34 Texas counties – including Willacy – are now participating in a state initiative to prioritize vaccinating those over 75 or homebound against COVID-19.

In a Tuesday news release, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the addition of the counties to the Save Our Seniors program to provide vaccines to seniors throughout the state.

Currently, Willacy is the only county in the Rio Grande Valley participating in the program.

"With the Save Our Seniors initiative, Texas is providing vaccines to seniors across our state who are most at risk from COVID-19," Gov. Abbott stated in the news release. "For the second week of the program, we have allocated over 10,000 vaccines to reach the most vulnerable populations in our communities.”

The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas Military Department will work alongside local jurisdictions to set up a central drive-through vaccine clinic in the community or administer directly to homebound seniors, according to the release.

Local officials will identify vulnerable residents in their communities to participate in this program.

Other counties who are now part of the program include: Aransas, Bandera, Bowie, Brooks, Caldwell, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Dallas, Duval, Henderson, Hockley, Lampasas, Leon, Liberty, Mason, Mitchell, Presidio, Rusk, Sabine, San Patricio, Stephens, Sutton, Titus, Trinity, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Walker, Waller, Webb, Wharton, Willacy, Wilson, Wood.