Keeping Our Community Safe With COVID Vaccines
Did you know that when you get vaccinated for COVID-19, you’re not only protecting yourself from the virus, but you’re also helping to make the people around you and our communities safer?
That’s right – choosing to get vaccinated for novel coronavirus (or any contagious disease for that matter) actually protects the entire community in which you live – even those who are not yet vaccinated or cannot yet be vaccinated like young children. Plus, the more people who choose to get vaccinated, the safer our communities will be.
How Does Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine Protect the Community?
The more people who are vaccinated in a community, the less easily a contagious disease, like the novel coronavirus, can spread because fewer people can contract and transmit the disease. When fewer people are walking around susceptible to COVID-19, it won’t spread as rapidly.
The threshold of vaccinated individuals needed to stop the spread altogether is called herd immunity or community immunity. The percentage of the population needed to achieve community immunity varies based on how contagious a disease is to begin with. For example, with highly contagious measles, 94% of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve community immunity to entirely stop the spread of measles.
The exact threshold percentage needed to stop the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus is not yet known, but it is certain that the more people who receive the vaccine, the safer our communities will be.
How Many People Are Vaccinated in Texas?
As of the writing of this article about 33% of Texans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Who's Eligible to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19 in Texas?
In Texas, anyone who is currently 18 or older is eligible to receive all vaccines. Individuals who are 12 years or older are authorized to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
Schedule Your COVID-19 Vaccination With Gulf Coast Health Center
If you have not yet scheduled an appointment to get your COVID-19 vaccination, we welcome you to contact any of our Gulf Coast Health Center locations in Texas to schedule your first and/or second round of COVID-19 vaccines.
Our clinics have a supply of both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations. Both of these vaccines require two doses to achieve an immune response that will provide adequate protection against the novel coronavirus.
To learn more about getting your COVID-19 vaccine and how doing so will help protect you and the health of your community, we invite you to contact Gulf Coast Health Center today.
