Texas vaccinates the elderly first in departure from CDC guidelines

This move is considered unusual by some, as it goes against the guidelines set forth by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and by the federal government.

According to NBC News, people 65 years and older and those suffering from certain medical issues will be able to be fast-tracked for receiving the vaccine in Texas before any other groups.

Within the US, the policies for who gets the doses and in what order is set at the state level, so more than one state is expected to deviate from recommended norms and make their own decisions in the matter, as is their Constitutional right.

Imelda Garcia, the Associate Commissioner for Laboratory and Infectious Disease Services at the Texas Department of State Health Services, said:

"The focus on people who are age 65 and older or who have comorbidities will protect the most vulnerable populations. This approach ensures that Texans at the most severe risk from COVID-19 can be protected across races and ethnicities and regardless of where they work."

Florida's governor Ron DeSantis has already stated that Florida would adopt a model similar to that of Texas, prioritizing people of advanced age and those with comorbidities. DeSantis said during a press conference recently:

"The vaccines are going to be targeted where the risk is going to be greatest, and that is in our elderly population. We are not going to put young, healthy workers ahead of our elderly, vulnerable population."