Updated at 7 p.m. with FDA approval of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.
AUSTIN — More than 620,000 additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are headed to Texas for distribution over the next two weeks — mainly to hospital workers and residents of long-term care facilities, the state announced late Friday.
Next week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will ship COVID-19 vaccines to more than 1,100 providers in 185 of Texas’ 254 counties.
For the first time, the coronavirus vaccine made by Moderna Inc. will arrive. The 460,500 doses, packaged in smaller batches than Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine, will allow the state to begin reaching front-line medical personnel in rural hospitals — also a first.
On the latest list, health care providers across Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties will receive vaccines. Also on the list to receive doses were several North Texas fire departments, including Allen, Flower Mound and Wylie. The Allen fire chief had written a letter to state officials asking for fire departments to have high priority on the list.
The Food and Drug Administration late Friday approved Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. Moderna will begin shipping the 460,500 doses over the weekend to start arriving in Texas on Monday at providers such as hospitals, freestanding ERs, EMS providers, pharmacies, local health departments, health centers and other clinics. The Texas Department of State Health Services is encouraging providers that have received vaccines to partner with other health care facilities and workers in the area to maximize vaccination.
There will be 159,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine shipped to continue to vaccinate front-line health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Most of the Pfizer vaccine, 124,800 doses, will go to the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program.
Vaccination under that program is expected to begin Dec. 28 in Texas. The remaining doses will be distributed to 29 hospitals that received Pfizer doses this week to continue vaccinating health care workers.
“Our state will be receiving allocations of a second vaccine able to protect Texans from COVID-19,” Dr. John Hellerstedt, the department commissioner, said in a news release. “Adding the Moderna vaccine will dramatically increase the amount of vaccine that can go to rural areas and smaller providers because it ships in smaller quantities and can be stored longer at regular refrigerator temperatures.
“Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are safe and effective — both can confer protection against COVID-19, regardless of which vaccine you receive,” he said.
Most vaccines shipping next week are expected to arrive before the Christmas holiday, but with a much larger number of shipments and the short week, some may arrive early the following week, depending on federal shipping timelines.
However, most of the Pfizer doses will be saved and meted out in the federal partnership with pharmacy chains to vaccinate residents and staff of nursing homes, assisted living centers and other long-term care institutions, starting the week of Dec. 28, said Chris Van Deusen, department spokesman.
It is receiving federal shipments and coordinating their dispersal.
CVS, Walgreens and, in Texas, a managed health care company called PharmScript are the federal government’s partners for administering the shots in long-term care settings.
Asked if Texas is receiving smaller shipments of the Pfizer/BioNTech product than expected, as some states have complained, Van Deusen acknowledged that the 159,900 doses scheduled to arrive next week are fewer than the 224,250 that arrived in recent days.
However, he added, “We always expected allocations would vary from week to week.”
Texas expects to receive about 1.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this month. The 620,400 arriving next week, added to the first allotment of 224,250, means Texas would get that expected monthly total if slightly more than 550,000 doses arrive the week of Dec. 28.
This week, the first allotment was sent to 109 hospitals across the state to vaccinate front-line health care staffers working directly with patients who are positive or at risk for COVID-19.
