Published: November 02, 2009 12:08 pm      

Texans still waiting to receive H1N1 vaccine

The Texas Department of State Health Services continues to order the state’s full allocation of the H1N1 vaccine as quickly as possible, with more than 1.5 million doses ordered as of Friday, Oct. 30. More orders and shipments will follow as doctors and clinics confirm their orders with DSHS.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has allocated about 2 million H1N1 vaccine doses to Texas. Some three-quarters of a million of those doses were allocated last week and are in the process of being allocated to Texas providers.

A CDC report issued Oct. 30 on national shipments does not include orders processed after Wednesday, Oct. 28 afternoon and currently on the way to Texas.

Given the limited national supply, Texas is allocating vaccine to private practice providers, public and private hospitals, local health departments and DSHS regional offices to vaccinate those most at risk – pregnant women, children and health care workers who provide direct patient care.

The national supply still isn’t adequate to meet the public demand. Texas will allocate more vaccines to other groups as it becomes more widely available. About 12,000 Texas providers have registered to receive the vaccine.