May 13, 2021
The coronavirus vaccine will not be required for Texas students going into the fall. Department of State Health Service Associate Commissioner Imelda Garcia told reporters today the inoculation will not be on the list of mandatory vaccines. Garcia says healthcare providers can give those 12 to 15 years old the COVID shot if they have parental consent. The state is pushing those in the 16 to 17 age group to get the vaccine. Almost 31% of Texans have been fully inoculated against coronavirus.
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By Antoinette Odom Texas
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TEXAS Following the FDA’s Pfizer vaccination approval, along with CDC s recommendation, for teens, 12 to 15, the Texas Department of State Health Services orders vaccine providers to begin its administration.
Although children are the least vulnerable to COVID-19, upon infection they are still capable of spreading the virus, says Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services and chair of the state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel, in a letter to vaccine providers.
“DSHS believes that promptly vaccinating the adolescents in this age group is another valuable tool that will help end the COVID-19 pandemic and have a direct and positive effect on schools being open for classroom learning,” says Garcia.
Holly Ainsworth, a nursing intern at the University of Texas, prepares to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to Stephanie Vasquez, a PACU Nurse at UT HS-ASC, on Dec. 15, 2020. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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Texans as young as 12 years old can soon start getting the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 immunization, state officials announced Thursday.
The Texas Department of State Health Services advised providers that the vaccine can be administered to adolescents age 12 to 15 years old, in line with federal guidance.
Texas announces Pfizer vaccine now available to adolescents as young as 12 years old
Texas Tribune
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Holly Ainsworth, a nursing intern at the University of Texas, prepares to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to Stephanie Vasquez, a PACU Nurse at UT HS-ASC, on Dec. 15, 2020.
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Texans as young as 12 years old can soon start getting the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 immunization, state officials announced Thursday.
The Texas Department of State Health Services advised providers that the vaccine can be administered to adolescents age 12 to 15 years old, in line with federal guidance.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has notified vaccine providers that they should begin to administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents from 12 to 15 years old, in line with federal guidance.