Highland Lakes vaccine allotment less for week of March 22
Even with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in short supply, the state of Texas is still getting 900,000 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines the week of March 22, though the Highland Lakes allotment is slightly below the previous two weeks.
Texas State Department of Health Services officials acknowledged that the federal government would likely allocate fewer doses the weeks of March 15 and March 22 after it disbursed most of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The bulk of this week’s allotment is Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
In the Highland Lakes, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Marble Falls is getting 1,170 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The medical center is a state COVID-19 vaccine hub. It has its own vaccination registration site.
In Llano County, three providers each received 100 doses of the Moderna vaccine: Horseshoe Bay Pharmacy, Corner Health Mart, and Hill Country Direct Care. Llano County officials organized a one-stop, online waitlist registration.
Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg is another nearby hub.
The city of Burnet, Burnet County, and Ascension Seton Highland Lakes teamed up to host vaccination clinics the past two weeks, but clinics are dependent upon vaccine availability. According to the DSHS, Ascension Seton Highland Lakes isn’t scheduled to receive an allotment this week. It had received 500 first doses each of the previous two weeks. Check the online registration portal for availability of appointments.
The federal government is also sending doses to a number of pharmacies such as H-E-B, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. Locations with available vaccines can be found on the businesses’ individual websites. Before heading to one of the above local pharmacies, check their websites for vaccine availability and appointments. Most, if not all, providers are not accepting walk-ins.
Currently, Texas is allowing those in Phase 1A (healthcare workers, certain first responders, assisted living residents and staff), Phase 1B (age 65 and older or 16 and older but with underlying health conditions), and Phase 1C (ages 50 to 64), and school/childcare staff to be vaccinated. On Tuesday, March 23, it was announced that, starting Monday, March 29, vaccinations will be open to everyone.
According to the DSHS, more than 8.8 million Texans have received a vaccine and more than 3 million are fully vaccinated. Almost 60 percent of senior Texans have received at least one dose, and one in three are now fully vaccinated.
Though the Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply has shrunk the past several weeks, health officials believe the number of doses available should increase as manufacturing ramps up. Merck, another large pharmaceutical company, has agreed to help produce the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization to three COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.