News Updates

Current news topics:

• COVID-19
• Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Information
• COVID-19 Variants
• Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
• Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Onions
• Winter Storm-Related Deaths

COVID-19

Accessible version (Excel)

The Texas Department of State Health Services tracks COVID-19 cases, testing, hospitalizations, vaccine allocations and uptake, and more.

COVID-19 data dashboards can be accessed from the menu options to the right.
Accessible version (Excel) | Texas COVID-19 Data Additional Datasets
All data are provisional and subject to change.

DSHS has additional information on COVID-19 for the public, health care professionals, health departments and labs at dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus.

News releases on COVID-19

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Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Information – Nov. 3, 2021

Texas vaccine providers will receive more than 1.3 million doses of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine through the next week. DSHS recommends making an appointment or checking with the provider before going to get vaccinated.

There are approximately 2.9 million children between the ages of 5 and 11 in Texas. More vaccine is expected to be delivered in coming weeks.

News Release 
DSHS’s Guidance for Vaccine Providers
Pediatric Vaccine Provider Allocation List

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COVID-19 Variants

DSHS has launched a new Variants and Genomic Surveillance dashboard for SARS-CoV-2, replacing the variant count table previously located on this page. You can view the platform at dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/variants-data. The new platform is similar in style and content to the CDC’s variant dashboard, and the data shown is collected by the CDC’s national SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance program. The dashboard’s data will be updated weekly.

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Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) – Nov. 4, 2021

DSHS has confirmed 282 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. MIS-C is a rare but serious complication associated with COVID-19. The condition causes different body parts to become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have fever and various symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. The cause of MIS-C has not been determined. However, many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19 or had been around someone with COVID-19. 

Parents and caregivers should contact their child's health care provider if a child shows symptoms of MIS-C. Providers should report suspected cases to their public health department.

While the cause of MIS-C has not been identified, the best way to protect your children against the condition is to take precautions to prevent anyone in your household from getting COVID-19.

MIS-C at a glance:

• Age range: 1 month-18 years old (median: 9 years old)
• Sex: 182 Male (65%), 100 Female (35%)
• Race/Ethnicity: 151 Hispanic (54%), 63 Black (22%), 50 White (18%), 7 Asian (2%), 11 Unknown (4%)
• Onset date range (fever): 4/5/20 – 10/16/21
• Hospital and ICU admission: 282 Hospitalized (100%), 187 ICU admission (66%)
• Outcome: 247 Discharged (88%), 1 Died ( <1%), 34 Unknown/Lost to Follow-Up (12%)

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Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Onions – Nov. 5, 2021

Local, state and federal public health officials have determined a recent Salmonella outbreak is linked to onions imported from Chihuahua, Mexico and distributed by ProSource, Inc. The contaminated onions were sold to restaurants and grocery stores in multiples states, including Texas, and may have stickers or packaging with “ProSource Produce” and “Mexico.”

Businesses should not sell and should throw away any red, white or yellow onions imported from Chihuahua and distributed by ProSource. Similarly, the public should check onions they have at home. If they are not labeled and their source is unknown, they should be thrown out.

This outbreak sickened more than 800 people in the US, including 200 in Texas, more than any other state. The Texas residents involved ranged from less than a year to 84 years old, and 44 patients have been hospitalized.

Additional information:

CDC: Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Onions

FDA: Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Oranienburg: Whole, Fresh Onions

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Winter Storm-Related Deaths – July 13, 2021

DSHS is tracking deaths related to the February winter storms that affected Texas and posting data that is preliminary and subject to change. 

There are three main ways DSHS is notified of disaster-related deaths:

• Medical certifiers submit a DSHS form specifying that a particular death was related to a disaster.
• Medical certifiers flag a death record as disaster related.
• DSHS epidemiologists match public reports of disaster-related deaths to death certificates.

DSHS disaster epidemiologists continue to reconcile information about causes of death. The majority of confirmed deaths were associated with hypothermia. There have also been multiple deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning, exacerbation of chronic illness, falls, and fire. Confirmed deaths occurred between Feb. 11 and March 5. 

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