Austin Coronavirus Vaccine Supply Insufficient: Health Officials

AUSTIN, TX — Despite having received two shipments of Moderna vaccines to fight the coronavirus across Travis County, the allotments are insufficient to provide for those with greatest need regionally, the director of Austin Public Health said Tuesday.

“There is not enough vaccine from the state and federal government to provide to our community,” Austin Public Health (APH) Director Stephanie Hayden said in a prepared statement. “APH is rapidly distributing vaccine to individuals who meet the state’s definition of Phase 1A, however, the small allocation does not allow us to offer vaccine to Phase 1B individuals at this time," Hayden added. "APH is hopeful and advocating for larger volumes of vaccine in the future so that we can serve more people who don’t have access to health care.”

Last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) released a statement encouraging vaccine providers to begin vaccinating individuals who fall within Phase 1B, which includes those over the age of 65 and people with medical conditions that put them at increased risk for severe disease from COVID-19. Some Texas cities have received more vaccine than others, Hayden noted, and will be further ahead in operations with administrating the vaccine community-wide as a result.

It's up to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to determine supply levels at each city, Hayden noted. DSHS enrolls providers across the state of Texas to provide the vaccine, and each provider must work with the State of Texas and meet their requirements to become a provider. "DSHS decides which provider will receive the vaccine, including how much and when they will receive it," according to the health district's advisory. "DSHS is providing notification of approximately one week prior to shipment on how many doses providers can expect to distribute."

On Dec. 28, Austin Public Health received its first allocation of 1,000 doses of Moderna vaccine from DSHS, which the health district began distributing that afternoon. An additional 300 doses were received the following day as part of the DSHS Week 3 allocation. The vaccines were distributed by Austin Public Health at a set location for Phase 1A populations — specifically Austin Public Health direct health care staff; direct COVID-19 response staff; Travis County Jail direct health care clinical staff; long-term care staff and residents that are not enrolled with a vaccine provider; hospice and home health care workers; first responders that meet 1A criteria; school nurses that are not enrolled with another vaccine provider; and other frontline healthcare staff.

A total of 740 people have been vaccinated through a closed clinic as of Thursday, Hayden noted, "...and we will distribute the remainder this week as additional frontline staff return to work."

Still, Hayden said it's not enough. "We also understand from conversations with other providers that the demand for vaccine in Phase 1B is far exceeding the supply of many providers across the Austin-Travis County area, who are also still focused on Phase 1A.”

Hayden noted Austin Public Health does not oversee other providers and their individual distribution plans. However, the district is working across the health care system along with the vaccine coalition to set guidelines that support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DSHS framework for distribution that will also advocate for equitable distribution. Individuals wishing to get the COVID-19 vaccine who are in Phase 1A or Phase 1B should contact the provider they normally receive their vaccines — such as their flu shots, Hayden noted — to learn about their process. However, those in Phase 1B should be aware that they may not be able to receive the vaccine until additional supply is available in our community, Hayden added.

As a reminder, Austin Public Health officials reminded they are neither the distributor nor allocator of COVID-19 vaccines for all of Austin-Travis County, but rather is one of more than 350 local providers and an informational hub. "While APH cannot regulate prioritization of other providers, the health department’s first priority is to serve as a safety net for the most vulnerable members in Austin-Travis County when more vaccine is provided to the department," officials wrote.

"We will be coordinating with other safety net vaccine providers such as CommUnityCare, Lone Star Circle of Care, and People's Community Clinic to identify equity gaps in vaccine distribution," officials added. "If more vaccine is provided to APH, we will open large sites in Austin and Travis County, with a focus on areas known to have lack of access to healthcare providers, for those without insurance to receive vaccine."

Interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott noted the shortfall was not entirely unexpected. Given that expectation, the focus now will be to identify the specifics populations most in need of the vaccine.

“We understand the importance of providing the vaccine in communities most impacted by coronavirus,” Escott said in a prepared statement. “Prior to the pandemic, we knew access to healthcare in Travis County has been limited for various reasons. APH will focus on ensuring we are meeting the gap in the community by providing vaccines in areas with higher positivity rates, to communities living in poverty, uninsured and people that don’t have access to transportation.”

Escott added: “The ability to respond to the surge will determine our ability to distribute vaccine. The same resources planning vaccine distribution are also managing testing sites and caring for patients during this record-breaking surge. We need to help our public health and healthcare workers by flattening the curve.”

For information about the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Information portal maintained by Austin Public Health. For information about the COVID-19 vaccine in Austin-Travis County, visit the city's COVID-19 Vaccines portal.