AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) confirmed Thursday that Texas is set to receive its third round of monkeypox vaccines, with an estimated 12,550 doses for Texas and an additional 5,050 for the City of Houston alone.
"The federal government allocates vaccine to the state and a separate allocation is made directly to Houston," a spokesperson for the DSHS told KVUE on Thursday. "A shipment of 16,340 vials (approximately 81,700 doses) allocated to the state arrived at local health departments late last week and early this week."
Officials said this next shipment could start arriving as early as Friday and into the following week.
When vaccine administration recently began, it was initially injected subcutaneously with one vial equaling one dose. However, recent emergency use authorization from the FDA now allows for it to be injected intradermally in most cases. This means one vial now equals five doses.
"However, it’s not always possible to get a full five doses out of a vial and children under the age of 18 can only get it through the subcutaneous injection method, so the doses allocated number represents an approximate number of doses that are available to vaccinate Texans," the spokesperson said.
As of Wednesday, Austin health officials have confirmed 93 cases of monkeypox locally.
For more information on vaccine eligibility in the Austin area, click here.
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