The hubs can streamline the distribution process of the state, which has been described as confusing and unfair. (Thanks to Adobe Stock)
Large-scale “vaccination buds” are expected to administer COVID-19 vaccine doses in the state during the week of Jan. 11, according to a news release from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Texas is expected to receive an additional dose of 200,000 vaccines from the federal government next week and, according to the January 7 DSHS release, will transfer most of its allocation to major suppliers who want to vaccinate at least 100,000 people in total.
Providers included in the program span 18 counties across the state, with several hubs operating in hard-hit provinces.
Harris and Dallas Counties will each have three pivot points, while Bexar, El Paso, Hidalgo, McLennan, Smith and Tarrant Counties will each have two. The remaining ten hubs are located throughout the state.
Vaccinations for vaccination will be available to individuals identified in Phases 1A and 1B, which include health workers, people 65 years and older, and people 16 years and older with high-risk medical conditions. Next week is also the last week that obliges the state to discuss doses to vaccinate residents and staff of long-term care facilities, according to the DSHS.
To make an appointment, individuals can visit the DSHS Vaccination Center website to find their nearest provider and call or register online. Residents are encouraged to call their center before visiting the place, as walk-in appointments may not be available.
The first award includes 38,045 doses of Pfizer vaccine and 120,800 doses of Moderna vaccine to be used as first doses. An additional 121,875 doses were allocated to the federal pharmacy / long-term care partnership.
Distribution concerns and limited supply
According to the DSHS, the vaccines are intended to provide easily identifiable sites and a simple way to register for vaccination.
State officials have expressed concern about the current distribution process and the lack of clarity on how vaccination is prioritized.
Although Texas, for example, has expanded distribution to individuals in stage 1B – 65 years and older and people at high risk medical conditions – Austin Public Health representatives said they did not have enough doses on January 5 to cover all of their health care. workers, classified as Phase 1A.
Six black elected officials in Travis County have expressed concern about the handling of COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the Greater Austin region, highlighting racial and regional inequalities in vaccine distribution.
On Jan. 6, 38 Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives wrote a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott asking for better information on how decisions are made about prioritizing and distributing vaccines.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Texas received 1.8 million doses of the vaccine as of January 10, with 618,298 first doses administered.
As the supply increases in the coming months and vaccines are widely available, the supply according to the DSHS may be greater than the demand.
Eva Vigh, Olivia Aldridge, Kelsey Thompson and Amy Rae Dadamo contributed to this report.