SPEED
SPEED UP
SPEED UP THE SHOTS -- AND GET MORE SOUTHEAST TEXANS VACCINATED. A MUCH-NEEDED BOOST
COULD BE ON THE WAY -- IN THE
FORM OF A SINGLE- DOSE VACCINE.
THE F-D-A COULD APPROVE JOHNSON
AND JOHNSON'S SINGLE-DOSE
VACCINE AS EARLY AS TOMORROW.
AND WHILE DOCTORS CALL IT A
'GAME CHANGER,' SOME OF OUR
NEIGHBORS ARE HESITANT TO TAKE
IT. JAMES GRANT IS LIVE TONIGHT
WITH ONE WOMAN'S CONCERNS ABOUT
THE SHOT.
BEAUMONT RESIDENT MELISSA
CHAISSON HAS BEEN WAITING
PATIENTLY TO GET VACCINATED--BUT
SHE'S GETTING FRUSTRATED. AFTER
SOT
: "I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING FROM
THEM LIKE A SCHEDULE OR WHEN I'M
SUPPOSED TO GO IN OR ANYTHING
LIKE THAT." VO: MELISSA CHAISSON
WONDERS "WHERE" SHE IS IN LINE.
SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY UNDERLYING
HEALTH CONDITIONS-- BUT SHE'S
STILL ANXIOUS TO GET VACCINATED.
SOT
: "I JUST WANT TO GET BACK OUT
THERE. I WANT LIFE TO RETURN TO
SOME KIND OF NORMAL TO WHERE WE
CAN SOCIALIZE AND SEE DIFFERENT
PEOPLE THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN FOR
MONTHS." VO: SOON, THE SINGLE
DOSE JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE
COULD BE AN OPTION. MANY HOPE IT
"SPEEDS UP" VACCINATIONS. BUT
CHAISSON IS CONCERNED ABOUT ITS
EFFECTIVENESS. SOT
: "I WOULD PREFER TO GET THE
JOHNSON AND JOHNSON ONE, BUT
ISN'T IT LESS EFFICACY, LIKE
IT'S LESS EFFECTIVE." VO: ABC
NEWS REPORTS DATA HAS SHOWN
JOHNSON AND JOHNSON'S VACCINE TO
BE 66% EFFECTIVE. WHILE THIS IS
LESS THAN THAT OF THE MODERNA
AND PFIZER VACCINES--BOTH OVER
90% EFFECTIVE--BEAUMO NT
PHYSICIAN MSONTHI LEVINE SAYS
DON'T GET HUNG UP ON THE
NUMBERS. SOT
: "66% IS STILL HIGH. OUR
CURRENT FLU VACCINES NORMALLY
HOVER AROUND 45, 50% IN TERMS OF
PREVENTING INFECTION OR
PREVENTING SERIOUS ILLNESS, SO
66% IS STILL HIGH." VO: THE
JOHNSON AND JOHNSON VACCINE CAN
BE KEPT FOR AT LEAST THREE
MONTHS IN NORMAL REFRIGERATORS.
DR. LEVINE SAYS THAT'S
SIGNIFICANT. SOT
: "IT'S EXCITING TO KNOW THAT
THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON IS MORE
DURABLE AND USER FRIENDLY, AND
DOES OPEN UP THE POSSIBILITY OF
PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS GETTING THE
VACCINE." VO: THE JOHNSON AND
JOHNSON VACCINE COULD HELP KEEP
HOSPITALIZATIONS LOW. IT'S BEEN
PROVEN TO PROTECT PEOPLE AGAINST
SEVERE COVID SYMPTOMS. CHAISSON
IS STILL ON THE FENCE. BUT SHE
IS READY TO BE VACCINATED--REGAR
DLESS OF THE BRAND. SOT
: "I'M JUST ANXIOUS TO WHERE I
CAN GO OUT WITHOUT A MASK AND DO
THINGS AND SOCIALIZE AGAIN."
LIVE TAG: DOCTOR LEVINE WANTS
TO REMIND PEOPLE THESE
VACCINES--LIKE THE JOHNSON AND
JOHNSON SINGLE- DOSE--AREN'T
FROM OUR SOUTHEAST TEXAS MASS
VAX HUBS THAT ARE "CATCHING UP"
AFTER THE STORM.
