COVID-19 boosters expected to be available in Texas this week

EL PASO, Texas– Doses of the updated COVID-19 booster vaccines are expected to arrive at health care providers across Texas this week.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, roughly 200,000 "bivalent" COVID-19 booster doses were shipped to large Texas pharmacies last week.

DSHS adds that smaller pharmacies, as well as health care providers and clinics, were able to start ordering booster doses last week, and those orders are shipping here this week.

Any provider in the state can order doses right now, including smaller pharmacies, and those bivalent vaccine doses will be shipped directly to them.

Those needing a booster should first contact their pharmacy, doctor or local health department this week to check availability.

The updated bivalent vaccines are different from earlier versions because they are designed to protect against the original strain of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, which is responsible for more than 99 percent of the COVID cases in Texas over the past month, according to DSHS.

Immunize El Paso is expected to get 1,800 updated boosters, for a list of clinics, click here.