UT Southwestern is following state and federal guidance for distribution. We began by vaccinating those in Phase 1A, which included our health care workers, and expanded our distribution to include those in Phase 1B and those with conditions the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified as high risk or potentially high risk for severe illness:
- Individuals 65 years of age or older
- Individuals 16 years of age or older with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19, such as but not limited to: cancer; chronic kidney disease; COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease); Down syndrome; heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies; solid organ transplantation; obesity and severe obesity (body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or higher); pregnancy; sickle cell disease; or Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Individuals 16 years or older with at least one chronic medical condition that might put them at increased risk, including asthma (moderate to severe); cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain); cystic fibrosis; hypertension or high blood pressure; immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplantation, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines; neurologic conditions such as dementia; liver disease; overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2, but < 30 kg/m2); pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues); thalassemia (a type of blood disorder); or Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Additionally, based on a federal directive, the following education and child care personnel are now eligible to be vaccinated in Texas:
- Those who work in preprimary, primary, and secondary schools
- Those who work in Head Start and Early Head Start programs (including teachers, staff, and bus drivers)
- Those who work as or for licensed child care providers, including center-based and family care providers