Ron Votral will receive a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a drive-through vaccination site in Robstown, Texas on February 9, 2021.
Go Nakamura | Reuters
Texas will allow residents 50 and older to receive Covid-19 vaccines starting March 15, making it the most populous U.S. state eligible for age group to date, the state’s Department of Health announced Wednesday on.
So far, Texas has allowed primary care health professionals, people with underlying health conditions, and people 65 and older to receive an injection. The state announced last week that it would also immediately list school workers and child carers to qualify for vaccines.
By extending eligibility to people over 50, the state wants to protect people most at risk of serious illness from the virus, the department said in a statement. The move adds an additional 5 million Texans to the state’s priority list, although more than 1 million of them have already been vaccinated.
“Expansion into the age of 50 to 64 will continue the state’s priorities to protect those most at risk of serious consequences and preserve the state’s health care system,” said Imelda Garcia, associate commissioner of the Department of State. Health Services for Laboratory and Infectious Disease Services, in a statement.
According to the DSHS, more than half of the seniors in the state have received at least one dose of vaccine and nearly a third have been fully vaccinated.
Wednesday also marked the end of the Lone Star State’s mask mandate, and companies are now allowed to reopen at 100% capacity, Governor Greg Abbott announced last week, noting the state’s increase in vaccine eligibility, declining new cases and ample hospital capacity. as reasoning.
Alaska became the first state to open the right to vaccination to all residents 16 and older on Tuesday.