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All adults in Texas are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday. Here's what to know

Texas is set to receive more than 1 million first doses this week as it opens up vaccine appointments to all adults.
Credit: AP
FILE - In this March 9, 2021, file photo, Army health specialists fill syringes with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

DALLAS — Updated at 11:50 a.m. to include information about the state's new website and phone line.

Texas will open COVID-19 vaccination appointments to everyone age 16 and older Monday, state officials announced last week. But while all adults will be eligible, vaccine supply remains somewhat limited. 

Texas is set to receive more than 1 million first doses this week in total.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is allocating 818,410 doses to 779 providers in 202 counties. In addition to those doses, more than 200,000 additional first shots are expected to be sent directly from the federal government to pharmacy locations and federally-qualified health centers.

In addition to the first doses, the state is ordering 587,950 second doses. State officials automatically order second doses to arrive at providers in the week they can begin to be administered.

The number of vaccine doses allocated to Texas has been roughly increasing since mid-March. 

During the week of March 15, the state received more than 800,000 first doses. This was fewer doses than the week before, because of a drop in supply of Johnson & Johnson's single-dose shot. For the week of March 22, the state received more than 900,000 first doses of the vaccine, according to the DSHS. 

As the vaccine doses are distributed, providers will continue to prioritize older adults, even as all adults become eligible to receive a vaccine starting March 29, officials said.

State officials are directing providers to immediately move anyone age 80 or older to the front of their vaccine lines as the rollout continues.

Texas officials have a webpage available to help people understand all of the intricacies of the vaccine options, distribution and how to find an appointment.

The state has also launched a website where Texans can sign up for multiple providers at once, in addition to a phone line. The number to call is 833-832-7067, with service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

Imelda Garcia, the state health department's associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services and chair of the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel, explained in a news release last week that the state should have enough vaccine supply to now open up vaccines to all adults.

The expansion comes as the CDC reports more than 35% of all U.S. adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 19% have been fully vaccinated.

Most vaccines have received emergency approval for people age 18 and older, while the Pfizer vaccine has been granted approval for those 16 and older. 

Trials are currently underway for a pediatric version of the Moderna vaccine.

RELATED: Plano clinic prepares to enroll young children in Moderna vaccine trial

So, how can Texans sign up now for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment?

There are several ways to get an appointment. 

Pharmacies across the state are currently providing the vaccine, though appointments can be hard to come by.

CVS and Walmart currently have locations across Texas administering the vaccine. To check for appointments near you, click here for CVS and here for Walmart. 

County health departments are also running vaccine hubs across the state, many of them as drive-thru locations. 

The state's Department of State Health Services has put together a page on its website with information about each of the hubs and links to sign up at each one, as well as phone numbers the public can call to make an appointment. The locations are listed alphabetically by county.

To visit the state's website to sign up at a hub online or by phone, click here.

Some hubs will place those eligible on waiting lists for an appointment, while some may accept walk-ups, according to the website.

The federal government is also operating several vaccine mega centers across the state: one in Dallas, one in Arlington and one in Houston. 

RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine wait times are becoming shorter in Denton County

Where does Texas stand when it comes to vaccinations?

As of Sunday morning, state data showed more than 10.2 million vaccine doses have been administered across Texas, with nearly 3.6 million people fully vaccinated. 

But while millions in the state have been vaccinated, when it comes to per capita vaccine distribution, Texas has been one of the slowest states in the country to administer the vaccine.

That's according to data from the CDC, which shows Texas had a vaccination rate of 36,904 people per 100,000 as of Sunday morning. 

Compare that to other large states like California, Florida or New York. Each of those states is above 42,000 doses administered per 100,000 people.

Texas is currently 46 out of the 50 states in terms of per capita distribution, beating out only Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Texas has lagged behind most other states for weeks now in per capita distribution.

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