State Health: Pfizer COVID vaccine shipments delayed

Due to shipping delays, allocations of the Pfizer vaccine scheduled to be distributed in Texas on Monday will now arrive on Tuesday.

The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed the delay in a statement shared with Austonia, explaining that "based on federal shipping schedules, vaccine ordered on Friday and expected to arrive today is now expected to arrive tomorrow, Jan. 19, based on the most current information from Pfizer and our federal partners." The delay impacted 55 of the 263 providers slated to receive vaccine doses this week.

Eight providers in Travis County were allocated vaccines this week, but only one—UT Health Austin, the clinical arm of Dell Medical School—is impacted by the delayed Pfizer shipments. This is because the remaining seven providers, including Austin Public Health, will receive doses of the Moderna vaccine.

The city of San Antonio first reported the delays on Sunday, when it tweeted that all appointments planned for Monday would need to be rescheduled for Wednesday due to the delays. Bell County, which is north of Williamson County, encountered similar delays.

DSHS will allocate 333,650 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to 260 providers across Texas this week, with the bulk assigned to hub providers focused on widespread community distribution.

Austin Public Health, which was allocated 12,000 doses, and UT Health Austin, which was allocated 1,950, are the two hub providers in Travis County. An additional six providers were also included in this week's allocation, receiving between 100 and 200 doses apiece. A full list of recipients can be found here.

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