RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas - Starr County leaders want to know why the state is allocating them a small amount of coronavirus vaccines.
The county has a population of around 70,000. It is only getting about 1,000 vaccines a week. So, at this rate it will take more than a year to vaccinate everyone.
The leaders say it cannot be that they are getting such a miserly amount of vaccines because they are a rural county as other rural counties have received more.
They also say they meet all the criteria for being a high-risk county, such as having a high number of residents living in poverty and a large number suffering from illnesses such as diabetes and obesity.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar organized a roundtable discussion on the issue. Among those participating were Starr County Judge Eloy Vera, Rio Grande City Mayor Joel Villarreal, state Rep. Ryan Guillen, and Dr. Jose Vasquez, president of the board of Starr County Memorial Hospital.
Much of the anger was directed at the State of Texas. The leaders said they support moves by the Biden Administration to bypass the state and get vaccines delivered directly to independent pharmacists and community health clinics.
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