April Is Child Abuse Prevention Month

The latest report on child maltreatment fatalities and near fatalities, compiled by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, indicates 251 children in Texas died in fiscal year 2020 due to abuse and neglect. That figure includes 28 children who died after being left unattended in hot vehicles.

During Child Abuse Prevention Month, DFPS is encouraging communities to increase awareness of resources available to help prevent child abuse in Texas. Resources are available at getparentingtips.com.

DSHS launches Texas vaccine scheduler

With anyone 16 and older now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, the Texas Department of State Health Services has launched the Texas Public Health Vaccine Scheduler. It establishes a single place to sign up for a vaccine through multiple public health agencies. Texans can visit getthevaccine.dshs.texas.gov to create a profile and pick a preferred day and time for an appointment. In most cases, people will be matched with the next available appointment in their home counties.

People without internet service or who have difficulty using the online registration tools can call 1-833-832-7067 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week for assistance.

As of Sunday, 7.92 million Texans had been vaccinated, meaning 41 percent of the state’s residents have received at least one shot. Some 4.46 million are fully vaccinated. DSHS announced Friday that more than 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are shipping out this week — more than double the previous high.

Meanwhile, new COVID-19 cases in Texas dropped again compared to the previous week, with 21,754 reported, down about 20% week to week. The number of deaths dropped to 637 last week, down about 14% from the previous week. Hospitalizations of confirmed COVID-19 patients again dropped, to 2,840 statewide.