January 26, 2021      9:00 AM

A growing chorus of advocates and others call for changes to the way Texas is administering COVID vaccines

“We've heard mixed messages, really, from all levels of government for many months that have confused the public…Those messages have damaged credibility and really allowed fear and misinformation to spread.”

The Texas Family Leadership Council has added its voice to the chorus of those who want to see additions or changes to the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.

More than 2 million COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed in Texas, but it has taken about six weeks to cross the threshold of 1 million people vaccinated. With a population of 4 million over the age of 65, it could take months to get vaccines to the broader population.

This past week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sent a letter to the 17-member Expert Vaccine Advisory Panel, noting that if the state continues vaccinations at its current pace it could be months before the first tier of priority patients – healthcare workers, nursing home patients and the elderly – will receive their shots.

Patrick asked the panel to refine the state’s vaccination policy with two goals in mind: to make sure those who are at higher risk are getting vaccinated; and to give Texans some clear idea when they can reasonably expect to be vaccinated.

Now the Texas Family Leadership Council – a coalition of child-centered charities that is currently led by Bob Sanborn of Children at Risk – has held a round robin of virtual press conferences around the state with local doctors, the Immunization Partnership and the Texas Association of Education for Young Children.

By Kimberly Reeves

Copyright January 26, 2021, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved