TEXAS, USA — The state is launching a new initiative Monday aimed at getting homebound seniors vaccinated as quickly as possible.
The new initiative, called "Saved Our Seniors," will involve more than 1,100 National Guardsmen who will assist communities in vaccinating seniors who are immobile.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the guardsmen will be broken up into teams -- some members of these teams will focus on identifying and registering homebound seniors for the program while others will visit homes and administer vaccines.
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The model of this initiative initially started in Corpus Christi. The city used its fire departments and their Meals on Wheels program to get homebound seniors vaccinated.
"A key part of our mission in the fight against COVID-19 is to vaccinate seniors and those who are most at risk — and senior vaccination programs like the one in Corpus Christi are crucial to accomplishing this mission," said Governor Abbott.
The state is dedicating up to 8,000 vaccines to the "Save Our Seniors" initiative for the first week and will work with organizations like Meals On Wheels and nursing groups to identify homebound seniors who volunteer to be vaccinated.
Abbott said if Johnson and Johnson's COVID vaccine gets approved, the state will be able to administer about 32,000 vaccines through the initiative.
Johnson and Johnson's single-shot COVID vaccine is reported to be 66 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe cases around the world. But when you don’t include moderate cases it is 85 percent effective in preventing severe illness.