Texas is making all adults eligible for COVID-19 vaccination next week

All adult Texans will be eligible to get their COVID-19 vaccine in less than a week.

Texas officials announced Tuesday that beginning March 29, all adults in the state will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, The New York Times reports.

"We are closing in on 10 million doses administered in Texas, and we want to keep up the momentum as the vaccine supply increases," Imelda Garcia, Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel chair, said. "As eligibility opens up, we are asking providers to continue to prioritize people who are the most at risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death — such as older adults."

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At the moment, the only states where all adults are eligible to get vaccinated are West Virginia, Alaska, and Mississippi, according to the Times. But President Biden earlier this month announced he was directing states to make all adults eligible to be vaccinated "no later than" May 1.

"That doesn't mean everyone's going to have that shot immediately, but it means you'll be able to get in line beginning May 1," Biden said. "Every adult will be eligible to get their shot."

Officials say more than six million people in Texas have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and over three million are fully vaccinated. After Tuesday's announcement, though, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said he wishes that "our next move had been to focus on essential workers and people that are really at the crossroads of passing this infection on to others."