HOUSTON — Almost 140,000 healthcare workers in Texas have gotten their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Texas State Department of Health Services.
Starting Monday, CVS, Walgreens and Managed Health Care Associates will begin administering vaccines at long-term care facilities in Texas.
Before the Christmas holiday, CVS district leader John Fratamico laid out the pharmacy’s plan the deliver the two-dose vaccine across the state.
Nearly 40 stores in Texas will refrigerate the vials, then teams of pharmacists will bring the shots to nursing homes.
“It's like a Wheel and Spoke, that concept. They're the center of that wheel and from there, that's where we want to go to all these facilities,” said John Fratamico, CVS Health District Leader for West Forth into West Texas. “We're ready. We're excited. It's nice to take a different approach, more of an offensive approach. And look, we get to make a difference in people's lives and especially the ones that are most vulnerable in our communities.”
Neither the state nor the CDC has released a list of which facilities are signed up for the federal Long-Term Care Pharmacy Partnership program.
The best way to find out when a specific nursing home will receive vaccines is to reach out to management directly.
Governor Greg Abbott has said more than 3,000 facilities are signed up for the vaccination program statewide. The Texas Department of State Health Services estimates 27,000 nursing home residents will need shots in Harris County.