The Department of State Health Services Associate Commissioner Imelda Garcia announced on Thursday that the state has hit the 2.7 million mark in doses of the Coronavirus vaccine administered in Texas.
In her Thursday webinar she went on to explain that this roughly breaks down to 2.1 million who have received at least one dose, and about 620-thousand fully vaccinated.
According to a tweet from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the state also set a new one day record for vaccinations on Thursday with 152,948. Abbott said he expects to eclipse the 3-million vaccination mark “in a few days.”
According to an email from Garcia more than 1 million doses have been administered to people ages 65 and older. The number of people in that age group who have been vaccinated is 913,477. That is approximately 1 in 4 Texans in that age group, per the 2019 population estimate from the Texas Demographic Center.
Garcia said on the webinar that the State is focused on finding ways to continue to increase the number of seniors vaccinated. “In addition to our Hub Providers which will continue to receive a steady supply of vaccines, we are allocating vaccines to a broader group of providers that serve older adults with particular focus on those 75 years and older,” said Garcia.
Referring to the state’s older population as being “those most vulnerable”, Garcia spoke of the various ideas being considered to better target them for vaccinations.
“It could be setting aside a specific number of doses for our seniors, serving them during special hours, helping them move more quickly through the line with a fast-track lane, or taking vaccines directly to them through the EMS providers, or Meals-On-Wheels, like they’re doing successfully in Corpus Christi and San Antonio.”