Teachers, school staff and child care personnel are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas, according to the Texas State Department of Health Services.
The Texas DSHS said it notified all vaccine suppliers on Wednesday that they should immediately include school officials and child caregivers in their vaccine administration.
The state’s decision comes after DSHS received a letter from the United States Department of Health and Human Services instructing states to expand eligibility to include people working in schools and day care centers, including teachers and school staff.
The federal directive defined eligible persons as “those who work in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools, as well as the Head Start and Early Head Start programs (including teachers, employees and bus drivers) and those who work as or for providers licensed child care providers, including family-based and center-based providers. ”
This action does not alter the other groups prioritized for vaccination in Texas.
The DSHS said vaccine providers are encouraged to continue their efforts to vaccinate older adults, as the burden of COVID-19 falls most severely on people aged 65 and over.
Want to get on a vaccine waiting list?
As the state begins to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to those in Phases 1A and 1B, county health departments have started making waiting lists for those who wish to be vaccinated.
You can now register to receive vaccinations in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. The links are below:
Waiting list links: Collin – Research Waiting List | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
You don’t have to be a county resident to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in that county – registration is open to anyone in Texas. For those without access to the Internet, Tarrant County is also accepting applications by calling 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS vaccine hotline at 1-855-IMMUNE9 (1-855-466-8639). In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.
The vaccine is currently being administered only to those who are part of Phases 1A and 1B, as described by the Texas Department of Health Services. Those in Phase 1A are frontline health professionals or residents of long-term care facilities. Phase 1B includes those over 65 or those over 16 with a chronic medical condition that puts them at risk for serious illness.
On March 3, the vaccine’s availability was expanded to include school and daycare staff.
Once vaccinated, people are expected to achieve some level of protection a few weeks after the first injection, but full protection may not happen until a few weeks after the second injection. Even when fully vaccinated, it is still possible to be infected by the virus, as the vaccine does not offer 100% protection.
The Texas DSHS reports that the vaccine will not be readily available to the general public until late spring or early summer 2021.