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Southeast Texas not listed as site for state 'vaccination hub'

State health officials said Sunday that 28 hubs will be getting 158,825 doses this week.

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas health officials on Sunday released a list of coronavirus "vaccination hubs" that will receive the state's next shipment of vaccines.

The 28 hubs will get 158,825 doses of the vaccine this week, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Another 38,300 doses will go to other providers across the state.

The number of doses that each provider is getting is based on its own estimate of how many people it could vaccinate in a week, DSHS said.

The hubs are meant to streamline large-scale vaccination as Texas continues to prioritize vaccinating people who are health care workers, 65 and older with underlying medical conditions.

"The goal really is to over the next week that we'll use the vast majority of 150,000 plus doses being sent out to providers tomorrow," said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for Texas Department State Health Services.

The 28 hubs for this week are located in some of the state's biggest metropolitan areas, as well as the Rio Grande Valley and more rural regions.

Three of the hubs are in Harris County. The Harris County Health Department and Houston Health Department will get 8,000 doses each. 

Houston Methodist hospital will get nearly 11,000 doses. 

Many of those appointments are already booked.

In announcing the plan last week, DSHS said the hubs will be required to set up registration phone numbers and websites and to focus on the most vulnerable communities in their regions. Contact information for the hubs can be found here.

"This system should give folks some certainty and dependability on where the vaccine will be available this week or in coming weeks," said Van Deusen. "Now that doesn't mean everyone that wants it will get it. This isn't increasing the amount of vaccine coming to Texas."

DSHS officials say they expect the vaccine supply to drastically increase in Texas in February and as other vaccines are approved for emergency use.

Here are the 28 hubs, followed by their county and how many doses they are receiving:

  • Bell County Public Health District, Bell, 3,900
  • San Antonio Metro Health District, Bexar, 9,000
  • University Health System, Bexar, 10,725
  • CHI St. Joseph College Station Hospital, Brazos, 1,200
  • Cameron County Public Health, Cameron, 6,000
  • Dallas County Health and Human Services, Dallas, 6,000
  • Parkland Hospital, Dallas, 6,825
  • UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, 10,000
  • Denton County Public Health, Denton, 3,500
  • El Paso Fire Department, El Paso, 5,000
  • University Medical Center of El Paso, El Paso, 5,000
  • Harris County Public Health, Harris, 8,000
  • Houston Health Department, Harris, 8,000
  • Houston Methodist Hospital, Harris, 10,725
  • Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, Hidalgo, 6,500
  • Hidalgo County Health and Human Services, Hidalgo, 5,000
  • City of Lubbock Health Department, Lubbock, 5,000
  • Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, Maverick, 1,200
  • Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, McLennan, 1,500
  • Ascension Providence Hospital, McLennan, 1,500
  • Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District, Nueces, 4,000
  • Amarillo Public Health Department, Potter, 5,000
  • Northeast Texas Public Health District, Smith, 1,500
  • UT Health Science Center Tyler, Smith, 1,500
  • Tarrant County Public Health, Tarrant, 9,000
  • Texas Health Resources, Tarrant, 10,050
  • Austin Public Health, Travis, 12,000
  • City of Laredo Health Department, Webb, 1,200

Disclosure: UT Southwestern Medical Center has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

This story originally appeared on The Texas Tribune.

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