Jeans 50 years and older will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting March 15, state health officials announced Wednesday.
“The expansion at the age of 50 to 64 will continue with the state’s priorities of protecting people at greatest risk of serious outcomes and preserving the state’s health care system,” said Imelda Garcia, associate commissioner of the State Department of Health Services for laboratory services and infectious diseases. of the expert vaccine allocation panel.
People aged 50 and over account for more than 93% of Texas coronavirus fatalities, according to DSHS, while people aged 50 to 64 account for 20% of all fatalities.
Those in phase 1A are front-line health workers or residents in long-term care centers. Phase 1B includes those over the age of 65 or those over the age of 16 with a chronic illness that puts them at risk for serious illness. You can find more details on the status of the group stages here.
On March 3, vaccine availability was expanded to include teachers, school staff, and child care workers.
The state says the launch of Group 1C will further help reduce hospitalizations and deaths “in all races, ethnicities and occupations,” a press release said.
The state has seen “a marked decline in the number of hospitalizations and deaths since people 65 and older began getting fully vaccinated in January,” Garcia said.
More than half of Texas seniors have received at least one dose of vaccine and 30% are fully vaccinated. The number of COVID-19 positive patients in Texas hospitals has dropped two-thirds from its peak in mid-January.
There are about 5 million jeans between the ages of 50 and 64; more than a million of them are already vaccinated.
Overall, more than 7 million doses have been administered in Texas. About 4.7 million people have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 2.5 million are fully vaccinated.
Want to get a waiting list for vaccines?
When the state begins distributing COVID-19 vaccines to people in Phase 1A and 1B, county health departments have begun waiting lists for those who wish to be inoculated.
You can now register for vaccination in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. The links are below:
Waiting list links: Collin – Search the waiting list | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
You do not need to be a county resident to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in that county; registration is open to anyone in Texas. For those without Internet access, Tarrant County is also registering by phone at 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS Vaccine Hotline at 1-855-IMMUNE9 (1-855-466-8639). In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.
Distribution of COVID-19 vaccines from Texas
Data from the Texas State Department of Health Services shows where COVID-19 vaccines have been shipped statewide. Click a bookmark for location information. Use the following “plus” and “minus” signs to zoom in and out on the map.