Texas is experiencing a shortage of the COVID vaccine.

As soon as the COVID vaccines are manufactured by businesses like Pfizer and Moderna, they are sent out and administered throughout the U.S., but with 28.9 million Texans, combined with Texas only receiving  330,000 doses right now per week, the next phases of the COVID vaccine won't likely reach us until 'May or June', offers Dr. David Lakey, who specializes in disease prevention, infectious disease, and community health services for The University of Texas Systems.

"Everyone wants to know when they can get their vaccine. Again, I think we’ll get through the 1B group — this is an approximation — come the end of May or June. Then we’ll be able to get into other populations," Dr. Lakey offered in a riveting Q&A report in the Houston Chronicle today.

What makes Dr. Lakey an expert in the flow of and distribution of COVID vaccines?

Well, he sits on a board with seventeen other experts on the Texas COVID-19 Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel  which according to the Texas State Health Department is a "Team of appointed external and internal subject-matter experts (SME) into the COVID-19 Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel (EVAP) to develop vaccine allocation strategies as recommendations to the Texas Commissioner of Health."

Simply put, it's the official Texas panel that decides when and to whom the COVID vaccine is distributed.

Throughout the nation, vaccines are being distributed and many states are already starting to see Phase 1b vaccines beginning to be administered. Texas is still struggling.

To which Dr. Lakey acknowledges, "Compared to other states, we’re doing well once we get it, but we need more vaccine here."

You can read the full Houston Chronicle article here.

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Statewide Phase 1A  vaccinations were administered primarily to Health Care Personnel, Phase 1B includes Frontline workers and Texas residents 75 and older. 1C will include critical workers such as teachers and high-risk residents. To learn more about where you might fall into the CDC guideline phase, read here.

Victorians can text the word ADD to 361-433-4554 to get alerted about vaccine distribution and registration in Victoria County. 

In the meantime, it looks like Texans are still being asked to continue to be patient.

KEEP READING: See states hit hardest by COVID-19’s impact on tourism

 

 

 

 

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