Texas is vaccinating more people than ever before against COVID-19. And while millions in the state have been vaccinated, when it comes to per capita vaccine distribution, Texas is one of the worst states in the country.
That's according to data from the CDC, which shows Texas had a vaccination rate of 20,543 people per 100,000 as of Wednesday morning.
That places Texas 47 out of the 50 states in terms of per capita distribution, beating out only Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.
Compare that to other large states like California, Florida or New York. Each of those states is above 23,000 doses administered per 100,000 people, and California is above 24,000.
As of Tuesday morning, Texas actually had the single worst distribution rate in the country, according to the CDC. But its vaccination rate increased as Gov. Greg Abbott reported a new daily record for the number of people getting vaccinated in Texas.
That was the same day Abbott ended the statewide mask mandate and other coronavirus restrictions.
Many health care professionals and organizations have strongly opposed the decision.
While COVID-19 case and hospitalization numbers have been ticking down recently, declines are starting to plateau, according to federal officials and UT Southwestern models.
“The latest data suggest that these declines may be stalling, potentially leveling off at still a very high number,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. “We at CDC consider this a very concerning shift in the trajectory.”
And while those declines have brought the overall numbers down, cases and hospitalizations still remain very high, around the same spikes reached in the summer months last year.
Walensky had issued a plea to states Monday to not roll back restrictions yet, ABC News reported.
"Please hear me clearly. At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained," she said.
"These variants are a very real threat to our people and to our progress. Now is not the time to relax the critical safeguards that we know could stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, not when we are so close."
