COVID-19 News
11 Austin hospitals among first in nation to receive COVID-19 vaccines
The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are just days away from arriving in Austin. Earlier this week, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed 11 Austin-area hospitals and clinics that will receive the vaccine during its first week of availability.
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive in Texas on December 14, while Moderna's vaccine is projected to be available just days later. During its first week of rollout, the Austin-Round Rock metro area is expected to receive about 16,500 doses, most of which will be administered to healthcare and frontline workers.
The following hospitals will be among the first places in the nation to receive the vaccine:
- Seton Medical Center Austin
- Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas
- South Austin Medical Center
- Dell Seton Medical Center at University of Texas
- UT Health Austin (Dell Medical School)
- Austin State Hospital
- North Austin Medical Center
- St Davids Medical Center
- Seton Medical Center Hays — Kyle
- Round Rock Medical Center — Round Rock
- Baylor Scott White Health MC Round Rock — Round Rock
Of those 11 healthcare providers, Seton Medical Center Austin and UT Health Austin will both receive the most doses, with 2,925 each.
In a virtual press conference on December 9, Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott praised the Pfizer vaccine, calling it "very effective." "The data is showing the effectiveness of this vaccine is very good," said Austin's top doc.
According to Escott, initial studies put the vaccine's effective rate at 95 percent when patients received both injections of the two-dose shot, so making sure to get that second injection is critical.
As mentioned, healthcare and frontline workers will receive the COVID-19 vaccine first, followed by nursing home residents. Austin's rollout will be in four phases, beginning with the most vulnerable populations during Phase 1, launching next week.
Phase 2 is scheduled to run January through July, and will see the number of vaccines increase and be distributed to pharmacies and places like H-E-B. If you are not in those vulnerable populations, it could be anywhere from July to October before you get the vaccine, so don't head to these hospitals thinking you'll get the injection.
To estimate where your "place in the line" might be, the New York Times has created an interactive tool based on your age, location, occupation, and health conditions.
