Health officials predict that most Texas people will not have access to the COVID-19 vaccine until July at the earliest

If the COVID-19 vaccine is ready next month, Texas health officials do not predict that it will be widely available to Texas people until at least July.

The state’s vaccine distribution program allows vulnerable people, such as health care workers, the elderly, and people with underlying illnesses, to be first vaccinated in the first few months when the vaccine is available.

The estimated timeline presented at a meeting of health authorities on Monday depends on the COVID-19 vaccine approved by the end of the year, but it is unclear if that will happen. However, allocation plans provide more information about who will be vaccinated first in Texas and how long it will take for the vaccine to be released to the public.

“At first glance, vaccination allocation will be a complex and demanding task,” said John Hellerstett, Texas Health Commissioner, at a conference call on Monday. “I don’t know when the vaccine will arrive. I don’t know which vaccine will arrive. I don’t know how much the vaccine given will arrive.”

Imelda Garcia, Deputy Commissioner for the DSHS Institute and Infectious Disease Services, presented plans and estimated schedules on Monday, saying it was based on the latest information from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is subject to change in the coming days.

“As you can imagine, we are in a very fluid situation and new information about vaccine development is provided almost every other day,” Garcia said.

The state’s new vaccine distribution program illustrates the previous pandemic challenges of test availability and lack of personal protective equipment. Initially, we assume that the country will not be able to keep up with demand and that even those who prioritize vaccination may run out of supply.

There is no COVID-19 licensed vaccine yet, but there are several at various stages of development. DSHS spokesman Chris Van Deusen said the state timeline would be updated as authorities learned more about vaccine availability.

The plan has a step-by-step approach: “Because vaccine supply is limited at the start of the program, the first allocation may be vaccination and outreach to limited vulnerable and front-line people. You need to focus on the providers and settings that you can. “

The state estimates that there are more than 5 million people working in front-line jobs that are vulnerable or exposed to the virus. This includes over 3.9 million adults aged 65 and over. Over 638,000 healthcare workers. Over 327,000 emergency hospital employees. Over 137,000 nursing home residents. And more than 66,000 emergency medical workers.

For people over the age of 18, the state estimates that more than 9.4 million people have underlying medical conditions that can increase the risk of serious COVID-19-related illnesses.

These are the groups that may prioritize vaccines in Phase 1 from late November to December. Prioritization may also include people of color or Texas who are imprisoned, detained, homeless, or live on college campuses. It may also include people with disabilities and uninsured people.

“A final decision has been made on the use of the first available COVID-19 vaccine,” the plan said.

The plan is an expert vaccine advisory to develop guidelines and make recommendations, including “equal distribution across urban and rural communities” and reviewing federal guidance for vulnerable people. Includes a committee.

More vaccines will be available in Phase 2. However, Texas continues to prioritize key areas such as long-term care facilities and rural communities with specialized vaccine teams that can be deployed as needed. At this stage, some healthy people may have access to the vaccine from more providers, such as pharmacies, clinics, clinics and public health facilities.

In Phase 3, scheduled for July on the timeline, the state expects a sufficient supply of vaccine doses available to most who want it.

The plan assumes that the vaccine should be given twice, at least every 21 or 28 days, and that the vaccine should be refrigerated or frozen.

To develop the plan, the state relied on the treatment and response of previous experiences to H1N1, or swine flu, a pandemic. The DSHS stated in its plans that these efforts have resulted in great success in vaccine distribution and overall communication.

“For H1N1, many of the pandemic flu plans were based on worst-case scenarios (ie, predictions about H5N1 bird flu), but public health officials, emergency response personnel, and other response partners announced the event. It adapted quickly when it was done, “reads the plan.