By the end of the week one million Texans are expected to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 according to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). During the weekly COVID Vaccination update, Imelda Garcia, DSHS Associate Commissioner said that the State has administered more than 3.6 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
As of Thursday, Garcia said just over 960,000 Texans had received both doses of the vaccines, and that total was expected to hit the million mark by Friday. So far 2.7 million had received at least one of the two necessary doses.
Garcia said their focus on vaccinating older Texans continues to pay off. "Most people who got their first dose in last week are 65 and older," said Garcia. "And now more than 1.2 million people 65 and up have gotten their first dose, and that's close to one in every three people in that age group."
There is also reason for optimism that the pace of vaccinations will continue to rise. Next week Texas will again see more than 400,000 first doses going to about 300 vaccine providers all over the state. On top of that Texas will receive additional vaccines through the new federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership. "We will have 80,000 doses that are shipping, or have already arrived at 376 pharmacy locations," said Garcia. "And we do expect that to be fairly consistent in the next week or two."
Another reason the pace of vaccinations is expected to rise is thanks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Wednesday Governor Greg Abbott announced FEMA is establishing mass community vaccination sites in the DFW Metroplex and Houston. These federal pilot sites, which will be based at AT&T Stadium, Fair Park, and NRG Stadium, are part of a joint effort to support vaccination efforts in underserved areas. The sites will be operated by FEMA in partnership with the state of Texas through the Texas Division of Emergency Management and local officials.
Dr. Saroj Rai, DSHS Immunization Branch Manager also expressed optimism that a third COVID vaccine might be just weeks away from being part of the vaccination mix in Texas. Johnson & Johnson has filed an emergency authorization application with the Federal Drug Administration for its one-dose COVID vaccine. "Soon after the emergency authorization is done, the recommendation will follow," said Rai. "So the date we are looking at is the first of March, if all those sequences happen the same way as they anticipate."
