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.

According to the release, the updated boosters use the same technology, mRNA, as the original Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.


Texans are eligible for the updated booster shot at least two months after receiving a previous booster or the final dose in a COVID-19 vaccine series. People who are 12 years old and older may receive the updated Pfizer booster, while those 18 years old and older can receive the updated Moderna booster, DSHS officials said.

Once the updated doses arrive in Texas, people can visit www.vaccines.gov or talk to their health care providers about receiving the shot.