Texas H1N1 Vaccine Update

The Texas Department of State Health Services continues to order the state’s full allocation of the H1N1 vaccine as quickly as possible, with about 3.6 million doses ordered as of this week.

More orders and shipments will follow as providers confirm their orders with DSHS. The U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has allocated nearly 4.2 million doses to Texas.

About 626,000 of those doses were allocated Monday, Thursday and today and are in the process of

being ordered and distributed to Texas providers. The limited supply is being sent to public and

private providers for certain priority groups:

• Pregnant women

• Children 6 months through 4 years of age

• People 5 years through 64 years of age with high-risk health conditions

• Health care workers who provide direct patient care

• Close contacts of infants 6 months or younger



Health officials urge people in these priority groups to check with their usual health care provider about vaccine availability. As the supply increases, Texas will target more priority groups and later the general population. A flu vaccine locator tool is now available on TexasFlu.org to help people find vaccine in their areas. People can enter a city or zip code to

see a list of nearby providers offering or planning to offer H1N1 vaccine to the public. The listing will be updated and expanded as more vaccine becomes available. Texas expects to receive

13 million doses of the vaccine by January. •