AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Calling the effort a "monumental medical miracle," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave an update on the state's efforts to distribute COVID-19 vaccines through Operation Warp Speed.
Abbott spoke Thursday morning at a northeast Austin UPS distribution center.
As of the end of the day Thursday, Abbott said approximately 224,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were expected to have been distributed across the state. More doses will be available each week, Abbott said, including a new Moderna vaccine that is expected to gain emergency clearance from the Food and Drug Administration soon.
"It is a historic week in the Lone Star State as the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrive in our communities," Abbott said. "We are swiftly distributing these vaccines to health care workers across the state and will continue to ensure that Texans on the front lines have access to these life-saving immunizations."
By the end of the month, over a million vaccines will have been distributed to a variety of providers including hospitals, health centers, clinics and other medical practices, pharmacies, freestanding emergency rooms, urgent cares, long-term care facilities, local health departments, state hospitals, state supported living centers, and Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities.
With the arrival of the vaccine, Abbott doubled down on his efforts to keep the state open while fighting the virus. "It's time to put shutdowns behind us," Abbott said. "Every adult in Texas has the responsibility to follow the same practices as we continue to work our way out of this. If they do that, we can contain COVID-19 while we continue the process of vaccinating our fellow Texans and continue to open up."
