ARLINGTON (WBAP/KLIF) – Governor Greg Abbott provided an update on Texas’ COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts on Monday in Arlington.
The Governor attended a briefing and toured the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the Arlington Expo Center. He stressed that vaccines are typically shipped and received multiple times per week, causing providers to work through the logistics of scheduling Texans to receive the vaccine. He said establishing hub locations will provide a dependable supply that large providers can plan around. By the end of this week, an additional 28 mass vaccine sites are expected to be operational in 18 Texas counties.
“The Lone Star State’s mission is to use the resources and tools we have to get more shots in arms and keep Texans safe,” said Governor Abbott. “This successful facility serves as a model to open up to 28 similar sites across the state. These vaccination hubs will expedite vaccine distribution and ensure efficiency in communities across the state. While vaccines are an important step in the long-term fight against the virus, I encourage Texans to continue to follow the best practices to keep yourself and loved ones safe like wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.”
According to the Governor, more than 1.5 million vaccine doses have been delivered to providers throughout Texas. The state has already administered 802,507 doses that have been successfully reported into the state’s immunization registry. But, he explained there is a 48 hour reporting lag time. Of the 802,507 doses administered, 83,538 are second doses, according to the Governor. 777,897 doses are either not yet reported, or are waiting to be given to Texans. Additionally, Texas has received 487,500 doses for Texas nursing homes and long term care facilities, which are administered by CVS and Walgreens. Of those 487,500 doses, 75,312 have been administered. 412,188 doses for LTC facilities and nursing homes have not yet been reported, or are waiting to be given. He called for a quicker response from the pharmacies.
This week, Texas is set to receive nearly 940,000 doses, including nearly 200,000 first doses delivered to providers in 104 counties. For the remainder of January, Texas expects to deliver an additional 310,000 first doses per week and up to 500,000 second doses. Moving forward, first doses are expected to increase and will be dependent on the federal government.
The Governor praised Arlington for its vaccination mega center and said other centers across the state would replicate what Arlington has done.
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