25 percent of Texans over age 16 vaccinated
One-quarter of all Texans older than 16 have been fully vaccinated as of Sunday, and about 40 percent have received at least one dose, according to a Chronicle analysis of state health data.
The state is also expected to have fully vaccinated 20 percent of its entire population, including those under age 16, in the next day, the Chronicle found.
The benchmark comes as cases, hospitalizations and vaccination rates continue to rise in most parts of the country. On Friday, the nation set a new single-day record for vaccinations administered, doling out 3.4 million doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Texas’ vaccination rate per capita puts it towards the bottom among all states.
Rice University health economic Vivian Ho said the state’s comparatively low vaccination rates are due in part to Texas’
decision to administer doses through its hospital systems, many of which are in urban areas and already had information on patients that made outreach efforts easier.
“We went for the low-hanging fruit,” she said. “The state decided to send the bulk of its initial doses to the hospital systems, and so its very easy to start there … but once you’re done with that, you have got to pivot and figure out how to send those doses elsewhere.”
She and other public health experts have for months said the state needs to do more to increase vaccination and education efforts in rural counties or low-income neighborhoods in urban areas.
Texas counties that are poorer, whiter, less-educated and where former President Donald Trump won a larger than average share of the vote have vaccinated a smaller share of their population than the state average, the Chronicle reported last week.