Texas opens Covid vaccine eligibility for people aged 50 and over as it eliminates the mask’s mandate

Texas will allow residents aged 50 and over to receive Covid-19 vaccines from March 15, making it the most populous state in the U.S. to expand eligibility for the age group so far, the state health department said in Wednesday.

So far, Texas has allowed frontline health care workers, people with underlying health problems, and people 65 and older to receive an injection. The state announced last week that it would immediately include school and daycare workers on its vaccine eligibility list.

By expanding eligibility for people over 50, the state aims to protect those most at risk of serious illnesses caused by the virus, the department said in a statement. The move will add an additional 5 million Texans to the state’s priority list, although more than 1 million have already been vaccinated.

“Expansion to the ages of 50 to 64 will continue the state’s priorities of protecting those most at risk of serious outcomes and preserving the state’s health system,” said Imelda Garcia, associate commissioner for the State Department of Health Services for laboratory services and infectious diseases, in a statement.

More than half of the state’s elderly have received at least one dose of the vaccine and nearly a third are fully vaccinated, according to the DSHS.

Wednesday also marked the end of the Lone Star State mask’s mandate, and companies can now reopen at 100% capacity, Governor Greg Abbott announced last week, pointing to the state’s increase in vaccine eligibility, declining in new cases and ample hospital capacity as reasoning.

On Tuesday, Alaska became the first state to open vaccine eligibility for all residents aged 16 and over.