There are 74,940 coronavirus vaccine doses en route to Travis County providers during a pivotal week for Texas’ vaccination effort. The March 8 vaccine allocation from the Texas Department of State Health Services includes 19,500 doses of the recently authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a single-shot option that local health authorities have said could speed up Travis County’s vaccinations. This is also the first full week that educators and child care professionals have been eligible to receive a dose.
Regional hub provider Austin Public Health will receive 12,000 Moderna doses this week. APH announced an updated appointment scheduling process on March 8: Going forward, first-dose appointments will be released on Monday evenings with additional appointments released Thursday evenings if additional doses are available.
Individuals who receive the Moderna vaccine are recommended to have their second dose 28-42 days after their first, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with second doses administered as close to 28 days as possible. Second doses can still be administered after 42 days, although the CDC does not have complete data about how an extension of that window affects efficacy.
APH has released a flowchart for vaccine recipients to reference ahead of their second dose. While protocol is for APH to reach out to patients when it is time to set up their follow-up appointment, the organization has acknowledged some registrants may slip through the cracks and should follow up through APH’s registration portal if their status in the portal is not listed as “complete” after the first appointment. Anyone who has not received a follow-up appointment within 42 days of their first dose may walk up to a vaccination site without an appointment.
