In a letter to State Health Services Commissioner Dr. Hellerstedt and the Governor’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel, Rogers noted that no rural hospitals are currently scheduled to receive the vaccine in the initial distribution. This is in direct contradiction to the state’s distribution policy which promises “geographic diversity through a balanced approach that considers access in urban and rural communities and in affected ZIP.”

“More than three million Texans who live in rural areas are affected by this distribution plan,” said Rogers. “The average age of Rural Texans is older and surveys have demonstrated increased co-morbidities such as hypertension and diabetes, making rural populations even more susceptible to COVID. Many rural Texans could be forced to travel hundreds of miles, which, in some cases, could take hours – if not days. This disproportionately impacts those fellow Texans not living in urban centers and who may not have the transportation or financial means to travel.  However, I am hopeful that Commissioner Hellerstedt and the panel will reconsider this distribution plan and make allowances for rural Texas,” Rogers continued.

The state of Texas is expected to receive its first shipment of the vaccine later this month.