One month after the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the state, Texas has become the first in the nation to administer 1 million doses, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday. This notable accomplishment comes as intensive care beds are lessening daily across the state and as experts anticipate daily coronavirus cases and hospitalizations will worsen following holiday season gatherings.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Texas has administered more doses than any other state. The state has administered nearly half of the more than 2 million doses it has received thus far, putting it in the top 20 states for the percentage of doses administered. With Black Americans comprising 12% of the Texas population, reaching this vaccination milestone means blacks have a higher chance of recieving the vaccine if they chose to take it.
On Sunday, Texas health officials released a list of coronavirus “vaccination hubs” that will receive the state’s next shipment of vaccines. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 28 hubs will get 158,825 doses of the vaccine this week, Another 38,300 doses will go to other providers across the state.
The number of doses that each provider is getting is based on its own estimate of how many people it could vaccinate in a week, DSHS said.
The hubs are meant to streamline large-scale vaccination as Texas continues to prioritize vaccinating people who are health care workers, people who are 65 and older, and those with medical conditions that increase their risk.
Here are the 28 hubs, followed by their county and how many doses they are receiving:
Bell County Public Health District, Bell, 3,900
San Antonio Metro Health District, Bexar, 9,000
University Health System, Bexar, 10,725