COVID-19 Vaccine coming to Texas continues to increase

The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses shipping to Texas providers continues to climb with 676,280 first doses allocated to the state by the federal government for the week of March 1. The Texas Department of State Health Services has instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ship those doses to 522 providers in 199 counties. The total includes 84,240 doses for federally-supported sites in Houston and North Texas and another 52,650 unused doses returned to Texas by the Federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care.

Texas providers swiftly resumed vaccination following last week’s winter storms and have now administered more than 5 million doses. More than 3.3 million people have received at least one dose, and almost 1.7 million are fully vaccinated. Progress continues in vaccinating adults 65 years old and older with more than 40 percent having received at least one dose and nearly 1 in 5 fully vaccinated.

In addition to the first doses mentioned above, the state is ordering 429,600 doses intended as the second dose for people first vaccinated a few weeks ago. DSHS automatically orders second doses to arrive at providers in the week they can be administered, so they will be available when needed. People should be able to return to the same provider to receive their second dose within six weeks of getting the first.

Texas continues to vaccinate health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, people 65 and older and those with medical conditions that put them at greater risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Vac

cine 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. Currently, there is not enough vaccine to supply every provider with vaccine every week.

The Food and Drug Administration is currently considering whether to grant an emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. Early indications are that Texas could receive an initial supply of more than 200,000 doses. DSHS has not yet received final word on a shipping timeline. People can find more information on COVID-19 vaccine at dshs.texas.gov/covidvaccine.