Texas, Florida Reject CDC Guidelines on the COVID-19 Vaccine to Focus on Their Most Vulnerable

Texas and Florida have stood up against the CDC and decided against unwise guidelines on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Texas and Florida are going against CDC guidelines on the COVID-19 vaccine in order to prioritize their most vulnerable populations.

Last week, Texas announced that it would decide who should receive the vaccine in the early rounds of vaccinations. The CDC had recommended that states should prioritize the elderly and essential workers deemed essential in certain sectors after nursing home residents and healthcare workers.

“More than 70 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Texas have occurred in people 65 and older, and scientific evidence shows that adults of any age with certain medical conditions have an increased risk of hospitalization and death if they get sick with COVID-19,” the Texas Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that his state will also be taking a similar route.

“Our vaccines are going to be targeted where the risk is the greatest, and that is our elderly population,” DeSantis said. “We are not going to put young, healthy workers ahead of our elderly, vulnerable population.”

The CDC was also under attack last week after releasing guidelines saying that a person’s race should be taken into account when deciding when they should be vaccinated. And the federal government maintained that hard-hit minority communities should be prioritized over white communities.

Despite the CDC’s “recommendations”, Texas and Florida are exercising their rights in deciding what is best for their state. Their actions will likely keep elderly and at-risk people safe and healthy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

More states should follow suit, and we as Americans should encourage our leaders to prioritize those who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus.