This week's episode was about the delta variant risks at school along with a coronavirus update. I also talked about vaccinations and the struggle to get the vaccine dose. As the numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge, so has demand for the coronavirus vaccine. According to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, personnel administered more than 50% more doses of the vaccine last week than they had a month ago. Statewide, vaccines administered dipped to a post-March low of 314,614 the week of June 28. Last week, 475,131 people got the shot -- an increase of 51%. Vaccination across North Texas' four largest counties have largely mirrored those statewide. The raw number of vaccinations hit a low point the week of July 12, according to DSHS. But since then, the rate has steadily increased. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly led to the climbing vaccination rate, but it has coincided with the surge of the delta variant, which UT Southwestern says makes up 95% of new COVID-19 in Dallas-Fort Worth, the start of school in many Texas districts and the vaccine mandates put in place by some employers. Several healthcare systems in North Texas, including Baylor Scott & White, Texas Health and Parkland, will require employees to be vaccinated by this fall, as will United Airlines, which has a major hub in Houston. While the state breaks down total shots given by first and second dose and the age range of those receiving them, it's unclear who has received the most recent vaccines because those numbers are not broken down by week. Dallas County saw the largest increase among the region's four largest counties. The vaccinations jumped 67.6% the week of July 12, from 28,280 to 47,394. To read more about these statistics, here are some sources for information: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/coronavirus/as-delta-variant-surges-so-does-demand-for-vaccine-in-texas/2719900/ https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/texas-local-school-officials-stick-with-mask-mandate-despite-court-setback-2021-08-16/

Hello, in today's episode, I talked about the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, banning mask mandates and banning abortions after six weeks. On May 18, Abbott signed an executive order that bans government entities in the state from requiring face masks. He specifically said in his CNBC interview, “Anybody can wear a mask if they want to. It’s just that it’s a decision to be made by Texans, not to be forced by government,” the Republican told CNBC. Local governments or officials that implement mandatory masks can be fined up to $1,000 for doing so. On May 19, Governor Abbott signed legislation banning abortions in the state as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, a measure slammed by critics as one of the strictest and most extreme measures in the nation and hailed by antiabortion supporters as a landmark achievement. The Texas bill known as S.B. 8, described as a “heartbeat ban” abortion measure, prohibits the procedure the moment a fetal heartbeat has been detected. By banning abortion after the six-week mark, many women in Texas who are not even aware they are pregnant will not be allowed to get the procedure done in the state. The bill, which goes into effect Sept. 1, does not include exceptions for women impregnated as a result of rape or incest but offers a provision for medical emergencies.  Learn about Governor Abbott forcefully removing the mask mandate & imposing fines - https://tinyurl.com/6haxsjae  Watch and learn about Greg Abbott signing the abortion bill - https://tinyurl.com/4b47c7h6 The Official Texas Abortion Bill, S.B. 8 - https://tinyurl.com/y8anv8uk  Learn more about the Abortion Bill - https://tinyurl.com/42csr98s Thank you for listening!

India is experiencing the world's worst coronavirus outbreak. Currently, India has a total of 23.7 million Covid-19 cases and has reached a death toll of approximately 260,000 people; over the past two weeks, 5.3 million new cases have been reported. Grieving families are struggling to keep themselves and their loved ones safe amid an overwhelmed health care system, and medical workers are stretched thin as some hospitals are running out of oxygen and supplies. Recent Covid-19 infections are increasing in India causing severe damage affecting the largely rural and urban population. As of right now, around 38.2 million people have been fully vaccinated but that is only 2.8% of the country's massive population. The nation's healthcare system is overburdened, leaving many families without access to medical services. Millions of families' livelihoods and vital food sources are being impaired by the lockdown or fear of going out in the open due to the virus spreading rapidly. The Here to Help Foundation is a non-profit student-run youth organization created to provide beneficial classes using our members' skills and expertise to donate towards salvaging India's Covid-19 outbreak damage. The coronavirus effect on India is terrible and we want to help by doing as much as we can to help with the struggle. We provide fun camps while volunteering our time, effort, and energy to our community in the hope that we can collect as much as possible to donate. Sign your children up for our helpful, fun summer camps and please donate to our "Save India" campaign with Vibha, thank you for supporting our mission! Donate to "Save India Of Coronavirus" Campaign - https://campaigns.vibha.org/campaigns/save-india-of-coronavirus?framed=true  Helpful sources to learn about India's current situation -  https://www.npr.org/2021/05/11/995446333/this-government-has-failed-us-anger-rises-in-india-over-pm-modis-covid-response  https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-adds-311170-daily-coronavirus-infections-cross-24-mln-2021-05-16/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-indias-second-covid-19-surge-is-much-worse-than-its-first-11621071001?cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_2&cx_artPos=0&mod=WTRN#cxrecs_s Thank you so much for listening to this episode, please donate to help India!

