Vaccine eligibility expands to all adults on Monday

On Monday, all adults in Texas will officially be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said it projects vaccine supply to increase next week, stating in a release that providers in multiple parts of the state had “made great strides in vaccinating people in the current priority groups.”
To date, Texas has administered more than 9.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, equating to more than 6 million people with at least one dose and more than 3 million fully vaccinated.
“We are closing in on 10 million doses administered in Texas, and we want to keep up the momentum as the vaccine supply increases,” said Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services and the chair of the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel. “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.”
According to DSHS data, 6,773 adults in Caldwell County have been vaccinated with at least one dose, and 2,915 people have been fully vaccinated. Vaccinations have ramped up in recent weeks due in part to large drive-thru vaccine clinics organized by Travis County at Circuit of the Americas. The clinics have been open to individuals in the 1A, 1B and 1C priority groups who live in Travis, Hays and Caldwell Counties due to an interlocal agreement.
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.
DSHS will launch a website next week 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.
DSHS will also launch a toll-free number to provide assistance making an appointment with a participating provider or locating another provider that has vaccine available.
In the meantime, Caldwell County residents can continue to register at www.co.caldwell.tx.us.

~Miles Smith