DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF)- The Texas Department of State Health Services say they’ve administered nearly 13.3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines across the state.
DSHS Commissioner Imelda Garcia says we will continue to see large amounts of vaccines coming into the state next week but not as much as it was this week. Garcia said there will be a significant reduction of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines for the time being.
“We have heard from our federal partners that Johnson and Johnson will be delivering lower amounts of doses per week until the plant in Baltimore that manufactures the ingredients is authorized by the FDA,” said Garcia.
Garcia said Texas should still get nearly 2 million doses next week.
“We will continue to vaccinate eligible Texans as quickly as possible and maximize the amount of vaccines that is coming to our state,” she said.
DSHS Scientific Advisor Soraj Rai said there’s been significant development in the storing and handling for Moderna. After research and approval from the FDA, Vials can be stored at room temperature for 24 hours and once punctured, 12 hours.
“This allows for greater flexibility especially for sites that are vaccinated large amount of people per day,” said Rai.
Rai said as for Pfizer, updated research shows there’s strong efficacy data for the vaccine in kids 12-15 years old. They plan to file that with the FDA.
