Governor Abbott addresses the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout

As Texas continues to experience another surge in new COVID-19 cases which is placing a serious strain on the state’s first responders, Governor Abbott gave an update regarding the state’s current COVID-19 vaccine rollout. It has been just over a month since the first vaccine was authorized for emergency use and since Christmas that the second has been approved. The governor said, “Never before in the history of this state has Texas vaccinated so many people so quickly. When you look at the timeline of what’s been done, all of the vaccines that have been distributed in the state of Texas have all been only over the course of about three-and-a-half weeks.”

Abbott spoke Monday as he toured the Arlington Expo Center mass COVID-19 vaccination site in Dallas-Fort Worth. The DFW location will serve as a model for other sites moving forward. Texas is expected to receive 310,000 first doses and up to 500,000 second doses each week this month. These numbers don’t include doses for long-term care facilities.

It was stressed that numbers will vary on a daily basis, and second doses should be given as providers’ vaccine inventory is replenished. The speed of vaccinations is expected to increase as CVS and Walgreens continue to receive additional doses.

Texas DSHS has announced that 28 large vaccination hub providers across the state, all able to vaccinate more than 100,000 people, will have the capability to provide thousands of vaccines each day. People will be able to sign up online to register for a time to receive a shot. In addition to the 28 large hubs, there are 206 smaller locations in smaller communities throughout the state, and providers in 104 counties will be receiving vaccines this week.

As of January 11:

Vaccines distributed: 1,580,400 doses shipped to providers

Doses Administered: 802,507 doses

Doses waiting to be given: 777,897 doses

Doses provided for long-term care facilities (These doses are not counted among the 1,580,400 doses): 487,500 doses (This number includes the 75,312 doses provided to CVS and Walgreens for distribution to these facilities.)

Doses waiting to be given to long-term care facilities: 412,188 doses

Gillespie County released their most current COVID-19 statistics Monday. As of January 11, there are 194 active cases in the county and 9 patients hospitalized with virus complications at Hill Country Memorial Hospital. The county’s official COVID-19 death toll stands at 24.

Free COVID-19 testing is taking place in Fredericksburg every day this week at the Pioneer Pavilion at Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. No pre-registration is required and results should be completed within 48 hours.

Over the past seven days, Texas has averaged 18,912 new novel coronavirus cases each day and 261 deaths per day, both record highs. As of January 9, Texas has officially reported 1,703,634 confirmed cases and 234,917 probable cases of the virus in the state since the pandemic began.

A total of 11.49% of all molecular tests since the start of the pandemic have come back positive for the virus. The state’s seven day average positive rate is 20.46%. Molecular tests determine whether someone is “currently” infected with COVID-19. Antigen tests, also called ‘rapid tests’, are filed into the “probable cases” should test results come back positive.

Governor Abbott has said that a positive rate above 10% is a “warning flag.”