AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Austin's top health authority is offering coronavirus vaccines to Texas lawmakers and their key staffers, regardless of whether they are currently eligible under state guidelines.
Dr. Mark Escott, interim medical director for Austin Public Health, told The Dallas Morning News that he organized the vaccination effort with a local hospital health system.
He says he knows at least five to 10 legislators of both parties who were vaccinated through this process.
Escott says he's concerned that the flood of lawmakers coming to Austin for the legislative session could make it a superspreader event and that he wants to ensure the continuity of government.