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January 15, 2021

Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts for the A&M Health Science Center

January 15, 2021

 

The Texas A&M Health Vaccine Distribution Task Force is continuing its work to provide COVID-19 vaccines as quickly as possible to our faculty, staff and students involved in direct patient care (inpatient and outpatient).

These activities involve the application process to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), as well as on-the-ground coordination of vaccine rollout preparations.

In an effort to keep everyone informed with the most accurate information to date, here’s where we currently stand:

  • All three applications submitted by Texas A&M Health were approved by DSHS.  These applications are for faculty, staff and students involved in direct patient care. The vaccine doses we receive as a result of these application are not available for the general public at this time. 
  • There are more than 2,000 Texas A&M Health faculty, staff and students who are involved in direct patient care and designated as priority 1A recipients of the vaccine.
  • To date, we have received an allocation of 100 first doses of the vaccine from the state which were designated for the College of Medicine. We are hoping for a much larger number of doses next week, although still not enough to finish vaccinating all of our clinical faculty, students and staff.
  • We are communicating with DSHS daily to discuss expediting allocations of vaccine inventory and advocating for greater distribution to Texas A&M Health.  We have enlisted advocacy help from our leadership at the Texas A&M System.
  • The applications were submitted to the DSHC by the College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy.  COM vaccinated select clinical staff this week, and the COP will also play a large role in vaccinating colleagues at dentistry, medicine, nursing, and remaining clinical stakeholders across the Health Science Center as we continue to receive more first doses.
  • Many College of Medicine faculty and students who were spending time in hospitals and were readily available to receive a vaccine have been vaccinated by our health system partners. 
  • We continue to seek opportunities for our clinical partners to provide vaccines to our clinical faculty, staff and students. That has been somewhat limited up to this point because they too have received limited supplies of vaccines.
  • The vaccine we have received to date through these applications is the Moderna vaccine. It requires two shots, approximately 28-days apart and is shot in the muscle of the upper arm.  The vaccine we expect to receive on Tuesday is the Pfizer vaccine, which requires a second shot in approximately 21 days.  

Here’s what we recommend:

  • If you are offered a vaccine in your clinical rotation or your employment, please do not wait for the Texas A&M Health vaccine distribution unless that is how you prefer to receive the vaccine.
  • If you fall into a priority category that local health systems are offering in your community and are able to sign up and receive the vaccine, please do not wait for the Texas A&M Health vaccine distribution.
  • Continue to monitor email updates as information evolves, as the federal government and the DSHS are regularly updating their COVID-19 information on vaccine distribution priorities and doses available which will affect our distribution.

We are prepared to move quickly once we begin receiving additional vaccine doses from the state.  We ask for your patience as we work to secure more vaccines and distribute them as rapidly as possible. 

Your safety is our top concern. Information is changing daily, and we will continue to keep you as informed.

Stay safe, and thanks for all you do for Texas A&M Health.

 

Greg Hartman

Texas A&M University

Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President, Texas A&M Health

Vice Chancellor, Texas A&M University System