This Rio Grande Valley hospital had more COVID-19 vaccine doses than employees who wanted them
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Though he wasn’t slated to get one of the first quarter-million COVID-19 vaccines distributed in Texas, Rio Grande Valley pharmacist Danny Vela figured he’d be earlier in line than most simply because of what he does.
Then he got a call Saturday from someone he knows at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg, one of the Texas facilities hardest hit by the virus this year. Vela is not an employee of the hospital, but he was told vaccines were available if he wanted one.
65 and older, at risk-patients, in next phase for COVID-19 vaccine
65 and older, at risk-patients, in next phase for COVID-19 vaccine
By: Site Administrator
and last updated 2020-12-21 20:25:41-05
NUECES COUNTY, Texas â In a move to limit the loss of life from COVID-19, the state of Texas will prioritize who are at the greatest risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19 for the next phase of vaccination.
In a statement, Texas Department of State Health Services says more than 70 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Texas have occurred in people 65 and older, and scientific evidence shows that adults of any age with certain medical conditions have an increased risk of hospitalization and death if they get sick with COVID-19.
Rio Grande Hospital Workers Turned Down the Vaccine. A Senator and a Sheriff’s Deputy Lined Up Instead. ProPublica 12/21/2020
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So many workers at a hospital in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley declined the new COVID-19 vaccine that the facility offered doses to other medical workers in the region. Many showed up, but so did a state lawmaker, a police officer and a sheriff’s deputy who weren’t on the state’s priority list for vaccination.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) ABC13, Houston s news leader, hosted a one-hour town hall Thursday, Dec. 17 (7-8 p.m.), explaining the latest developments on the COVID-19 vaccine and what it all means for those living in southeast Texas.
Eyewitness News reporter Marla Carter gathered leaders from the medical community to highlight recent decisions by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, the latest on the Texas COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, and to answer your questions about getting vaccinated.
Panelists for the town hall included:
Bill McKeon, Texas Medical Center president and CEO
Dr. David Persse, Houston Health Authority
Dr. Mandy Hill, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth
The chief executive of Uber had requested the same for rideshare drivers and food delivery workers.
Similar requests for early access to the vaccine came from representatives for teacher groups, home health care workers, rice farmers, federal judges, dialysis patients, journalists and 911 operators, among scores more, according to a state document obtained by the American-Statesman.
The behind-the-scenes competition illuminates the high-stakes demand for a vaccine that remains in relatively short supply, even as the virus cases and hospitalizations continue to surge in Texas. On the line, beyond health and lives, are livelihoods, as industries of all sorts struggle to remain afloat as the pandemic drags on.