The Texas Department of State Health Services will receive more than 400,00

[윤길순 (TX)]

Texas to receive more than 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine next week

Hojun Choi, Austin American-Statesman  2 hrs ago

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Texas to receive more than 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine next week

The Texas Department of State Health Services will receive more than 400,000 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government next week, officials said in a Friday news release. 

In addition to the 401,750 doses that it is scheduled to receive Monday — which will mark the ninth week of vaccine distribution in the state — Texas health officials said they will order 330,925 more doses for the purpose of administering second shots to people who received their first dose in recent weeks. 

Both the Moderna and Pfizer versions of the COVID-19 vaccine currently require a person to receive two separate shots.

The Moderna vaccine requires the second dose to be administered four to six weeks after the first shot, while the Pfizer version requires the second shot to be administered between three to six weeks later, according to the state health department website. 

"People should be able to return to the same provider to receive their second dose within six weeks of getting the first," the health department said in its Friday news release. 

Officials said doses will be distributed to 358 providers across 135 counties, including 85 state designated vaccine "hubs" that focus on community vaccination efforts. 

Austin Public Health will receive 12,000 additional doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine next week. University of Texas Health Austin at Dell Medical School is also expected to receive 2,950 doses of the vaccine. Additionally, the state will distribute a total of 3,800 doses across 17 other vaccine providers in Travis County. 

State health officials said they are encouraging vaccine providers to make extra efforts to administer doses to people who are 75 years or older, as they are at the highest risk of severe disease or death from COVID-19. 

"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," the department said. 

On Friday, Austin Public Health officials announced that they will start prioritizing the oldest members of the community to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 

As of Friday, more than 2.2 million Texans have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the state health department. 

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas to receive more than 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine next week

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