More Doses Coming, State Says
The state will receive 520,425 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government for this week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will ship those doses to 344 providers in 166 counties across Texas, including 82 hub providers that will focus on broader community vaccination efforts including the hardest hit populations and areas in exchange for a steady supply of vaccine from week to week.
DSHS said that the increase can be attributed to a 30% increase in the number of Moderna doses being provided from the federal government and a one-time return of 126,750 Pfizer doses that Texas was required to set aside for a federal pharmacy partnership for long-term care facilities that overestimated the amount of vaccine needed for the program.
Much of the latter, the state agency said, would go to counties that have up until now received supplies that were significantly less than their share of the population – including Dallas-Fort Worth.
In Dallas, Baylor will get 4,875 Pfizer doses, the city of Dallas will get 4,875 Pfizer doses, Dallas County will get 9,000 Moderna doses, and UT Southwestern and Parkland will get 11,700 Pfizer doses each.
Most local to Park Cities and Preston Hollow, Cooper Clinic will get 200 Moderna doses.
The state is also ordering 188,225 doses intended as the second dose for people first vaccinated a few weeks ago. DSHS is working with providers to make sure that they order the number of second doses they need at the appropriate time. People should be able to return to the same provider to receive their second dose.
Texas providers have administered nearly 2.2 million doses of vaccine. More than 1.75 million people have received at least one dose, and more than 410,000 have been fully vaccinated. People are not required to be vaccinated in their county of residence, and vaccine has been administered to residents of all 254 counties.
“Vaccine remains limited based on the capacity of the manufacturers to produce it, so it will take time for Texas to receive enough vaccine for all the people in the priority populations who want to be vaccinated,” DSHS said. “Currently, there is not enough vaccine to supply every provider with vaccine every week. Additional vaccines are in clinical trials, and Johnson & Johnson could request authorization for its vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration as early as next month.”
People can find more information on COVID-19 vaccine at dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine.aspx.
