Covid vaccines headed to Austin, pending approval

As has been widely reported, the first shipment of Pfizer vaccines will arrive in Austin mid-month, if the vaccine is granted an emergency use authorization by the FDA on Dec. 10. Austin Public Health reported Friday that the Austin area will receive 13,650 initial doses according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. “We are still gathering information about the first vaccine shipment to our area,” said interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott. “We are excited for our hospital systems partners to begin vaccinating our front-line hospital workers against this virus. By protecting our health care system personnel we can ensure that we are able to meet the needs of Covid and non-Covid patients in our community. We are looking forward to vaccine shipments continuing in the weeks and months to come so that, in future phases, we can offer vaccines to those at high risk for severe disease as we progress down the path of community-wide vaccination.” The press release goes on to explain that Austin Public Health and community partners have formed a coalition to plan the distribution in a way that will get Austinites vaccinated in a phased approach. The coalition is focusing on identifying priority populations to be vaccinated, distribution channels, vaccine management and community education. More information can be found at a virtual town hall held last week as part of a series from the Travis County Medical Society and Dell Medical School.