AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine Tuesday as a way to encourage other Texans to do the same.
“It’s that easy,” Abbott said after getting the shot in his left arm.
Abbott said he decided to get the vaccine after hearing from federal health officials who encouraged governors to set an example for their constituents to show the vaccines are “very safe to get.”
“Then, you couple that with the study that we’ve had here in the state of Texas, that showed that more than half of the people in the state of Texas are apprehensive about getting the vaccine,” Abbott said. “We want to encourage people to get the vaccine by showing how easy it is.”
Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of State Health Services, also received the vaccine.
Abbott said that more than 800,000 doses of the COVID-19 shot will be distributed across the state by the end of the week. He said he expects more than a million doses to be in the state by the end of the month.