20 North Texas Hospitals Set To Receive First Shipment Of COVID-19 Vaccine In Little More Than 1 Week
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - In a little more than week, Texas expects it could begin receiving shipments of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
A new report from the Department of State Health Services shows roughly 52,000 doses, about a quarter of the state's allotment for the first week, will be delivered to 20 hospitals in North Texas.
Parkland, UT Southwestern, Methodist Dallas and Texas Health Harris are set to get the largest deliveries with 5,850 doses each.
For Parkland, that would be enough to give almost half its staff the first of two shots.
Employees at highest risk will be prioritized.
"They may be working in the emergency room where they're encountering patients with COVID or they may be working in a COVID ICU. Those are high risk individuals of getting the disease. They're exposed to it all day, every day," said State Representative Stephanie Klick, who sits on the state's Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel (EVAP), which recommends where to distribute the vaccine and to whom.
Along with healthcare workers, the state has announced long term care facility residents, EMS providers and mortuary service workers will be among the first eligible for vaccination.
In January, though, the list could begin to expand.
"Teachers certainly should be considered frontline workers. They are essential to reopening our economy," said Fort Worth ISD superintendent, Dr. Kent Scribner.
In a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott, he asked teachers be given early access.
According to a Dallas Morning News report, the Texas Restaurant Association is lobbying for restaurant workers to get priority.
Representative Klick said, for her, adults over 65 and those with pre-existing conditions, who have the greatest risk of dying from the virus, are top of mind.
"You want to get the vaccine first to those with the greatest needs and the greatest risk," she said.
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