Texas to receive 1.9 M doses of COVID-19 vaccine next week

Texas will receive more than 1.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine next week, state health officials said Friday.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the state will distribute more than 733,090 first doses and 686,640 second doses to providers in 381 of the state’s counties. The federal government will send more than 500,000 additional doses directly to pharmacies and federally-qualified health centers.

Despite the pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, nearly two million Texans got a shot in the last week, according to DSHS. All in all, Texas has administered more than 15.5 million doses of vaccine. Nearly 10 million people have received at least one dose, and 6.25 million are now fully vaccinated. About 44 percent of all eligible Texans have gotten a COVID-19 shot, and 28 percent are fully vaccinated.

A CDC advisory committee will meet next Friday to evaluate the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after a handful of reports of rare but serious blood clot events prompted a pause in the vaccine’s use.