AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is now close to having 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across the state.
According to State data, 11.6 million Texans have at least received their first dose, which is around 52% of Texans ages 16 or older. And 9 million are now fully vaccinated, which amounts to about 40%. (Note: This data does not include doses administered by federal agencies.)
This comes as children ages 12-15 and up are now starting to get the Pfizer vaccine this week. According to the State, that adds around 1.6 million eligible Texans.
In a press conference on Thursday, State health leaders said that while the vaccine won't be mandatory for school children, getting that group vaccinated is important for the upcoming school year.
“This is another big step to helping us get closer to the end of the pandemic and a really big step in ensuring the schools will be safe as more children return to in-person learning at school this fall,” said Imelda Garcia with the Department of State Health Services.
According to CDC recommendations, kids no longer have to wait two weeks after getting their COVID-19 vaccination to receive another type of vaccine. This means that kids due for one of their upcoming vaccinations no longer have to wait for a different day to schedule appointments.
State leaders also said that although parental permission is required for a child in the 12-15 age range to get vaccinated, the State is not requiring that parents or guardians be present at the time of vaccination. This will be up to the provider to decide.
As more Pfizer vaccinations roll out to kids, State leaders said this timing is great as Texas is now allowing for smaller shipments. A minimum of 1,170 doses is no longer required in order to request a shipment, making it easier for smaller providers to offer the vaccines to the new group of youth.
Health officials said that in making the decision on the emergency use authorization, the FDA looked at a group of around 2,300 participants in the 12-15 age range. Fifty percent received the placebo while the other half received the vaccine. Of this group, none who received the vaccine came down with COVID-19 but 16 who received the placebo did become infected.
Health officials also added that of the millions who have now received the vaccine, they are only investigating around 350 breakthrough cases as of this week.
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