Texas administered the COVID-19 vaccine to hundred of Children aged 5-11 last weekend.
“Just the health district alone, in three days we vaccinated 311 children,” Kelly Craine, Waco-McLennan County Health District spokesperson, said.
The district hopes for the continued enthusiasm regarding vaccines. That is the school-age range and that means a lot more stability for our pre-k and elementary, middle school kids,” Craine added.
Read more: Abbott Goes Against Biden, Bans COVID Vaccination Mandates in Texas
As of now, 15,596,282 Texans are fully vaccinated.
As cases and hospitalizations have been trending downward in Texas, Chief State Epidemiologist Jennifer Shuford is waiting to see what the next few months will bring.
“As we go into this holiday season, and we have Thanksgiving and Christmas, and New Year’s, where people traditionally will gather together in big groups,” Shuford said. “We could see a lot more circulation of COVID-19 as well as flu and other respiratory viruses.”
A bad flu season could strain hospital capacity across the state as people are still contracting COVID-19, said Shuford.
Read more: 1.3 Million COVID Vaccines For Kids Ready To Ship To Texas
She encourages everyone, including families with kids between 5 and 11 years old, to consider getting vaccinated.
The Texas Vaccine Scheduler helps Texans get scheduled for a COVID-19 vaccine at clinics hosted by participating Texas public health entities.
Register online at GetTheVaccine.dshs.texas.gov.
You will be notified by email or text when and where to get the vaccine. If there’s not a public health clinic near you, you will be directed to other places to get your vaccine.
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Call (833) 832-7067 if you don’t have internet or need help signing up.
According to the state’s Department of State Health Services, Texas has opened up vaccine eligibility according to the following timeline:
- November 3, 2021: Everyone 5 years old and older
- May 12, 2021: Everyone 12 years old and older
- March 29, 2021: Everyone 16 years old and older
- March 15, 2021: Phase 1C (people 50 to 64 years of age)
- March 3, 2021: Schools and licensed child care personnel
- December 29, 2020: Phase 1B (people 65+ or people 16+ with a health condition that increases risk of severe COVID‑19 illness)
- December 14, 2020: Phase 1A (front-line healthcare workers and residents at long-term care facilities)
Read more: Officials Say Texas COVID-19 Wave Could Be More Dangerous, Know Why?
Texas continues to receive doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, and is distributing statewide to hospitals, pharmacies, local health departments, freestanding ERs, and other clinics.
Stay updated for more news here at the East County Gazette.