AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of thousands of Texans will likely get their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine starting the week of January 25.

The Texas Department of State Health and Human Services says 332,750 first doses will come to the Lone Star State from the federal government. This is 900 fewer doses than last week but several hundred thousands more than some other weeks.

Now, Texas DSHS will ship those doses to 212 providers across the state — including 82 hub providers and 130 additional providers.

In addition to the first doses, Texas is ordering 216,350 doses intended to be second doses for patients who’ve already been vaccinated. According to DSHS, the department automatically puts aside second doses based on the numbers of first doses they received: meaning people should be able to return to the same provider where they received their first dose.

Texas DSHS says over 1.37 million people have received their first dose and over 228,000 people have been fully vaccinated.

This week, there will be new hub locations, including in Burnet, Dallas, Gregg, Montgomery and Navarro counties. The total number of counties that have distributed vaccines is now 233 of 254.

Despite the encouraging shipments, vaccines are still limited in Central Texas, with many unable to even receive a first vaccination.

The forecast at Austin Public Health is uncertain, as officials said Friday they don’t have enough vaccines available to even complete shots for those in the Phase 1B priority group.

DSHS tells KXAN that Operation Warp Speed has told them to expect about the same amount of vaccine doses for the next few weeks. Based on previous allocations, this will be about 300,000 doses weekly.

LINKS