HOUSTON – An announcement on the next phase of people who will be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine could be made this week.
According to Douglas Loveday, press officer for the Texas Department of State Health Services, the announcement of who will be included in the 1C group could come as soon as this week.
This would be in addition to those already eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of phases 1A and 1B. Those phases include frontline health care workers, nursing home residents, anyone 65 and older, anyone 16 and older with comorbidity and some education and child care workers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended people who work in transportation and logistics, food service, housing construction and finance, information technology, communications, energy, law, media, public safety and public health be included in Phase 1C. The final decision is left up to health officials in each state.
Texas health officials said they expected to receive more than 1 million first doses of the vaccine this week.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that more than half of the state’s senior citizens have received their shots.
President Joe Biden has said there should be enough doses to vaccinate every American adult by the end of May.