COVID-19 vaccination available to all adults March 29; local clinics offered in April

All adults will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas beginning Monday, March 29. The Texas Department of State Health Services officials say they expect vaccine supplies to in-crease next week, and providers in multiple parts of the state have made great strides in vaccinat-ing people in the current priority groups, according to a release.

The state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel recommended opening vaccination to everyone who falls under the current Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorizations to protect as many Texans as possible, it noted.

“We are closing in on 10 million doses administered in Texas, and we want to keep up the mo-mentum 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.”

Meanwhile, in Cherokee County, two-dose COVID-19 vaccination clinics will be offered next month at the Rusk Church of Christ, 397 S. Main St. The first, slated Friday, April 2, will be followed by an April 23 clinic at the site.

The clinics are offered by appointment only for individuals 50 and older, along with youths ages 18 and younger with underlying health conditions.

Online registration is at http://bit.ly/Cherokee CountyVax0402 or call 903-683-4003 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. March 23-26 and March 29-April 1. Rides can be arranged via the Go Bus system; call 800-590-3374 to book a trip.

Next week, the DSHS will launch a website 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 de-partment and be notified when new clinics and appointments become available, the release stated.

People can continue to find additional providers though the DSHS Vaccine Information page at dshs.texas.gov/covidvaccine; DSHS also will launch a toll-free number to provide assistance making an appointment with a participating provider or locating another provider that has vac-cine available.

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. Most vaccines are authorized for people 18 years old and older; the FDA has authorized the Pfizer vaccine for use in people 16 and older, according to DSHS.