Texas had a setback in the battle against COVID-19 last week. The winter Armageddon pretty much halted vaccinations.
Dr. Peter Hotez with the Baylor College of Medicine says it put Texas behind schedule. "I'm quite worried because we're in this race against the new variant and we're trying to get as many people vaccinated over the spring," he said. "There's a plan to vaccinate the American people by the fall, I feel we have to move on a much faster time scale."
It's worrisome because a COVID-19 variant from the UK is gaining a foothold in the US. Hotez says it's time to double and triple down on vaccination efforts. "At some point we have to be willing to do hard things and we have to be able to make this happen. We're in a race against this very scary variant, the B.1.1.7. variant from the United Kingdom. I'm quite concerned about what's going on."
The UK variant is more transmissible and Hotez says perhaps deadlier.
Reports of COVID positive cases state and nationwide have been declining. Some are trying to make the case that so many people have been vaccinated that we're seeing herd immunity. Hotez says "I don't buy that. I think while the numbers may be going down due to seasonality of the virus and other factors, I think we're in for some serious trouble as we get to the end of March. Or as I like to say, beware the Ides of March."
There is some good news. In a press release, The Texas Department of State Health Services says Texas providers have been allocated 591,920 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government for the week of Feb. 22.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ship those doses to 563 providers in 230 counties across Texas, including 84,240 doses for large vaccine clinics in Harris, Dallas and Tarrant counties supported by the federal government.
The added first doses directed to the federal sites over the next three weeks will allow Texas to allocate additional doses to communities where vaccine supplies have been much more limited, leading to vaccine distribution to the largest number of counties of any week so far.
In addition to the first doses mentioned above, the state is ordering 364,830 doses intended as the second dose for people first vaccinated a few weeks ago.
People who had second dose appointments delayed by winter weather should rest assured knowing that vaccines will be available, and their appointments will be rescheduled. Even if they receive the second dose outside of the recommended six-week time frame, they will get the full protection of the second dose and will not need an additional booster shot.
The federal vaccine tracking system shows more than 100,000 first doses and 300,000 second doses intended for delivery this week still awaiting shipment due to weather conditions around out-of-state warehouses and across the country. Those doses are expected to be delivered in the first half of next week, followed by the vaccine allocated for next week.
