The outbreak in Texas

This week’s COVID-19 digest

On Monday, Moderna reported that its vaccine was “100 percent effective” and safe for use on children older than 12. The vaccine provider plans to submit its findings to federal health regulators in the near future. The FDA approved Pfizer’s vaccine for children 12 and older earlier this month.

Meanwhile, in Texas, the weekslong decline in vaccination rates continued as more people become inoculated and demand slows. As of Tuesday, businesses and civic groups with as few as five employees are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations through a state-run mobile vaccination program.

The new rules drop the requirements for a visit from 10 “employees, members or visitors” seeking vaccinations to five, Gov. Greg Abbott said.

The program was launched early this year as a way to reach underserved areas across the state. Its expansion comes as vaccination rates continue to plummet in Texas.

On Wednesday, the number of Texans hospitalized for COVID-19 hit its lowest mark in nearly a year, the latest sign that the state has turned a corner from the pandemic.

According to the state Texas Department of State Health Services, 1,962 people were in hospitals due to the virus as of Wednesday.

It’s the first time the hospitalization rate has dipped below 2,000 since June 2020, and a massive drop from its January peak of more than 14,000.

The news was welcomed by public health officials and experts, though they also warned against complacency until more people are vaccinated.

“We are at this point where the virus is basically in an arm-wrestling match with vaccines, and vaccines are winning,” said Dr. David Persse, Houston’s chief medical officer. “Things are absolutely getting better, but I don’t want us to completely take our foot off the brake.”

As of Thursday, about

52 percent of all eligible

Texans have received at least one vaccine dose, a number that puts the state near the bottom of all states for vaccines per capita.