Major Texas cities, including Austin, will receive tens of thousands of coronavirus vaccine doses this week, as health providers continue to inoculate vulnerable populations.
Meanwhile, Central Texas continuously high COVID-19 hospitalization rates triggered businesses on Sunday to roll back their occupancy rates from 75% to 50%. Elective surgeries have also been canceled.
“It is critically important that everyone follow protective measures at this time,” said Stephanie Hayden, Austin Public Health Director, in a news release Sunday. “Wearing a mask, washing your hands, watching your distance, and avoiding gatherings have been lifesaving measures throughout this pandemic. We will not be able to vaccinate or enforce our way out of the surge already happening, so we need to take it upon ourselves to protect our community.”
Texas health officials on Sunday released a list of coronavirus vaccination hubs that will receive the state s next shipment of vaccines.
The 28 hubs will get 158,825 doses of the vaccine this week, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. 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, 65 and older with underlying medical conditions.