THIS MAP SHOWS THE TOTAL DOSES
THEY'VE ADMINISTERED, SINCE THE
STATE STARTING SENDING SHOTS
HERE A FEW WEEKS AGO. YOU CAN
SEE NEARLY 6-THOUSAND AND
COUNTING IN BEAUMONT. AND
3-HUNDRED IN ORANGE. THE
REGIONAL NUMBER -- IF YOU ADD
THESE UP -- TOPS 20-THOUSAND
SHOTS ADMINISTERED. AND THE
GOVERNOR HOPES TO "RAMP UP"
THOSE NUMBERS -- WITH A NEW
INITIATIVE.
WE ARE ANNOUNCING TODAY -- A
STATEWIDE PROGRAM TO 'SAVE OUR
SENIORS. THE STATE WILL DEPLOY
1100 NATIONAL GUARD ACROSS THE
STATE, TO HELP COMMUNITIES
VACCINATE OUR SENIORS
A PROGRAM THAT STARTED IN
A
A PROGRAM
A PROGRAM THAT STARTED IN CORPUS -- WILL GO STATEWIDE NEXT WEEK. THE GOVERNOR SAYS
"NORMALCY" WILL RETURN, WHEN WE
CAN REDUCE THE NUMBER OF THOSE
HOSPITALIZED.
ALSO ONHIS RADAR--COVID-19
ORDERS. COULD WE BE SAYING
BYE BYE TO THE MANDATORY MASK
MANDATE? TODAY, GOVERNOR
ABBOTT SAID TEXAS IS LOOKING AT
WHEN IT WILL BE ABLE TO LIFT ALL
STATEWIDE ORDERS RELATED TO THE
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. HE
SAID AN ANNOUNCEMENT COULD BE
COMING SOON.
THE STATEWIDE MASK MANDATE HAS
BEEN IN PLACE SINCE JULY. WHEN
ASKED ABOUT IT TODAY, THE
GOVERNOR CALLED IT A GREAT
QUESTION. THERE'S ANOTHER
STATEWIDE POLICY THAT COULD BE
HISTORY, TOO. WE KNOW ALL
ABOUT IT HERE IN SOUTHEAST
TEXAS. REMEMBER THE OCCUPANCY
LIMITS ON BARS, AND RESTAURANTS,
WHEN COVID HOSPITALIZATIONS
CLIMBED ABOVE 15 PERCENT? ABBOTT
PUT IT IN PLACE LAST FALL. IT
COULD ALSO BE ELIMINATED.
PAUSE OPEN
A STANDOFF THAT LASTED SEVERAL
HOURS
HOURS IN
HOURS IN ORANGE COUNTY - ENDED PEACEFULLY WITH ONE MAN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. 12NEWS -- THE
FIRST STATION ON THE SCENE.
ON ATKINSON CIRCLE OFF OF
TULANE, WEST OF ORANGE. DEPUTIES
RESPONDED TO A 9- 1-1 CALL,
AROUND NOON, FROM A WOMAN WHO
SAID HER HUSBAND WAS GOING
THROUGH A 'MENTAL HEALTH
EPISODE.' DEPUTIES SAY
WEAPONS WERE INVOLVED, BUT NO
ONE WAS HURT. IT ENDED
PEACEFULLY AROUND 2:30.
THAT'S GOING TO BE UP TO TEH
MENTAL HEALTH OFFICERS AS THEY
DIAGNOSE THE SITUATION. HE'S
BEEN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY THEM.
THE MAN WAS TAKEN TO THE
HOSPITAL
HOSPITAL FOR A MENTAL HEALTH EVALUATION. AGAIN -- NO ONE WAS HURT.
MORE EXCLUSIVE VIDEO TONIGHT.
STATE TROOPERS ARE TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHY A WOMAN RAN FROM
THEM THIS MORNING. 12NEWS
WAS THE ONLY NEWS CREW ON THE
SCENE AS THE POLICE CHASE IN
ORANGE CAME TO AN END.
ACCORDING TO D- P-S TROOPERS-- A
WOMAN WAS PULLED OVER ON FM
11-36 JUST BEFORE 11 OCLOCK. BUT
WHEN THE TROOPER APPROACHED THE
CAR-- SHE TOOK OFF! SHE SPED OFF
UNTIL REACHING THE INTERSECTION
OF FM 14-42. THAT'S WHEN SHE
STARTED TO TURN LEFT-- LOST
CONTROL OF HER CAR AND CRASHED
INTO A TREE. THE WOMAN'S NAME
HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED.
NEW TONIGHT-- HEARTS ARE
HEAVY ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS
DANCE COMMUNITY-- AS THEY
MOURN THE LOSS OF MARSHA WOODY
ZUMMO.
