Teachers, school personnel, and daycare workers are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The Texas DSHS said on Wednesday they informed all vaccine providers to immediately involve school staff and child caregivers in their vaccine administration.
The state’s decision comes after the DSHS received a letter from the United States Department of Health and Human Services directing states to qualify for people who work in school and childcare, including teachers and school personnel.
The federal guideline defined the people who were eligible as: “those who work in pre-primary, primary and secondary education, as well as Head Start and Early Head Start programs (including teachers, staff and bus drivers) and those who work as or for recognized childcare providers, including childcare and family care centers. “
This action does not change the other groups given priority for vaccination in Texas.
The DSHS said vaccine providers are encouraged to continue their efforts to vaccinate older adults, as the burden of COVID-19 is most severe on people 65 and older.
Would you like to get on a vaccine waiting list?
As the state begins distributing COVID-19 vaccines for those in Phase 1A and 1B, the county’s health departments have begun waiting lists for those seeking to be vaccinated.
You can now register to receive the vaccination in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. Links are below:
Waiting list links: Collin – Search waiting list | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
You don’t have to be a county resident to register in that county for a COVID-19 vaccine – registration is open to anyone in Texas. For those without Internet access, Tarrant County also takes phone registrations at 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS vaccine hotline at 1-855-IMMUNE9 (1-855-466-8639). In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.
The vaccine is currently only being administered to those who are in stages 1A and 1B, as outlined by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Those in phase 1A are primary health care workers or residents of long-term care facilities. Stage 1B includes those over the age of 65, or those over the age of 16 with a chronic medical condition that puts them at risk for serious illness.
On March 3, the availability of vaccines was expanded to school and daycare workers.
Once vaccinated, people are expected to achieve some level of protection within a few weeks of the first injection, but full protection cannot occur until a few weeks after the second injection. Even when fully vaccinated, it is still possible to get infected by the virus as the vaccine does not provide 100% protection.
The Texas DSHS advises that the vaccine won’t be readily available to the general public until late spring or early summer 2021.