Providers rushing to launch COVID-19 vaccines
While most Texans wait for their turn to get the COVID-19 vaccine, a medical expert says the state needs to change its priorities.
DALLAS – The race now for vaccine providers in Dallas County to prepare and start vaccinating people at high risk of COVID-19 complications.
“The question is how do we vaccinate so many Americans? When you look at the numbers, it’s a formidable challenge,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccine expert at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Dr. Hotez said that Operation Warp Speed was successful in distributing the vaccines, but passing the baton to the states has not been so easy.
“What happens when the vaccine boxes arrive? It is almost as if we are now realizing that we are receiving Ikea furniture boxes and only now realizing that assembly is necessary, ”he explained.
A spokeswoman for the Texas State Department of Health Services told FOX 4 via email that doses of the vaccine at some clinics in El Paso were in danger of expiring before the state intervened to transport them to health departments. local health.
Stephen Love, president and CEO of the DFW Hospital Council, said hospitals in northern Texas quickly distributed the vaccine to the highest priority groups.
“I talked to hospital CEOs. Everyone is telling me that they are working as quickly as possible to get the vaccine out quickly, ”he said.
But Love said there was a lot of paperwork involved that could be delaying state data on vaccine distribution.
“This process is very slow. So, when you look at the numbers the state has, it is low compared to the actual number of vaccines administered. I think this has created some confusion,” he said.
Arlington is one of the few places where doses are administered on a first-come, first-served basis to an expanded group of priority recipients.
LINK: Who is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas
That meant long lines in the rain until the fire department ran out of 3,000 doses on Thursday morning.
Dr. Hotez said that due to the sheer volume of people who will need to get the vaccine, local leaders will need to find things out quickly.
The state needs to keep things simple, possibly with less emphasis on who gets the vaccine first and more emphasis on large-scale clinics in spacious venues like sports stadiums, he said.
“There is not much time to shake hands and think about it. That is all we have to control COVID-19 and lose 3,000 people a day,” he said.
State officials say there are suppliers in Dallas County preparing to vaccinate people 65 and older or with high-risk medical conditions when new shipments are received next week.
Texas has a website for vaccine providers COVID-19, but residents should check with these providers to learn more about availability.
LINK: Where to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas