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There have been many memorable legislative sessions in Texas. This one promises to go down in the history books, too. An observer with the Quorum Report calls the session “a buffet of red meat.” And: Jumping off to COVID-19 news – no one is rushing to get vaccinated anymore. How can the state of Texas motivate people to get the shot? Also: The U.S. energy secretary is visiting Texas and she made a stop at the Texas Standard. Plus: Could a complete reframing of Israeli-Palestinian relations finally lead to a solution in the region? It’s a a new mindset with a Texas perspective. All that and more.
When vaccines for COVID-19 started to become available in late 2020, demand for the shots far exceeded supply.
Now, the inverse is true. About 35% of Texans are fully vaccinated, but the vaccines aren’t as highly sought-after as they were a few months ago. Instead, hospitals and pharmacies have had to throw out expired vaccines at an increasing rate, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The shift in demand has led to a change in how the Texas Department of State Health Services, or DSHS, distributes vaccines to providers. Initially, because supply was limited, the department would take the lead and allocate the vaccines it received from the federal government to individual providers. But now it leaves it to the providers to request what they need.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on children 12-15 years old. It’s the same vaccine given to adults and older teens. Now, Texas health officials are awaiting recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how best to administer the vaccine to that age group.
Dr. Jennifer Shuford is Texas’ chief epidemiologist and a member of Texas’ COVID-19 Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel. She answered some common questions parents might have before taking their young teen to get vaccinated.
What if your health care provider isn’t offering the Pfizer vaccine?