Texas to vaccinate 1 million by end of the month, Abbott says ‘no more shutdowns’

Gov. Abbott says no more shutdowns despite rise in COVID cases

Gov. Abbott was clear that no more businesses will be shut down by restrictions to fight the rapid spread of COVID-19.

AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. Greg Abbott hopes to have 1 million Texans vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the month.

The governor spoke Thursday about the state’s plan to distribute the vaccines. He was at the UPS distribution center in Austin, which has handled most of the deliveries to hospitals this week.

"We have one goal and that is to save lives and Texas has a distribution system in place to make sure that we’re stepping up and doing everything we can to save lives," Abbott said.

As of this week, 224,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been delivered to 110 Texas hospitals to inoculate frontline healthcare workers.

The governor said that will expand exponentially when the Moderna vaccine comes online.

Texas to vaccinate 1 million by end of the month, Abbott says ‘no more shutdowns’

Gov. Greg Abbott hopes to have 1 million Texans vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the month.

"I got to tell you. It was moving. It was heartwarming to see the doctors and nurses who received this vaccine just yesterday or the day before literally break out in tears as they knew they were receiving medication that was going to protect their lives," Abbott said.

The state is now working to make sure the vaccines reach the most vulnerable.

"Next week it is fully expected that Texas and every other state in the United States will be receiving not only the Pfizer vaccine but also the Moderna vaccine," Abbott said. "That will allow us to be well over a million people to be vaccinated just in the state of Texas alone just this month. And those numbers will continue to increase as the production continues to increase."

Over the next few weeks, hospitals, health care centers, clinics, pharmacies, free-standing emergency rooms, urgent care centers, local health departments, state-supported living centers and long-term care facilities will all receive shipments of the vaccine.

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When asked about teachers and widespread distribution to the general public, Abbott said teachers will be near the front of the line and millions of other Texans including senior citizens and other essential workers will have access before March.

Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt admitted that it may take weeks or even months to get a vaccine to absolutely everyone in Texas who wants one.

"This is the ray of hope at the end of the tunnel, but we're not done yet," he said. "So we should all be very hopeful, but we should all be very patient."

But the governor said it's important to remember that there are additional companies working to develop and produce vaccines and that will help with widespread distribution in the coming months.

"There will be multiple vaccines available to us by the time we get to March and we will be providing far more doses of vaccines than what we currently have," he said.

Abbott assured that the COVID-19 vaccine will remain voluntary in Texas.

"Vaccines are transformational but there are some people who do not want them. And so vaccines in the state of Texas are voluntary and never required," he said.

Abbott has not yet received the vaccine, but said he will do so when the time comes.

And when asked again about a shutdown in the state of Texas, Abbott passionately said it will not happen.

"The fact of the matter is it is time to put behind us the shutdowns. No more shutdowns! We need to focus on opening businesses," Abbott said.

The governor argued shutdowns do nothing but harm and used California as an example. The state has some of the strictest COVID-19 restrictions and yet the number of cases there is skyrocketing.

"People’s lives have been crushed and their pocket books and their ability to pay the rent and put food on the table has been harmed because of the shutdowns. And so no, we will not have any more shutdowns!" he said.

North Texas is in the middle of a coronavirus surge, and some businesses are already hanging on for life.

Doors are open to Yours Truly, a boutique in Fort Worth, but like some other area businesses near Sundance Square, not a whole lot of customers are going inside.

"It’s really rough. We have been struggling all year long," Tammy Pistillo said.

The boutique’s owner added that says they’ve gone from having 12, to just two employees.

Customers just aren’t there and haven’t been since the pandemic began.

"We’ve had to just liquidate inventory to build momentum and get the traffic coming in, which is very limited, to compel them to buy," Pistillo added.

"People’s lives have been crushed," Gov. Abbott said.

The governor echoed the feelings of many small business owners.

He, emphatically, said despite regional surges in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, there will be no more economic shutdowns like we saw earlier this year.

"Well, I agree with him on that," Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said.

Tarrant County reported a pandemic-high 1,013 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Thursday.

And models continue to predict a steady increase in hospitalizations.

Still, Whitley said he agrees with the governor's position because regional hospitals are not at capacity.

"The hospitals are still OK, they’ve got available beds," he said. "So as long as we’re OK from that standpoint, then we shouldn’t be shutting down the businesses."

But Whitley, along with Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, have previously asked the governor for more localized power to control the spread of COVID-19.

In late August, the state expanded rules for bars, allowing them to operate as restaurants if they show a majority of their sales are from something other than alcohol.

Jenkins and Whitley both call it a loophole they'd like to explore closing.

Gov. Abbott said it’s on individuals, not businesses, to take personal responsibility when it comes to fighting the virus.

"It’s very scary because I feel like our days are all numbered and we all have a different number down here. It’s not good." Pistillo.

Pistillo hopes the reopening plan is successful before it’s too late.

"People come in, they ask us, ‘Are you going out of business?’ They see everything at 50%-90% off," she added.

Pistillo said more than a dozen businesses near Sundance Square have closed during the pandemic.