Texas becomes the first state to distribute 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine

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A month after the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the state, Texas became the first in the country to administer 1 million doses, said Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday. The milestone comes at a time when intensive care beds are shrinking across the state and experts predict that daily coronavirus cases and hospitalizations will worsen after an influx of festive events.

“This is the biggest vaccination effort we’ve ever made,” said Abbott in a press release. “We still have a long way to go, but Texans continue to prove that we are up to the challenge.”

Texas administered more doses than any other state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state has administered nearly half of the more than 2 million doses it has received so far, placing it among the top 20 states in percentage of doses administered.

More than 3 out of every 100 Texans have been vaccinated so far, according to the CDC. Texas is also overtaking other populous states like California, which has administered nearly 1 million injections, but has received more than 3 million doses so far, according to the CDC.

Vaccines are currently being administered to frontline health professionals, living in community centers and nursing homes and people over 65 or with a chronic illness.

Abbott initially said that 1.4 million health workers and vulnerable residents would be vaccinated by the end of last year, but the initial weeks of the launch were marked by communication problems and technical problems that created confusion for patients and providers.

Although more than 8 million from Texas are eligible to receive the injection, only about 2 million doses were sent by January 8. The state also opened the vaccine’s eligibility to the second tier, which included elderly Texans with chronic illnesses, before hundreds of thousands of frontline health workers received their first dose. This left doctors unprepared to deal with the increase in new patients.

Also on Thursday, several mayors asked President-elect Joe Biden to send doses directly to cities for distribution. The mayors of Austin, Houston and San Antonio were among those who accepted the request, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“While it is essential to work with state and local public health agencies, health care providers, pharmacies and clinics, it is necessary to be agile and fill in gaps that are unique to each local area,” wrote the mayors, according to the Chronicle. “Very few cities are receiving direct allocations and, as a result, the reach needed to lay the groundwork for their vaccination goals is not being met.”