AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Despite state efforts to expand the availability of COVID-19 vaccines to those age 50 and older beginning Monday, Austin Public Health says it will continue to prioritize the 1A and 1B groups until it sees an increase in vaccine supply allocations.
APH made the announcement in a news release Friday night.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, APH is set to receive 12,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week - the same amount of doses that have been allocated each week since the Moderna vaccine became available.
"Austin Public Health is going to continue to prioritize individuals who are in Phase 1A or 1B after learning that we have not received an increased vaccine allocation for next week from the state," officials said in a statement. "Once we have additional vaccine, we will consider expanding eligibility in our system to Phase 1C."
According to DSHS, individual providers have the flexibility to further prioritize vaccination within the state's eligibility groups as they see fit.
Saturday afternoon, APH officials released an additional statement clarifying their position. "In addition to supporting the State’s efforts to advocate for more vaccine at the federal level," the statement reads, "APH is working to prioritize the vaccine for more than 200,000 1A and 1B individuals in our system who have not yet received the vaccine, along with newly eligible education professionals, early childhood staff, and 1C individuals."
APH says it will soon expand its registration system to include the Phase 1C population, which will allow it to prioritize based on 1A, 1B, and 1C status.
