Gavel To Gavel 87th Legislative Session: December 18, 2020
The first shipments of COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Texas this week after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer vaccine. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) released an update on Monday stating that Texas was allocated 224,250 doses of vaccine to be distributed to 110 providers across the state within the first week. Included in the update is the full list of the facilities that will be receiving this initial allocation, as well as a vaccine tracking platform which displays the number of vaccines distributed, the counties that have received the vaccine, the vaccine doses administered, and the number of individuals that have been fully vaccinated. Vaccine administration is broken into phases, the first represented by healthcare workers and staff and residents of long-term care (LTC) facilities. The next step is determining exactly whom will be addressed in Phase 2. Texas’ draft COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, released earlier this year, states that objectives of Phase 2 distribution are to “Provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination for all vulnerable and frontline populations to achieve high COVID-19 vaccination coverage in these populations, and ensure high uptake in specific populations, particularly in groups that are at higher risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19.” We will continue to report on the specifics as we receive them from DSHS.
Additionally, the FDA authorized a second vaccine from Moderna, Inc., following a positive consensus from the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). This vaccine will thankfully have a broader initial distribution because it does not have the same storage requirements as the Pfizer vaccine and it comes in smaller batches, which will facilitate delivery to suburban and rural areas.
In state legislative news, Representative Charlie Geren this week released the House of Representatives Operational Plan for the first day of session. In sum, all individuals are encouraged to self-screen for symptoms of COVID-19, and there may be additional symptomatic screenings upon entry; members-elect, guests, media, and staff attending the opening day ceremony and seated on the House floor or in the gallery will be asked to take a COVID-19 test; face coverings will be required for all Members-elect, guests, media, and staff entering the House floor or gallery; and access to the House floor will be restricted to Members-elect, temporary officers, essential staff, ceremony participants, and approved guests. Find the full plan here.
In the Senate, remember that tomorrow (December 19th) is the special election runoff in Senate District 30. Republican Senate candidates Rep. Drew Springer and Shelley Luther are the final candidates in the race to replace outgoing Sen. Pat Fallon after neither drew a majority in the special election on September 29th. We’ll be standing by to send the results as soon as they come in.
This will be our last report until after the holidays. We wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season, and we’ll see you in 2021.