Gov. Abbott Announces Plan to Help Get Seniors Vaccinated
In some news you may have missed from last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced a plan to help get elderly citizens the COVID-19 vaccination as quickly and easily as possible.
According to a report from our news partners at KWTX, Governor Abbott says he has a plan to get thousands of elderly Texans the vaccine shot they need. The plan is called "Save Our Seniors", and will offer Texas seniors the COVID-19 vaccination shots in the comfort of their own homes.
Seniors across the state are having trouble getting their vaccination shots due to travel issues, whether it's because of mobility issues or transportation issues. Some older adults live on their own but don't have family around to help them get to the clinics to receive their shots.
The "Save Our Seniors" initiative will assist in getting these people their shots by utilizing the National Guard and Meals on Wheels. According to the report, 1,100 National Guardsmen, along with volunteers, will be working together to distribute 8,000 vaccines to homebound seniors.
The Governor's office announced last week that these National Guard members will be split into teams across the State of Texas to either administer vaccines themselves or identify households with seniors who are interested in being vaccinated.
Meals on Wheels in Waco have already been out finding the seniors that have called about the plan. Debbie King, Executive Director for Meal on Wheels in Waco says,
“They can’t even sometimes come to the door and open it when our volunteers knock. Anyone that’s homebound that needs this, we’ll find a way to get you the vaccine. One of the things that our staff members do is call people for checks and reassessments. They’ve been asking people for the last month if they’d like to get the vaccine so that they can be put on a priority list. If they’ve agreed to get it, it just makes that process that much easier.”
Registration isn’t available yet, but more details on the "Save Our Seniors" initiative are expected at any time.
LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions
While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.