El Paso nears 100k residents with at least first covid dose

by Alyssa Meisner

Wed, February 10th 2021, 6:38 PM UTC

BIELEFELD, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 08: A pharmacist prepares a vaccine dose against COVID-19 at a just-opened vaccine center during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic on February 08, 2021 in Bielefeld, Germany. The 53 vaccine centers across North Rhine-Westphalia are opening their doors today to administer vaccines, mostly for people over 80 years old. Germany has experienced a hampered vaccine rollout due to production setbacks for all three of the vaccine so far approved in the European Union. (Photo by Thomas F. Starke/Getty Images)

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso is expected to have given at least one doses of the coronavirus vaccine to 100,000 people in our community.

"This is really good news for the borderland community and will help us contain the spread of covid-19," Dr. Ed Michelson, chair of Emergency Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of El Paso told CBS4.

El Paso leaders are asking the state for more covid doses each week, as the county has a 81% vaccination administration rate as of 2/10/2021. While residents wait to get a shot, health experts encourage everyone to continue with safety guidelines.

"You can continue to protect yourself through social isolation, mask-wearing and hand washing. If you can protect yourself from being exposed to covid-19, then you can wait for the vaccine," Dr. Michelson explained.

In the meantime, local leaders continue to ask for the public's patience.

Dr. Michelson said while it can be scary to not know when you will be vaccinated, taking proper precautions can be highly effective, "Many of us on the front line did not get vaccinated until early January, and we were exposed to every day to patients- but most of us did not end up getting infected."

Loading ...