Over one million people in Texas have received a vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) announced on Thursday.
The Lonestar State announced the milestone in a January 14 press release. It comes “exactly one month to the day after the first doses arrived at vaccine providers in the state on December 14.” The announcement also cited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data showing that Texas has administered more doses than any other state at this point.
“Among the top 20 states for doses distributed, Texas ranks number one for percentage of doses administered,” the announcement read.
“Texas is leading the way for our nation once again,” Abbott said in a statement. “This is the biggest vaccination effort we have ever undertaken, and it would not be possible without the dedication and tireless efforts of our healthcare workers.”
“We still have a long road ahead of us, but Texans continue to prove that we are up to this challenge,” he added.
Texas is currently prioritizing frontline health care workers, residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, residents over the age of 65, and those “with a chronic medical condition to aid in reducing hospitalizations and protect the health of those in these vulnerable populations.”
Texas will continue receiving vaccines from the federal government and “expects the weekly amount to increase in the future,” the release added.
According to CDC data last updated January 14, the U.S. has distributed 30,628,175 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines with 11,148,991 receiving the first dose. In Texas, specifically, 1,043,624 people have received the first dose, per the CDC data.
California trails Texas in distributing vaccines, with 975,293 receiving the first dose of the vaccine. However, California has received far more vaccines than Texas, — 3,540,175 to the Lone State State’s 2,105,600.
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