Abbott Announces Initial COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution For Month Of December

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made an initial allotment of over 1.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to the State of Texas for the month of December.

These vaccines, which should begin arriving in Texas the week of December 14th, will be distributed to qualifying providers across the state who will administer these immunizations based on the Vaccine Distribution Principles developed by the state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel.

Additional allotments may be made later this month for December. Also, increased allotments are expected in January and the following months.

“The State of Texas is already prepared for the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine, and will swiftly distribute these vaccines to Texans who voluntarily choose to be immunized,” said Governor Abbott. “As we await the first shipment of these vaccines, we will work with communities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

Texas will initially allocate COVID-19 vaccines based on the following criteria:

• Protecting health care workers who fill a critical role in caring for and preserving the lives of COVID-19 patients and maintaining the health care infrastructure for all who need it.
• Protecting frontline workers who are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the nature of their work providing critical services and preserving the economy.
• Protecting vulnerable populations who are at greater risk of severe disease and death if they contract COVID-19.
• Mitigating health inequities due to factors such as demographics, poverty, insurance status and geography.
• Data-driven allocations using the best available scientific evidence and epidemiology at the time, allowing for flexibility for local conditions.
• Geographic diversity through a balanced approach that considers access in urban and rural communities and in affected ZIP codes.
• Transparency through sharing allocations with the public and seeking public feedback.

EVAP has recommended, and the Commissioner of Health John Hellerstedt has approved, health care workers likely to provide direct care for COVID-19 patients and other vulnerable residents to be the first group to receive the vaccine.

This includes staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities, emergency medical services, and home health care workers. As part of its ongoing work, EVAP will make recommendations on how and when to roll out vaccine to other critical groups.