Texas is the first state to administer 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine, Governor Greg Abbot (R) announced on Thursday.
Among the top 20 states for distribution, Texas ranks first in the percentage of doses administered, Abbot said in his statement.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that tthat the state of the lone star administered 1,043,624 doses until January 14. The state distributed 2,105,600 doses.
Voluntary vaccination is currently underway in the state for frontline health professionals, residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities and for people over 65 or with a chronic medical condition.
According to The Texas Tribune, Abbot said that 1.4 million health workers and vulnerable residents would be vaccinated by the end of 2020, but the initial launch of the vaccine encountered communication problems and technical problems.
“Texas is leading the way for our nation once again,” Abbott said in a statement. “This is the biggest vaccination effort we have ever undertaken and it would not be possible without the dedication and tireless effort of our healthcare professionals.
“We still have a long way to go, but Texans continue to prove that we are up to the challenge,” he added.
The figure comes at a time when the United States is rushing to vaccinate more people after dealing with slow implementation late last year. More than 11 million doses have been administered so far out of 30 million doses distributed.
Various states, including Mississippi, New York and California, recently expanded vaccine eligibility in an effort to obtain more vaccines from their populations.