Texas to open COVID-19 vaccination to all adults on March 29

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) announced yesterday that all adults will now be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday, March 29. DSHS expects vaccine supplies to increase as soon as next week. The state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel recommended opening vaccination to everyone to protect as many Texans as possible.

“We are closing in on 10 million doses administered in Texas, and we want to keep up the momentum as the vaccine supply increases,” said Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services and the chair of the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel.

DSHS has directed vaccine providers to prioritize people 80 years old or older when scheduling appointments and accommodate anyone in that age group by immediately moving them to the front of the line.

Next week, DSHS will launch a website to allow people to register for a shot through public health providers. The public will be able to enroll in the Texas Public Health Vaccine Scheduler to identify vaccine clinics hosted by DSHS or a participating local health department and be notified when new appointments become available. People can continue to find additional vaccine providers at dshs.texas.gov/covidvaccine.

According to DSHS, online registration is the best option for most people. DSHS will also launch a toll-free number to provide assistance making an appointment.

To date, Texas has administered more than 9.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, equating to more than 6 million people with at least one dose and more than 3 million fully vaccinated.

For information in Dallas County, please go to dallascounty.org/covid-19/vaccine-landing.php.

For information in Tarrant County, please go to https://tcph.quickbase.com/db/bq98sxk7f.

For information in Collin County, please go to https://plano.gov/1863/COVID-Vaccine-Information.

For information in Denton County, please go to https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7c802a848ce04a0999f9831f2ddaaf2e.