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Articles by Stephen Fierbaugh
COVID-19 explodes in Tyler ISD
NOTE: Northeast Texas can put COVID-19 behind us in about six weeks if everyone gets vaccinated and masks indoors. The ongoing pandemic is now a human-made crisis which we have the means to end. COVID-19 is exploding across Tyler Independent School District with more cases in the first two weeks than in all of last year.
TISD had 675 COVID-19 cases last school year with masks. How many next year without masks?
NOTE: Northeast Texas can put COVID-19 behind us in about 6 weeks if everyone gets vaccinated and masks indoors. The ongoing pandemic is now a human-made crisis which we have the means to end. Tyler Independent School District had 675 instances during the 2020-2021 school year wherein staff or students participated in on-campus activities and had lab-confirmed COVID-19. That’s from Tyler ISD’s own reporting to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
Not over yet: Smith County's COVID losses are steep — and back on the rise
COVID-19 is again rearing its head in a national surge. What have been Smith County’s losses so far? And is the worst over? The data shows the damage to date: 1,181 extra county deaths. Meanwhile, new data shows cause for concern: recent hospitalization increases, low vaccination numbers and testing slowed to a trickle. Here is the summary. Deaths and discrepancies It’s been 12 months since Tyler’s death rate began skyrocketing.
Tyler passes 1,000 excess deaths
Last October, the Tyler Loop wrote, “Is COVID-19 behind us? The numbers say otherwise.” As vaccinations go up and masks come off, we ask again,“Is COVID-19 behind us?” Again, the answer is,“The numbers say otherwise.” A fair characterization of the numbers actually suggest that only the holiday surge is behind us and COVID-19 has gone back to spreading similarly to the fall. There may be some hope on the horizon, though.
Why do I still have to wear a mask?
When that second shot went into my arm, it was like a great weight lifted. And Hug Day has come and gone. So folks may be asking, “Really, do I still have to wear a damn mask? Why did I even bother to get vaccinated if nothing changed?” After all, the vaccines are astonishingly good at preventing death. I will eventually die of something, but the risk of it being COVID-19 has receded to the same ballpark as cancer, heart disease or being hit by a truck.
Guía de vacunación COVID-19 del Condado de Smith (actualización de abril de 2021)
Edición de abril de 2021: esta información cambia rápidamente. Tyler Loop publicará actualizaciones según sea necesario. Consulte nuestro artículo anterior para obtener más información sobre la seguridad y la eficacia de las vacunas. SUGERENCIA: Imprima esta guía y llévela con usted para ayudar a otras personas a concertar citas. Las URL se pueden escribir directamente en computadoras prestadas. Todas las personas mayores de 15 años ahora califican para la vacuna COVID-19 en Texas.
Smith County COVID-19 Vaccination Guide (April 2021 Update)
April 2021 Edition: This is rapidly changing information. The Tyler Loop will publish updates as needed. See our previous article for more about vaccine safety and effectiveness. HINT: Print this guide and take it with you to help others make appointments. The URLs can be typed in directly on borrowed computers. Everyone over the age of 15 now qualifies for COVID-19 vaccination in Texas. But figuring out how to get vaccinated is very much a personal responsibility. YOYO: You’re On Your Own.
Got your second vaccine two weeks ago? It’s Hug Day.
The Before Times are gone. The Alone Times are ending. The After Times are coming. During the next few months, we will get vaccinated for COVID-19 and rejoin society. The last year has been a hell of isolation. It’s time for a new holiday: Hug Day. When that shot goes into the arm, it triggers a whirlwind of emotions. After worrying for so long, it’s like being a superhero: Time for a bar hop! Let’s go lick a stranger! Unfortunately, we’re not invulnerable after these shots.
Your Smith Co. COVID-19 vaccination guide
Note: This is rapidly changing information. The Tyler Loop will publish monthly updates as needed. COVID-19 vaccinations are still in short supply nationwide. Smith Co. has half-vaccinated 15,451 people and fully vaccinated 3,530 people as of Sunday, Jan. 24. The county receives about 4,000 doses of vaccine per week and each person needs two doses. Finding a place to get the shot can feel like a game of whac-a-mole. This information will help you know what’s available and where you can go.
How will the COVID Christmas surge play out in Tyler?
In 2020 and into the new year, holiday gatherings bring ill tidings in Tyler, where the virus is expected to show a surge. The timeline below has a representative Christmas infection date, but Christmas surge infections may occur during travel and gatherings both before and after Christmas holidays. The data is based on the average patient as determined by the CDC, the ECDC, WHO and the Annals of Internal Medicine. Individuals may vary.
Tyler ISD's worst and best at containing the virus, by campus
For the first time, parents now know how individual TISD schools are handling COVID-19. As of last week, Dec. 6, 2020, Tyler ISD has had 409 COVID-19 cases. Two hundred forty six were students, and 163 were staff. Below are listed the safest and worst campuses for COVID-19. Tyler ISD releases no COVID-19 information publicly except for noting the days when at least one — but perhaps more — cases are reported on each campus.
Is Tyler ISD "safe despite community spread?"
Are Tyler schools safe? That’s the question some parents are asking after Tyler ISD sent an email to on Thursday, Nov. 12. The email stated, “You may have seen NET Health’s most recent 7-Day Rolling Rate of COVID-19 shows a significant rise for Smith County placing it on the “Substantial Community Spread Level.” While this may reflect the community situation, we want to assure you it doesn’t reflect what we are seeing in our District and that our facilities remain safe.
Watching the numbers: how to read Stephen Fierbaugh's Tyler COVID scorecard
The Tyler COVID-19 scorecard is intended to help you make your own determination of the risk COVID-19 poses to your family and community. It consists of three key measurements: excess deaths, community spread and TISD spread, along with sufficient context to understand whether these stats are getting better or worse. The scorecard will be updated in the Tyler Loop every week. Excess deaths Sadly, this year many more people are dying in our community than in previous years.
Is COVID-19 behind us? The numbers in Tyler and Smith Co. tell us otherwise.
“How can I know when it is safe for my family and me to go back to normal?” That has been my question since early spring. To find an answer, I began scouring sites including NET Health, The Tyler Morning Telegraph, Texas Department of State Health Services, The Centers for Disease Control and The John Hopkins’ tracker.
It's 2017, You Should be Localizing Your ICT4D Solutions Already
Many ICT4D projects have a major strike against them before they even begin: they use international languages instead of local ones. The intended audience not only has to learn a technology that they may not be comfortable with, but they also have to struggle with the language that it uses, which they may read only slowly and poorly, if at all. It is useless to produce a whizbang tool to reach the “next billion”, if it’s in a language that they do not understand.
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