Texas Slated To Get 400K-Plus Coronavirus Vaccines From Feds

AUSTIN, TX — The state of Texas is slated to receive 401,750 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government starting Monday, state officials announced Friday.

To that end, officials said in an advisory, the Texas Department of State Health Services has instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ship those doses to 358 providers in 135 counties across Texas. That includes 85 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, officials said.

An additional 273 providers will receive doses next week with a focus on those that serve older adults, such as health departments, pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, community and rural clinics, and some medical practices that specialize in care for older adults, according to an advisory.

List of sites to receive vaccine doses

"DSHS is encouraging providers to make accommodations for people 75 and older, who remain at the highest risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19," state officials wrote in the advisory. "For example, providers could set aside a certain number of doses for older adults, serve them during special hours, help them move through vaccine clinics more quickly, or work with local partners to facilitate in-home vaccination. This does not change the groups eligible for vaccination."

In addition to those first doses, officials said, the state is ordering 330,925 doses intended as the second dose for people first vaccinated a few weeks ago. The Texas Department of State Health Services is working with providers to ensure they order the number of second doses they need at the appropriate time, officials said. "People should be able to return to the same provider to receive their second dose within six weeks of getting the first," officials added.

Vaccination hub providers with contact information

State map of vaccine providers

Texas vaccine data

Texas providers have administered nearly 2.9 million doses of vaccine. according to the advisory. More than 2.2 million people have received at least one dose, and nearly 670,000 have been fully vaccinated, officials added. People are not required to be vaccinated in their county of residence, and the vaccine has been administered to residents of all 254 counties, state officials noted.

State officials acknowledged that currently, there is not enough vaccine to supply every provider with vaccine every week. Johnson & Johnson yesterday filed with the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization to distribute its single-dose vaccine, officials noted, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will consider that application over the next few weeks.

Learn more from the state's COVID-19 Vaccine Information portal.