Denton County Public Health has officially been named by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) as one of 28 COVID-19 vaccination hubs across the state of Texas.
The 28 hub providers statewide will focus on large community vaccination efforts as Texas vaccinates health care workers, people 65 and older and those with medical conditions that put them at greater risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
The hub providers will receive 158,825 doses of vaccine based on the number of people each provider estimated it could serve in a week. An additional 38,300 doses will go to other providers to continue vaccination in communities statewide. Providers in Denton County and 103 other counties will receive vaccine shipments this week, bringing the cumulative number of counties to 222. Vaccine has been administered to residents of all 254 Texas counties.
In addition to the vaccine outlined above, Texas will reserve 121,875 doses for the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care program. This completes the first doses the state has been required to set aside, freeing up that much more vaccine to be shipped to providers each week in the future. Texas providers will also receive about 500,000 doses intended as the second dose for people first vaccinated a few weeks ago.
Vaccine remains limited based on the capacity of the manufacturers to produce it, so it will take time for Texas to receive enough vaccine for all the people in the priority populations who want to be vaccinated. The supply is expected to increase in the coming months, and additional vaccines are in clinical trials and may be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.
Denton County residents can sign up at www.dentoncounty.gov/vaccine or call 940-349-2585.