Texans will soon be able to access the updated COVID-19 booster shots from Pfizer and Moderna. Nearly 900,000 doses will be shipped to Texas over the next few days, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced Sept. 2.
Texas will receive 502,500 doses of the updated Pfizer booster and 192,800 Moderna doses, which will be distributed to health care providers, according to a news release. An additional 200,000 doses will be available at large retail pharmacies across the state, including Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and H-E-B.
The updated booster vaccines were authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 31. The vaccines are “bivalent,” which means they contain the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and an omicron variant strain, according to the FDA. This is meant to protect Americans from both strains of the virus.
The omicron variant was responsible for over 99% of Texas’ COVID-19 cases in August, the DSHS reported.
