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COVID-19
VACCINES

The COVID-19

Vaccine in Texas

The Texas Tribune –
December 23, 2021 (Excerpts*)

Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine began arriving in Texas in mid-De- How is Texas keeping track of who’s gotten the first dose?
cember, marking a significant milestone in the battle against the virus. The Texas Department of State Health Services has a map that
But it will be months before vaccine doses are widely available, and the tracks where doses of the coronavirus vaccines are going and how many
rollout is leaving eligible Texans with more questions than answers. people are receiving them. The state’s dashboard also separates the
For now, the limited supply is prioritized for front-line health care numbers by the phase — either 1A or 1B.
workers and certain high-risk populations. But the state’s numbers could lag up to two days behind what's hap-
pening on the ground. Providers have 24 hours to report their vacci-
Who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas? nation statistics to the agency, which updates its numbers each
Front-line health care workers and long-term care facility residents afternoon with data reported by midnight the day before.
and staff are the prioritized groups to receive doses of the vaccine as
part of Phase 1A of distribution. Who decides who is eligible to receive doses of the vaccine?
Phase 1B prioritizes Texans who are 65 years and older, and people Decisions on how doses of the vaccine are allocated are made by
who are at least 16 and have qualifying health conditions that put hem a state panel of advisers — including lawmakers, state and local health
at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. According to officials, and medical experts and researchers. The group, known as the
the Texas Department of State Health Services, some of these condi- Expert Vaccine Advisory Panel, provides recommendations for final
tions are: approval by Hellerstedt.
• Cancer.
• Chronic kidney disease. Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe?
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Yes. Although some Texans have expressed hesitancy toward the vac-
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cine, health experts and public officials widely agree that the vaccine
cardiomyopathy. is safe. The two currently approved developers — Pfizer and Moderna
• Solid organ transplantation. — reported their vaccines are 95% and 94% effective, respectively.
• Obesity and severe obesity. While no vaccine is without side effects, clinical trials for both Pfizer
• Pregnancy. and Moderna show serious reactions are rare.
• Sickle cell disease. Abbott received his first dose of the vaccine last month, telling re-
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus. porters, “I will never ask a Texan to do something I’m not willing to
do myself.”
Why is my provider saying they don’t have a
vaccine available? Do I need to get the vaccine if I already had the virus?
As thousands of Texans have come to discover in recent weeks, doses The short answer is yes. Health experts still don't know how long
of the coronavirus vaccine have remained in short supply. natural immunity lasts after someone gets COVID-19, but there has
Shipments of the vaccine first began arriving at Texas hospitals on been evidence suggesting it does not last very long. The vaccine can
Dec. 14. Under Phase 1A of the state’s rollout, the limited supply was offer you protection against the coronavirus even after you've had it.
reserved for front-line health care workers, as well as residents and staff
members of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, which When will Texas get more COVID-19 vaccine doses?
have been decimated by the virus. New doses of the vaccine will continue to arrive in Texas over the
On Dec. 21, Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of DSHS, an- coming months. Public health experts estimate it will take between six
nounced that Texans 65 and older, and people who are at least 16 with and nine months for the vaccine to be widely available to everyone
certain medical conditions, would be next in line. This group is re- who wants it.”
ferred to as 1B.

*The Texas Tribune, SHAWN MULCAHY and ELVIA LIMÓN, Dec. 23, 2020

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