United States: confusion and chaos in the distribution of anti-Covid vaccines in Texas

A resident of Odessa, Texas was vaccinated on January 5, 2021 in the city's first private pharmacy, which obtained authorization to distribute the vaccine.

AP - Eli Hartman

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

While Texas has 28,545 deaths, many hospitals are on the verge of saturation of intensive care beds.

Much was expected from vaccination, but since the start of the campaign only 0.17% of the population has been vaccinated.

The government has left the distribution to each state and in Texas confusion and chaos reign.

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With our correspondent in Houston,  

Thomas Harms

Since mid-December, 1.4 million doses have been sent to Texas, but only 475,000 Texans have received the first injection, and 6,500 both.

And nearly thirty rural hospitals have not received any dose of Covid-19 vaccine, even though they were certified vaccination centers.

Steve Johnson is 75 years old and he considers himself lucky to have received his first dose in the Dallas area, given the chaos of vaccination: " 

Why are you leaving each county individually to fend for itself, it makes no sense? ? 

In total, of the 30 million inhabitants of Texas, 8 million are in the category to be vaccinated urgently: seniors over 65, hospital staff, retirement homes, and here again only permanent employees and not contract or temporary nurses.

Getting vaccinated then depends on everyone's network.

If a hospital or pharmacy has remaining doses, she calls whomever she wants without following any priority protocol other than emotional or professional proximity. 

► Read also: In the United States, vaccination takes longer than expected by the Trump administration

Vikki Goodwin is elected Democrat in the Parliament of Texas, she wrote with about thirty elected to the governor to explain the disorganization.

 There is a lot of frustration.

Why the confusion around who can get vaccinated, when and how to get vaccinated?

And why do we hear stories of people who receive it without being in the priority categories?  

"

This week, 200,000

new doses will reach

28 vaccination centers in Texas in major cities, but not in rural hospitals and only 1,200 doses will be sent to Laredo, on the border with Mexico, which is yet one of the centers. contamination in Texas.

► Read also: Covid-19: Joe Biden criticizes the delays in the distribution of vaccines

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