Proof of residency not required for people to get Covid shots in El Paso, elsewhere in Texas

The State of Texas has directed city health departments to provide the Covid-19 vaccine to people regardless of place of residence, and that includes people who live outside the county, the state or the country, said Dr. Hector Ocaranza, El Paso's health authority.

Ocaranza said there is no proof of residency required to receive the free vaccine and the El Paso Health Department does not ask for proof of immigration status as undocumented individuals live on this side of the border and need to access the vaccine.

"There's going to be people that are going to be afraid the same way they were afraid to come and get tested and they thought that we were going to be disclosing any of their information which we're not," he said.

The directive means residents from Mexico may also access the vaccine as long as they are health-care workers, older than 65 years-old or have a chronic condition.

"We know that there's a large number of people who are able to cross the border and they belong to any of the priority groups and pre-register, they will be called and the vaccine is going to be administered," Ocaranza said.