Texans 50 and older next to get COVID-19 vaccine shots, state says
Starting Monday, Texans 50 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Texas has been prioritizing health care workers, nursing home residents, those 65 and older, and people with certain medical conditions for the vaccine. School and child care personnel are also eligible, following a federal directive to vaccinate teachers.
“We’ve seen a remarkable decrease in the number of hospitalizations and deaths since people 65 and older started becoming fully vaccinated in January,” said Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services and chair of the state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel. “Expanding to ages 50 to 64 will continue the state’s priorities of protecting those at the greatest risk of severe outcomes and preserving the state’s health care system.”
The announcement of the 1C eligibility group comes as about 2.5 million people in the state have been fully vaccinated — 8.8 percent of the population. Roughly 4.7 million have received at least one shot, the state reported Wednesday. In Tarrant County, nearly 278,000 residents have received at least one dose.
More than half of Texas seniors have received at least one shot and 30% are fully vaccinated, DSHS said. Gov. Greg Abbott has said he expects shots will be available by early May for any Texan who wants one.
Death certificates collected during the pandemic show that 93% of COVID fatalities were people 50 or older.
“Preventing the disease among people in this age group will dramatically reduce the number of Texans who die from the disease across all races, ethnicities and occupations,” a notice from the department laying out the 1C definition reads.
The new state guidance diverges from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has said health care personnel and residents of long term care facilities should be first in line, followed by those 75 years and older and non–health care front line essential workers like first responders, postal service workers, grocery store employees, public transit workers and teachers. Next would be those 65 and older, those with underlying medical conditions and other essential employees.
The state’s announcement of who’s next in line for the vaccine comes as Texas lifts its statewide mask mandate and reopens businesses at full capacity.
Three vaccines are authorized for use in the United States: The Pfizer and Moderna shots, which require two doses, and a vaccine by Johnson & Johnson, which requires one.
This week Texas received more than 1 million first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which included 245,200 Johnson & Johnson doses.
Vaccine eligibility in Texas
Here’s who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas.
- 1A: Front line health care workers and long-term care facility residents
- 1B: People 65 and older, and those with a health condition that increases risk of severe COVID‑19 illness
- 1C: People 50-64 years old
- School and child care personnel
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 3:07 PM.
