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Texas sees first sign of COVID-19 vaccine surplus since mid-December: Report

State officials reportedly said that supply of the COVID-19 vaccine has outpaced the demand as it has tapered off.

AUSTIN, Texas — For the first time since Texans started getting vaccinated for COVID-19 in mid-December, there is an excess of supply compared to the demand in the State, according to a report from KVUE's media partners at the Austin American-Statesman.

The Statesman reported that State officials said supply of the vaccine will outpace demand statewide, citing that the demand for the vaccine has tapered off in recent weeks in some areas. 

According to the Statesman, mass vaccination sites have reported a decrease in demand as more Texans get their shots. KVUE reported last week on mass vaccination sites scaling back operations due to the decline in demand seen recently.

"This is the first time we've been in this position," said Chris Van Deusen, spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. "We knew we'd get to this point at some point, although I think it's a little quicker. But we got people vaccinated quicker too."

Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell told KVUE, as of late, only about 5% of people invited to get a COVID-19 vaccine are actually showing up. He said it's mainly because patients got the shot through a different provider.  

On April 16, Williamson County closed its waitlist and told KVUE it expects to close its three mass vaccination sites soon.

"Once those hub locations step down, we will be pushing the vaccine back into the local clinics, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and my HEB ... and they'll be vaccinating in the local stores," said Gravell. "I believe now by Memorial Day ... the end of May ... that we will have vaccinated every adult in the county that wants to receive a vaccine."

Forty-nine percent of all Texans 16 or older – those eligible to be vaccinated – have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of this week, and about 34% of eligible people are fully vaccinated, the Statesman reported.

Last week, Austin Public Health Assistant Director Cassandra DeLeon said vaccine demand was "evolving."

"... It's hard to say that the vaccine demand is dwindling when we know that there's still a lot of people in our community that need vaccines. We have not gotten close to that 67% vaccination mark," DeLeon said. "We have ZIP codes that are still lagging behind in reaching even 40 and 50% of vaccination. So we really know that we've got to continue to focus vaccine efforts to make sure that everyone has access and that those that have had any issue with trying to access vaccine, that we take it to them and provide that opportunity."

KVUE rounded up a list of providers where you can sign up to get vaccinated here.

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