CONTINUED FROM 1
Road to
TRAVIS COUNTY
All adults in Texas become eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
45% 55% 50% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10%
MARCH 29
HAYS COUNTY WILLIAMSON COUNTY
recovery Austin-area counties are
Weekly vaccine allocations end as availability increased, and children ages 12- 15 are cleared to get the P zer vaccine.
MAY 10
Large-scale vaccination hubs open throughout Texas.
inching close to the 67% mark Austin Public Health o cials have targeted to reach herd immunity. The chart to the right shows the percentage of all residents by county that are fully vaccinated. SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
JAN. 11
5% 0%
FEBRUARY 2021
MARCH 2021
APRIL 2021
MAY 2021
JUNE 2021
JANUARY 2021
LAUREN CANTERBERRY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Comparing options The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted three COVID-19 vaccines emergency use authorization, a status given to drugs and vaccines with the potential to diagnose, treat or prevent illness during public health emergencies when there are no existing, formally approved alternatives.
Central Texascommunitycomes together todriveupvaccinationrates BY OLIVIA ALDRIDGE
Incoming requests to the groups dwindled across April and May, however, and Wright said her team has shifted its focus to reaching residents who may be willing to get a vaccine but lack the urgency, time and access to obtain one. In a survey conducted by Sendero Health Plans across eight Central Texas counties at the end of 2020, 64% of respondents said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if they had the opportunity; only 5.5%of respondents gave an unequivocal “no.” Convincing those residents in the gray area is the goal for Central Texas health authorities, volunteer groups and physicians. Working in conjunction to reach these pockets of vaccine-hesitant Texans, they hope to boost vaccination rates past the threshold for herd immunity.
KendraWright received early access to the coronavirus vaccine in January as an essential caretaker to her elderly father. Walking out of the appointment, Wright said she felt immediate relief. “It was like this weight was lifted that I didn’t even know I had,” Wright said. “I instantly wanted everyone to feel that way.” In late January, Wright launched Kendra’s COVID Coaches—one of several Central Texas volunteer groups working to aid the region in the pursuit of reaching herd immunity, or the status at which a community at large will have collective protectionagainst a virus. Since January, grassroots groups such as Kendra’s COVID Coaches have played an integral role in connecting tens of thousands of Central Texans with vaccine appointments.
MRNA Vaccine
Traditional Vaccine
JOHNSON & JOHNSON 1 dose, traditional nonreplicating viral vector technology, similar to u vaccine Approved for age 18 and up FDA recommended a pause from April 13-26 due to a rare side e ect. The FDA now says it is safe to use. Traditional vaccines di er from mRNA vaccines in that they are produced by growing a weakened form of an actual virus in a laboratory, which is then injected to create an immune response.
For the last several decades, mRNA, or messenger RNA vaccines, have been studied for illnesses such as u, Zika and rabies. An mRNA vaccine teaches cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. One often cited bene t of an mRNA vaccine is that it does not put the actual COVID-19 virus into a person’s body.
PFIZER
2 doses, mRNA technology Approved for age 12 and up Has requested formal approval by the FDA
Moderna
2 doses, mRNA technology Approved for age 18 and up
SOURCES: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION, JOHNSON & JOHNSON, MODERNA, PFIZER, U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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