Texas permits folks over the age of 50 to make use of the Covid vaccine because it removes the masks mandate

Ron Votral will receive a vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a drive-through vaccination site in Robstown, Texas on February 9, 2021.

Go Nakamura | Reuters

Texas residents 50 and older can get Covid-19 vaccines starting March 15. This is the most populous US state, which extends the eligibility to the previous age group, the state Department of Health said on Wednesday.

So far, Texas has given frontline health workers, people with underlying health conditions, and those 65 and over the opportunity to get a shot. The state announced last week that it would immediately add school and child carers to its list of vaccination entitlements.

By extending the eligibility to people over 50, the state wants to protect those most at risk of serious illnesses from the virus, the ministry said in a statement. The move will put 5 million more Texans on the state’s priority list, even though more than 1 million of them have already been vaccinated.

“The extension to ages 50-64 will continue the state’s priorities of protecting those at greatest risk of serious consequences and preserving the state’s health system,” said Imelda Garcia, deputy commissioner for the ministry of state Health services for laboratory and infectious diseases made a statement.

More than half of the state’s seniors have received at least one dose of vaccine, and nearly a third are fully vaccinated, according to DSHS.

Wednesday also marked the end of the Lone Star State’s mask mandate, and companies are now 100% allowed to reopen, Governor Greg Abbott announced last week, pointing to the increase in vaccine eligibility, the decrease in new cases and the state’s adequate hospital capacity Argumentation.

Alaska became the first state on Tuesday to allow residents 16 and older to be vaccinated.