Texas Border Business
Texas state health officials have notified Hidalgo County that five local hospitals will receive 11,700 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as part of its initial allotment once federal officials approve a vaccine. The earliest the Food and Drug Administration can give such approval is December 10 during a scheduled meeting to review vaccine applications.
There are as many as 7,000 front-line health care workers in Hidalgo County and they are slotted to be the first to receive the vaccine under state guidelines. Next are first responders and health care workers employed in long-term care facilities.
“We are approaching a critical new phase of this pandemic,” Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said. “Hopefully, this marks the beginning of the end of this crisis, but I remind everyone that we must not let our guard down.”
The initial dosage allotment represents the first round of shots that are expected to be administered. Each of the pharmaceutical companies currently developing COVID-19 vaccines require two doses for the vaccine to be effective. The allotment is determined by state health officials who also determine the order in which the general population will be eligible to receive vaccines.
