Vaccine demand declines for 4th straight week in El Paso
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — As Covid-19 vaccines become more accessible, demand continues to decline.
Data from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows less doses have been administered in El Paso each week for the past several weeks.
The county hit a vaccination peak in early April when more than 72,000 doses were administered in a single week. Last week, the number had dropped to just over 31,000 doses.
El Paso City/County Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza said as more people get vaccinated, more restrictions can be lifted. As of Tuesday morning, more than 48% of El Paso residents age 16 and older had been fully vaccinated. U.S. health experts say reaching herd immunity could require 70-85% of a population to be immune.
“Our goal has been to get to 75%,” said Assistant Fire Chief Jorge Rodriguez of the El Paso Office of Emergency Management. “That’s going to help us reach herd immunity. But we did know that this last 10% was probably going be our most difficult because we are dealing with some vaccine hesitancy and there's going to be a lot of education that's going to have to come behind that to be able to help those last 10 percentage points.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for use in children ages 12 to 15. Experts hope the expanded eligibility could help community vaccination numbers improve.
“Many parents are asking when their children can get vaccinated and that may be the great opportunity to talk to them as healthcare providers. Talk to those parents, dissipate a lot of that hesitancy, doubts and myths they probably have heard,” Ocaranza said. “That’s the way that we're able to not miss an opportunity, not only the children but the parents as well.”
For those who have not been vaccinated and want to get a shot, the city is hosting several pop-up vaccination clinics this week. You can find a calendar here.
The city of El Paso also allows walk-up vaccinations at various sites, including at the Convention Center between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
