TEXAS – While Texas ranks 20th in the U.S. for the percentage of available vaccines that have been used compared to the number distributed, just one-third of the vaccines have been used throughout the state as of Jan. 5.
Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) data shows 439,502 doses have been administered out of the 1,333,450 doses shipped.
In Central Texas, several counties have already been distributing vaccines to frontline health care workers and those in Phases 1A and 1B. And while some leaders believe the process to distribute the COVID-19 vaccines to providers is moving too slow, others feel differently.
Using population estimates from the U.S. Census and vaccine allocation data from the DSHS, KVUE broke down how many vaccines have been distributed to several Central Texas counties as of Jan. 5.
According to the U.S. Census 2019 estimate, Travis County’s population is 1,273,954. According to vaccine allocation data from the DSHS, there have been 54,250 vaccines distributed so far, which is enough for 4.2% of the population.
In a briefing with the Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday, Austin Public Health (APH) Director Stephanie Hayden said that there are not enough vaccine doses to administer widely to the community when compared to the state and county population.
“We don’t have what we need. It is definitely a supply issue,” Hayden said.
She added that it’s important for people to know that there aren’t enough vaccines to meet the demand right now. But, as more become available, Hayden said that APH will prioritize them for those who do not have access to a vaccine provider in efforts to address equity gaps in vaccine administration.
