Updated COVID-19 shot slowly rolls out in Texas, but access is spotty

Updated COVID-19 shots are becoming increasingly available in Texas after weeks of hiccups and distribution glitches since the vaccine was approved for people 6 months and older last month, providers say. But availability is still spotty as hospitals, pediatricians and pharmacies work directly with drug makers, instead of with the state and federal government, to secure their COVID-19 vaccines for the first time. As a result, doses aren’t arriving at providers’ offices across the state at uniform, predictable intervals — largely dependent on individual providers ordering according to their own anticipated demand and availability of staff, as well as working out logistics over insurance payment for the vaccines that have historically been covered by the government.