In Texas, these healthcare professionals are the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine

Healthcare workers were first vaccinated with COVID-19 in Texas after receiving urgent approval from the U.S. government, and the state announced on Monday. panel The proportion of vaccine experts and politicians has revealed which workers in the health sector are the top priority.

According to the new panel, “first layer” recipients Guidelines,include:

• Hospital-based nurses, doctors, caretakers, and other workers in direct contact with patients
• Staff of nursing homes and other nursing homes that work directly with residents
• Emergency medical service providers such as emergency medical and ambulance drivers
• Home care assistant managing “vulnerable and high-risk” patients

The COVID-19 vaccine candidate has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but some pharmaceutical companies say they intend to seek approval for a vaccine that has shown promising results in extensive clinical trials. .. State officials expect the vaccine to be approved by the end of the year, but say supply will be severely restricted for at least a few months.

In an announcement on Monday, state officials described an early phase of distribution known as Phase 1A, focusing on healthcare professionals.

If there is enough dose to avoid, the “second layer” of health care workers is also eligible for vaccination, including:

• Nurses, doctors, custodians, and other workers interacting with outpatients such as clinics
• Workers in Independent Emergency Care Units and Emergency Clinics
• Local pharmacy worker
• Public health workers performing COVID-19 inspection
• Workers in morgues such as coroners and preservatives
• nursing teacher

Early estimates from the Texas Department of Health have increased the risk of exposure to more than 5 million people who are vulnerable or work in front-line jobs. This includes more than 3.9 million people aged 65 and over, more than 638,000 health care workers, more than 327,000 emergency hospital employees, more than 137,000 nursing home residents, and more than 66,000 emergency health care workers. I will.

The state’s adult population also includes more than 9.4 million Texas people with underlying illnesses that may increase the risk of serious illnesses associated with COVID-19.

“Protecting healthcare professionals is essential to keeping the healthcare system intact and able to treat COVID-19 and other patients. Therefore, the vaccine distribution phase, where vaccine supply is most limited. 1A Focuses on Making Vaccines Available for Healthcare Workers ”, Expert Panel I have written..

Governor Greg Abbott said in a news release that Texas does not require Texas people to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, and the state says Distribution work It will be data driven to reflect the geographic diversity of the state.

“The foundation of this allocation process helps mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic in the community, protect the most vulnerable Texans, and conserve critical state resources,” said Abbott.

The Governor said the state’s expert committee would later make additional recommendations on when and how to deploy the vaccine to other “significant groups.”

In most other respects, the distribution process is directed and paid by the federal government. Said The vaccine is provided free of charge to vulnerable people who cannot afford it, and providers can do it. Claim to your health insurance company To immunize the target patient. The Trump administration has partnered with pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens to provide vaccines to nursing home residents and workers, and later to the general public.

German partners BioNTech and Moderna are two of the most developed vaccine candidate manufacturers, producing sufficient vaccine doses for approximately 20 to 30 million Americans who are part of the U.S. population. I expect to be able to do it. The end of the year.