Coronavirus News

First doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrive at medical centers across Texas

COVID-19 vaccine Baylor College of Medicine

Front-line and healthcare workers will get the vaccine first.

Photo courtesy of BCM

Four sites in Texas received the COVID-19 vaccine on December 14, part of a rollout of doses being shipped out across the U.S. Texas received 19,500 doses, with another 250,000 doses being distributed to 109 facilities in Texas — including Fort Worth — this week.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the first four sites to get it were:

Methodist Dallas Medical Center
MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston
Wellness 360 at UT Health San Antonio
UT Health Austin's Dell Medical School

The first vaccination in North Texas went to Teresa Mata, 51, an employee at Methodist Dallas.

Another 75,000 doses will be delivered on December 15 to 19 sites in Texas:

Fort Worth, Texas Health Resources Medical Support
Dallas, Parkland Hospital
Dallas, UT Southwestern
Amarillo, Texas Tech Univ. Health Science Center Amarillo
Corpus Christi, Christus Spohn Health System Shoreline
Edinburg, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance
Edinburg, UT Health RGV Edinburg
El Paso, University Medical Center El Paso
Galveston, University of Texas Medical Branch Hospital
Houston, Texas Children’s Hospital Main
Houston, LBJ Hospital
Houston, CHI St. Luke’s Health
Houston, Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center
Houston, Houston Methodist Hospital
Houston, Ben Taub General Hospital
Lubbock, Covenant Medical Center
San Angelo, Shannon Pharmacy
Temple, Baylor Scott and White Medical Center

Healthcare and front-line workers will receive the vaccine first. Officials are still working out the timeline, but the general public is not expected to get the vaccine until spring 2021 at the earliest.

Dr. Paul Klotman, president of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said in a press conference that getting vaccinated is helpful to both individuals and their communities.

"The thing about everyone pitching in, do it for yourself because it will help protect you, but when you get the herd immunity it will help protect people who are unable medically to get the vaccine," Klotman said.

health

NEW CRUSH

Lauded Texas winemaker uplifts Hill Country town with new vineyard and tasting room

Photo by David Capote

Uplift Vineyard devotes 55 acres to growing grapes.

One of Texas’ most acclaimed winemakers is stomping on new grounds. William Chris Wine Company is opening of a new vineyard and tasting room on a gorgeous 78-acre property in Burnet, about 170 miles (or just over two-and-a-half hours) southwest of Fort Worth.

William Chris founders Chris Brundrett and Andrew Sides purchased the property, formerly named Hoover Valley, in 2021 from a private owner. The rebranded Uplift Vineyard hired the vineyard team and rehabbed the existing structures to offer elevated wine-tasting experiences and host future private events.

Uplift will be William Chris’ first estate wine brand. For those not up on wine-speak, the offerings will use grapes exclusively grown in the vineyard instead of those harvested by outside growers. Winemaker Claire Richardson will head the program, featuring a surfeit of single-varietal wines and proprietary blends.

Fall releases will zero in on hefty sippers like a single variety Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec, as well as a Bordeaux blend. Springtime will lighten up with Italian grapes such as Montepulciano, Aglianico, and Sangiovese.

Eventually, Uplift Vineyard will expand its wine offerings to a medium-body Rhône blend featuring Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre and explore white blends and rosés.

“Every bottle of Uplift wine will come from only the best grapes harvested from this spectacular site, situated in the Llano Uplift geological region,” says CEO Bundrett via a release. “We’re looking forward to bringing awareness to this unique location within the Texas Hill Country AVA because the fruit that’s being grown here is just outstanding.”

Guests can enjoy the vintages at the tasting room or via a limited-capacity wine club, the Uplift Viticultural Society. Uplift is in the final stages of filling the first 300 of 1,000 total spots for the ultra-exclusive Founders Club.

Looking forward, Uplift will host onsite cooking demonstrations and full-day experiences that take advantage of the bucolic setting. For now, the tasting room is open for reservations only, Thursdays through Sundays, 11 am-6 pm.

Last fall, William Chris Vineyards came in at No. 56 on the World’s Best Vineyards' list of top wine destinations for 2022. It was the only Texas vineyard on the list and one of only seven wineries from the U.S.

texas wine hill county wine