Texas coronavirus vaccine eligibility extends to those over 50 years of age

by

Need to keep up to date with coronavirus news in Texas? Our evening summary will help you stay up to date with the latest updates of the day. Sign up here.

Texans over the age of 50 will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting March 15, health officials announced on Wednesday.

Extension between the ages of 50 and 64 will continue the state’s priorities to protect those most at risk from severe outcomes and to maintain the state’s health care system, said Imelda Garcia, associate commissioner of the Department of Services. Health Laboratory and Infectious Disease Services and Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel Chair.

The move to extend eligibility to a new category of Texans – labeled 1C – means that vaccine availability is increasing across the state. However, meetings may continue to be difficult to find, as the number of eligible recipients exceeds the number of vaccine offers. Prior to Wednesday’s announcement, between 10 million and 13 million people – more than a third of Texas’ population – were already eligible, according to state health officials.

Previously, vaccine doses were limited to primary care workers, residents and long-term care staff, people aged 65 and over or at least 16 with a qualified health condition. Last week, teachers and childcare workers also became eligible after President Joe Biden’s administration led states to prioritize school staff.

To date, nearly 7 million doses of the vaccine have been given in Texas and more than 4.5 million people have received at least one dose, according to state data. In all, about 8.5% of the Texas population has been completely vaccinated.

In recent weeks, service workers, including grocery and restaurant staff, have pleaded to be included in the next round of eligibility after spending nearly a year on the front lines of the pandemic.

The announcement comes on the same day that the state-wide mask mandate ends, further fueling fears about the spread of the virus among those in the industry. On Monday, service workers gathered outside the Texas Chapter to protest the decision to lift safety restrictions and demand access to the vaccine.

The federal recommendations suggest that all key workers who are not included in Phases 1A and 1B be included in this next phase, although Texas has previously deviated from this advice.

Frequently asked questions about vaccines

  • Who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas?

    Texas currently provides vaccines to front-line health care workers, residents and staff in long-term care facilities, Texans age 65 and older, and people with a qualified and certain health status, in depending on the vaccine you get. You can find a list of some of these conditions here. As of March 15, Texans over the age of 50 are eligible for vaccines.

  • Where can I get COVID-19 vaccine?

    Consult your local healthcare provider or public health department. The vaccine will be available at more than 80 vaccination centers across the country and in some pharmacies, clinics and hospitals. Most providers also require Texans to sign up for appointments to get the vaccine, to minimize traffic flow. The state has a map of the providers that offer the vaccine here.

  • I called every provider in my area and I can’t find a vaccine. What does it give?

    I’ve heard from many Texans who have had this experience. There are simply many more eligible Texans who want vaccine doses right now than doses are available. It will be months before the vaccine is generally available to everyone. Until then, it’s best to keep checking providers, wait until you’re eligible if you’re not yet, and still wear a mask when you’re in public, and practice social distancing.

  • Is COVID-19 vaccine safe?

    Yes. Although some Texans have expressed hesitation about the vaccine, health experts and government officials agree that the vaccine is safe. Pfizer and Moderna reported that their vaccines are 95% and 94% effective in protecting people from serious illness, respectively, and although no vaccine has side effects, clinical studies for both Pfizer and Moderna show that severe reactions are rare.

  • Do I need to get the vaccine if I already have the virus?

    The short answer is yes. Health experts still do not know how long natural immunity lasts after someone receives COVID-19, but the evidence suggests that it does not last very long.

  • More information about the vaccine

Texas is still far from the herd’s immunity – the level at which a sufficient proportion of the population is immune to COVID-19 to stop it from spreading. Experts estimate that between 70% and 80% of Texans will need to be vaccinated to exceed this threshold. This amounts to almost 100% of adults in the state.

The announcement of the extended eligibility of the vaccine comes on the same day that the state-wide mask mandate ends. The mandate was first implemented by Governor Greg Abbott in July last year. On Monday, service workers gathered outside the Texas Chapter to protest the decision to lift safety restrictions and demanded access to the vaccine.

Abbott suggested the vaccine was announced at a news conference last week, when it announced it was canceling its mask mandate and allowing all companies – including restaurants, bars, retail stores and sports stadiums – to operate at 100% capacity. Abbott cited a number of key COVID-19 values, including a decline in new hospitalizations and a statewide positivity rate, as proof that Texas is “in a much better position now.”

In the nearly three months since Texas received the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccine, supply has grown steadily. There are currently three US-approved vaccines – Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, which require both doses and Johnson & Johnson, which requires one dose.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and state emergency management officials have also begun managing mass vaccination sites for disadvantaged communities in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth. The sites are NRG Stadium in Houston, AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Fair Park in Dallas.

Concern remains about equitable access to the vaccine. State Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, expressed frustration Wednesday with the low vaccination rate among communities of color on which the pandemic had a disproportionate fee.

“I feel like you broke my heart and broke my promise to me,” Miles told Garcia, president of EVAP, during a state Senate meeting on health and human services.

The growing number of vaccinated Texans has meant, for some, a return to a certain appearance of normalcy. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday that fully vaccinated people can safely visit with other vaccinated people and small groups of unvaccinated people. But the CDC warned that COVID-19 still poses a serious public health risk and urged everyone – including vaccinated people – to continue wearing masks and keep their physical distance in public.

State health officials estimate the vaccine will be available to the general public later this spring. Biden earlier this month said the United States would have enough supplies of COVID-19 vaccine for every adult by the end of May.

.Source