COVID-19 Update

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Monday, Jan. 11, reports the following:

Cass County has a total of 937 confirmed cases, 441 probable cases, 109 active cases with 54 deaths and 1,215 recovered.

Bowie County has a total of 3,248 confirmed cases, 1,165 probable cases, 887 active cases with 131 deaths and 3,395 recovered.

Marion County has a total of 237 confirmed cases, 79 probable cases, 42 active cases with 19 deaths and 255 recovered.

Morris County has a total of 410 confirmed cases, 172 probable cases, 106 active cases with 11 deaths and 465 recovered.

DSHS has instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ship first doses of COVID-19 vaccine to 234 providers this week.

That includes 28 hub providers that will focus on large community vaccination efforts as Texas vaccinates health care workers, people 65 and older and those with medical conditions that put them at greater risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. The hub providers including Genesis PrimeCare in Atlanta will receive 158,825 doses of vaccine based on the number of people each provider estimated it could serve in a week. An additional 38,300 doses will go to other providers to continue vaccination in communities statewide. Providers in 104 counties will receive vaccine shipments this week, bringing the cumulative number of counties to 222. Vaccine has been administered to residents of all 254 Texas counties.

In addition, Texas will reserve 121,875 doses for the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care program. This completes the first doses the state has been required to set aside, freeing up that much more vaccine to be shipped to providers each week in the future. Texas providers will also receive about 500,000 doses intended as the second dose for people first vaccinated a few weeks ago.

Vaccine remains limited based on the capacity of the manufacturers to produce it, so it will take time for Texas to receive enough vaccine for all the people in the priority populations who want to be vaccinated. The supply is expected to increase in the coming months, and additional vaccines are in clinical trials and may be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.