is 936-523-3916. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Harris County COVID-19 Case Count
Harris County Public Health (HCPH) publishes their daily case count, combined with the City of Houston’s daily case count, here. Cases by zip code in Harris County can be found by clicking on areas of the map.

The Village of Creekside Park is located in two zip codes: 77375 and 77389, and these also include Magnolia, Augusta Pines/Auburn Lakes/West Rayford Road in northwest Harris County. Today, Harris County is reporting zip code 77375 has 3,995 confirmed positive cases with 155 active cases, and 77389 has 2,225 confirmed positive cases with 102 active cases.

COVID-19 Case Count Brief from The Woodlands Fire Department
All numbers since 3/09/2021

Montgomery County

46,993 – Confirmed +280
2,227 – Active -137
252 – Deaths +3
24,040 – Recovered +409
92 – Hospitalized +18

Harris County

186,212 – Confirmed +941
7,245 – Active Cases -593
1,385 – Deaths +9
177,564 – Recovered +1,525

Montgomery County Testing
Do you have questions regarding COVID-19 or COVID-19 testing? The Montgomery County COVID-19 Call Center’s number is 936-523-3916. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Harris County Testing
Residents may also sign up for free COVID-19 testing online at hcphtx.org. Call 832-927-7575 for more information.

CDC COVID Data Tracker
CDC’s home for COVID-19 data, the COVID Data Tracker, has many tools and features to find data to help protect yourself, your family and your community. Data sets are updated daily, and new features are added every week. Search for data by county.

RESOURCES

Take Care of Each Other to Help Prevent Scams
People living alone or somewhat isolated due to the pandemic are eager to talk with someone else about their concerns, worries or thoughts. Scammers know this, and are ready to take advantage of these people. Learn more about who’s at risk and how to help.

The Woodlands Family YMCAs to Host Blood Donor Coach in March
Help Rebuild the blood supply. More than 3000 units of blood were lost during the Winter Storm last month. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center had to suspend much of its operations to keep our donors and staff members safe. Still, the need for blood persists, and we are asking anyone who can safely do so to donate. With your help, we can recover and continue to serve patients in our community.

Shadowbend YMCA, 6145 Shadowbend Place
Thursday, March 25, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Schedule an Appointment

All donors are encouraged to register online for your preferred time and date. Visit www.giveblood.org. Walk-ups are welcomed.

Township’s Coronavirus Page
The Woodlands Township’s COVID-19 page can be found at https://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/covid19. This page features Montgomery and Harris county hubs, community resources and news from the Federal Government and the CDC. It also includes the latest news from the Township, partner agencies, important links, FAQs, live Twitter feeds and more.

Source: The Woodlands Township