Texas to open COVID-19 vaccinations to all adults. Here’s what you need to know.
All adults will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas beginning Monday, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced Tuesday.
Thus far, the vaccine has been prioritized for health care workers, nursing home residents, school workers, those 50 and older and people with medical conditions. But with an increased vaccine supply expected in the coming week, the state is expanding who is qualified for shots.
“We are closing in on 10 million doses administered in Texas, and we want to keep up the momentum as the vaccine supply increases,” Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services and the chairperson of the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel, said in a statement. “As eligibility opens up, we are asking providers to continue to prioritize people who are the most at risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death — such as older adults.”
The department has told providers to prioritize people 80 or older and to accommodate anyone in that age group who shows up for a vaccination — even if they don’t have an appointment — by moving them to the front of the line.
Also next week, the state will launch a website to allow people to register for a shot. Additional providers are listed at the DSHS vaccine information page at dshs.texas.gov/covidvaccine. In Tarrant County, registration is available on the county’s website or by calling 817-248-6299.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price wrote on Twitter that the state’s announcement “gets us another step closer to our goal of making sure every person who wants a vaccine can get it.”
Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines are authorized for use in people 18 and older. Only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for 16- and 17-year-olds. All people age 16 and 17 are eligible for the Pfizer shots under the state’s latest expansion, according to a DSHS spokesperson.
Texas has administered more than 9.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, with more than 3.2 million fully vaccinated. There have been more than 2.3 million confirmed cases of the virus in the state.
“We are still living with COVID and vaccines are a great tool,” said State Rep. Stephanie Klick, a Fort Worth Republican who sits on Texas’ COVID-19 Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel. “They help us get back to normal and for people to stay well.”
President Joe Biden has instructed states to make all adults available for the vaccine by May 1. States where the vaccine is available to all residents 16 and older include Alaska, Mississippi and West Virginia.
Texas has diverged from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for who should be vaccinated. The CDC has placed health care personnel and residents of long term care facilities at the front of the line, followed by front line essential workers and people 75 and older, then those 65 and older, those with underlying medical conditions and other essential employees.
Texas has taken a largely aged-based approach, regardless of a person’s line of work, to prioritize those most at risk of hospitalization or death.
“Initially we had too few doses, so you had to prioritize those at greatest risk,” said Klick, who has more than three decades of nursing experience.
Ed Sills, communications director for state labor federation AFL-CIO, said he was glad essential workers such as grocery store employees and construction workers under 50 will be able to get the vaccine in the coming days.
“These are workers who took some of the largest risks, and we were upset that they didn’t get some priority, but we’re heartened that they will now be able to sign up,” he said.
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 10:32 AM.
