CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Senior citizens in Texas will be getting VIP treatment when it comes to getting a COVID-19 vaccination.
During a news conference Thursday in Mcallen, Governor Greg Abbott announced that anyone who is 80 years or older will be moved to the front of the line at any vaccination clinic.
Those seniors will also be allowed to show up at any vaccination event without making an appointment.
All that will be required is a proof of age.
The governor also announced that the state now has a new hotline to help people find a vaccination site.
The phone number to dial is 211.
Just follow the prompts and you'll be connected to an operator who will give you information on any vaccination clinic near you.
Governor Abbott said all of this is part of an expansion of the Save Our Seniors program.
That initiative, which was created in Corpus Christi, is designed to make sure all of the state's homebound elderly have access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The program is now statewide and the Governor says 90 Texas counties are now taking part in Save Our Seniors.
The governor was in Mcallen to announce the expansion of that program to that part of the state.
Governor Abbott says the state is also partnering with Medicare and various insurance carriers to identify seniors 50 and older to make sure they have access to a vaccine.
With all adults becoming eligible for a vaccine starting Monday, the governor says the state may soon surpass 10 million vaccines administered.
The governor says there has been a decrease in demand for vaccines and that is causing some concern.
He says with the expansion of the Save Our Seniors program and opening up eligibility to all adults, that decrease will be turned around.