Hey guys, in this week's episode, I talked about the most recent vaccine distribution updates for the United States as a whole and I provided up-to-date statistics for who can get the vaccine in Texas. If you are 16 or older in the US, you are technically able to get your vaccine so make sure to book your appointment. Thank you for listening and make sure to check out the credible sources attached below to see current statistics for the vaccine distribution! Recent Vaccine Distribution Statistics:  https://news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-US&mid=%2Fm%2F07b_l&state=7&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen  The Current United States Vaccine Situation: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/covid-19-vaccine-eligibility-by-state https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/05/03/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases#pfizer-covid-vaccine-teens

In this week's episode, I talked about the mass FedEx Shooting that occurred in Indianapolis on April 15, 2021. Over the past month from March 16, 2021 - April 16, 2021, there have been more than 45 mass shootings over the country. We need to speak up more for the AAPI and South Asian community and the US needs to have stricter gun laws. The resources attached below gives you everything you need to know about this mass shooting that affected 8 victims by the gunman, Brandon Scott Hole, who also committed suicide and purchased a gun at 19 years old.  https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/us/indianapolis-shooting-fedex-tuesday/index.html  https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/16/us/indianapolis-fedex-shooting?auth=login-email&login=email#what-we-know-about-the-victims-in-the-indianapolis-shooting

AAPI DONATIONS + RESOURCES:  LEARN ABOUT THE VICTIMS' FAMILIES: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56446771  Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/​  Memorial for Yong Yue and Peterson Family: https://gofund.me/c0d08ca8​  In loving memory of Suncha Kim:  https://gofund.me/b0a8d8ec In memory of HyunJungKim: https://gofund.me/6653b648​  ATL Spa Shooting Family Survivor Fund: Jami Webb: https://gofund.me/9a457b16​  Atlanta Spa Shooting victim "Paul Michels": https://gofund.me/0dd50115​  Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez: https://gofund.me/3129d5b9 For the husband of Soon C Park, a victim of spa shooting https://gofund.me/2f5c69b2 ​

In this week's episode, I talked about Governor Greg Abbott removing and lifting the Texas mask mandatory rule and the fact that he wants to open EVERYTHING 100% by March 10. I gave my opinion in this episode as I think it's definitely dumb of him to remove the mandatory rule of one of the most effective ways to slow down the spread of the coronavirus - a way that actually works. Because of Governor Abbott, Texas is now the biggest state in the US to lift the Covid-19 mask mandate requirement. Please have the common sense to still take the safety precautions as the coronavirus is getting worse and don't ease up on taking all safety measures as only 6.57% of Texas is vaccinated which makes 93.43% of Texas not fully vaccinated. Many medical professionals have stated the global pandemic is FAR FROM OVER and now is not the time to relax after a full year of the pandemic in the US. Remember to ALWAYS WEAR YOUR MASK, NO MATTER WHAT GOVERNOR ABBOTT SAID because wearing a mask DOES help prevent your risk of getting Covid-19 (and it is also COMMON SENSE to not be dumb).  Please look at some of the links down below that include more information about the mask mandate lifting as this change was definitely recent, initiated on Tuesday, March 2.  Governor Abbott Removing Mask Mandate for Texas:  https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/02/us/texas-governor-mask-mandate/index.html  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56255701 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-mask-mandate-lifted-governor-abbott-covid-19/ https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/texas-biggest-us-state-lift-covid-19-mask-76208428 Leaders Petition Against Governor Abbott: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/02/texas-coronavirus-mask-mandate/

In this week's episode, I talked about the huge impact the New York Democrat Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made on Texas by raising almost 5 million dollars through fundraisers to help Texans thru the recent winter snowstorm. I also talked about the US hitting the 500,000 death toll due to Covid-19 as it has been a little over a year since the US had its first Covid-19 case. The number of deaths that have happened due to this unfortunate disease puts a lot of things in perspective for everybody, because it is a reminder to always take proper precautions and to be responsible as Covid-19 is not over at all - we shouldn't forget that just because it has been a year or since the vaccine came out.  Please check out these websites that tell you how to take correct and responsible Covid-19 precautions, along with important information about the recent death toll of 500,000 in the US. -https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html  -https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/02/22/969494791/a-loss-to-the-whole-society-u-s-covid-19-death-toll-reaches-500-000 -https://www.dallasnews.com/news/public-health/2021/02/24/dallas-county-reports-789-coronavirus-cases-25-deaths-tarrant-adds-470-cases-11-fatalities/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Federal+vaccination+site+opens+in+Dallas%2C+FDA+says+Johnson+++Johnson+vaccine+prevents+COVID-19%2C+case+updates+around+D-FW&utm_campaign=CoronavirusRoundup_02242021&vgo_ee=leGQAQw%2B5SKXc3igMyOxEKyPUFd7JHyq9acdSgULWaM%3D  Also, check these websites to see how much Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has helped Texas over the past week and how she raised almost 5 million dollars to help due to the winter snowstorm effect. -https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021/2021/02/20/969809679/ocasio-cortez-fundraising-drive-for-texas-relief-raises-4-million -https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-texas-relief/index.html Thank you so much for listening!

Hey guys! In today's episode, I wanted to talk about the main causes and effects of the country-wide winter snowstorm over the past week, specifically in the Dallas-Texas area. I talked about power outages, millions of people going without heat or water, the fatal Fort Worth car pileup, homeless people getting shelter during the unbearable freezing weather in Dallas, and my personal opinion on Senator Ted Cruz leaving to go on vacation during this crisis. Thank you so much for listening to my take on the current situation due to the massive snowstorm and I hope you learned more about the current impact on Texas residents. Here are a few links on how you can help conserve power and where to donate during this time (please copy and paste them into your browser and then you will be able to access these sources):   https://www.statesman.com/story/weather/2021/02/14/texas-weather-power-outages-how-to-conserve-energy-prepare/4482401001/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-help-texas-winter-weather-emergency-power-outages-snow-2020-02-18/ https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a35524096/how-to-help-texas-winter-storm-crisis/

Hey guys! This is the first episode of my new podcast, Real Time with Rhea (don't judge the name lol) and it's a very brief introduction; although it is all over the place, I hope you guys like it! Thank you for listening!