Texas Announces All Adults Will Be Eligible for Coronavirus Vaccine by the End of the Month

All adults will be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in Texas by the end of the month, the state’s health department announced Tuesday.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said it expected an increase in vaccine supplies and praised the efforts the state has made in vaccinating priority groups, such as seniors, frontline healthcare workers, and those with certain medical conditions. All adults will be eligible to receive the vaccine by March 29, although the state is still asking providers to prioritize those in vulnerable groups:

“We are closing in on 10 million doses administered in Texas, and we want to keep up the momentum as the vaccine supply increases,”  Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services, said in a statement.

“As eligibility opens up, we are asking providers to continue to prioritize people who are the most at risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death — such as older adults,” Garcia added.

Per the release:

DSHS has directed vaccine providers to prioritize people 80 years old or older when scheduling appointments and accommodate anyone in that age group who presents for vaccination, whether or not they have an appointment, by immediately moving them to the front of the line. That will ensure vaccination of anyone 80 or older with as small a burden on themselves as possible.

Also next week, DSHS will launch a website to allow people to register for a shot through some public health providers. The public will be able to enroll in the Texas Public Health Vaccine Scheduler to identify upcoming vaccine clinics hosted by DSHS or a participating local health department and be notified when new clinics and appointments become available. People can continue to find additional providers though the DSHS Vaccine Information page at dshs.texas.gov/covidvaccine.

Texas has administered over 9 million doses of the vaccine to date, “equating to more than 6 million people with at least one dose and more than 3 million fully vaccinated,” according to the department. March 23 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows Texas administering over 9.8 million shots.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) lifted restrictions in the Lone Star State this month, including the statewide mask mandate which had been in place since July.