The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is requesting that COVID-19 vaccine administrators preorder Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years while it awaits emergency use authorization from the federal government.
DSHS says the initial orders must be placed in its Vaccine Allocation & Ordering System by Monday, Feb. 14, at 5 pm CT. A full pack-size order is 100 doses, or 10 vials. Vaccinators who want to place a smaller order should make those orders in one-vial, 10-dose increments. The vaccine can be stored under standard refrigerated temperatures for up to 10 weeks.
Deliveries of initial orders are expected to begin on Feb. 22. However, vaccinators must be able to receive orders on the President’s Day holiday on Feb. 21. The agency notes vaccine allocations will be made based on doses available to the state, and all doses requested may not be filled during the initial ordering.
Although shipping of the vaccine will begin once it receives an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, vaccinators can only administer it once it gets final recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Email DSHS with questions about preordering.
Last Updated On
April 05, 2022
Originally Published On
February 08, 2022