FAMILY MEMBERS SAY SHE PASSED
AWAY PEACEFULLY THIS PAST SUNDAY
AT HER HOME, NEAR BRENHAM. IN
1956 SHE FOUNDED THE MARSHA
WOODY ACADEMY OF DANCE. ZUMMO
LATER FOUNDED THE BEAUMONT CIVIC
BALLET COMPANY-- SHE SHAPED SO
MANY LIVES.
ZUMMO'S FUNERAL MASS WILL BE
HELD TOMORROW-- AT ST.
ANTHONY'S CATHEDRAL BASILICA AT
11 A.M. WE HAVE A DETAILED
OBITUARY ON OUR WEBSITE-- 12NEWS
NOW DOT COM. SHE WAS 85
YEARS OLD.
SWITCHING GEARS NOW--
HERE'S
HERE'S THE LIVE VIEW, FROM OUR ROOFING 911 SKYCAM. AND WE HAVE A WEATHER ALERT FROM OUR 12NEWS
STORMTRACKERS. GET READY FOR
ANOTHER FOGGY NIGHT.
CHIEF METEOROLOGIST PATRICK
VAUGHN JOINS US WHAT AREAS WILL
BE IMPACTED?
GOOD EVENING SE TEXAS! ANOTHER
ROUND
ROUND OF
ROUND OF PATCHY, DENSE FOG IS AGAIN POSSIBLE OVER SE TEXAS LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS. SE TEXAS
SATELLITE SHOWS CLOUDY SKIES AND
RADAR
RADAR
SHOWS
SHOWS PATCHY, LIGHT RAIN OVER THE AREA MOVING NORTHEAST. THE SHOWERS ARE DUE TO AN
APPROACHING UPPER-LEVEL
DISTURBANCE AND WIND MAX.
OTHERWISE, TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MIDDLE 60S TO LOWER 70S. OUR FORECAST THIS EVENING INCLUDES
SCATTERED
SCATTERED SHOWERS,
CLOUDY
CLOUDY SKIES AND DEVELOPING FOG. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL INTO THE MIDDLE 60S BY 9 PM. MORE ON
YOUR STORMTRACKER FORECAST
COMING UP ON 12NEWS ROLL OPEN
DON'T TALK ABOUT HURRICANSES TO
ME--
ME-- THIS
ME-- THIS WAS A SNOW KING." WHO TURNED MY POWER OFF, I WANT TO KNOW WHO DID THAT.
THINGS GOT HEATED TODAY IN
AUSTIN-- AS LAWMAKERS HEARD
FROM POWER COMPANY EXECUTIVES
AND ERCOT OFFICIALS.
MILLIONS OF TEXANS WERE LEFT IN
THE DARK LAST WEEK-- SUFFERING
THROUGH NO HEAT IN BELOW
FREEZING TEMPERATURES. WATER
SUPPLIERS WENT OFFLINE-- LEAVING
MILLIONS WITHOUT SAFE DRINKING
WATER.
AND THE MOST SERIOUS
CONSEQUENCE OF IT ALL---- THE
DEATHS OF DOZENS OF TEXANS.
YESTERDAY-- WE LEARNED THE
STATE WAS JUST 4 MINUTES AND 37
SECONDS AWAY FROM A BLACKOUT
THAT COULD HAVE LASTED MONTHS
AND TEXANS ARE DEMANDING TO KNOW
WHO'S TO BLAME. THE CALL FOR
ACCOUNTABILITY COMES IN THE
SHAPE OF FOUR PANELS OF
EXECUTIVES AND OFFICIALS
TESTIFYING AND TAKING TOUGH
QUESTIONS FROM HOUSE AND SENATE
COMMITTEE MEMBERS. THE FIRST TO
ANSWER QUESTIONS WAS ERCOT
PRESIDENT AND C- E-O BILL
MAGNESS.
"SIR I'D JUST SAY, I FEEL A
GREAT DEAL OF RESPONSIBILITY AND
REMORSE ABOUT THE EVENT, BUT I
WILL CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE AND
BE INVESTIGATED BUT I BELIEVE
THE OPERATORS ON OUR TEAM DID
EVERYTHING THEY COULD'VE."
6 ERCOT BOARD MEMBERS HAVE
ALREADY
ALREADY RESIGNED. AS PROBES CONTINUE, MORE INDUSTRY LEADERS COULD BE ON THEIR WAY
OUT.FOLLOWING A RESPONSE STATE
LAWMAKERS ARE CALLING AN
UNMITIGATED DISASTER.
AHEAD TONIGHT --