County Pfizer shipment allocated in minutes

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra announced in a press conference Friday that 1,950 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine had arrived in Hays County.

Residents could sign up for appointments starting at 1:30 p.m.; just 15 minutes after the registration website went live, all time slots were accounted for.

“"We are in the trenches here with you and out on the street 7 days a week and we hear you,” said Becerra. “We know that this is crumbs and that we are not providing adequate vaccination for our community.”

Hays County Local Health Department (HCL-HD) moved quickly to launch an online registration form as well as a phone line for those without internet access.

Only individuals who were eligible based on the DSHS rules for the rollout in Phase 1A and 1B were eligible to sign up; frontline healthcare workers and residents at long-term care facilities and people over 65 or with a chronic medical condition.

Vaccination appointments will begin starting Monday Jan. 25 as soon as the viles have thawed.

HCLHD expects to reopen the appointment portal once they receive the next batch of doses.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) designated Hays County as a vaccine hub over last weekend. The HCLHD received an emailed letter late Saturday evening with news of the change although HCLHD was not on the state’s initial hub list.

Over the past several weeks, the health department and the County’s Emergency Operations Office have been preparing to distribute the vaccine based on the DSHS rollout plan.

Becerra cautioned that the initial rollout phase is constrained, due to the limited quantity of the vaccine and that demand far exceeds supply at this point in time.

“Our goal is that as more shipments of vaccine doses arrive, we can rollout a more robust implementation plan,” Becerra said. “For now, we are ready to get the first round of people vaccinated.”

Director of Countywide Operations Tammy Crumley said the county will receive more vaccines, but they are unsure when.

“Given our population, 1,950 vaccines seems like nothing, but it's a start,” said Crumley. “We will have more clinics as soon as we have more vaccines. We want everyone that wants a vaccine to receive it.”

The county is asking the public to only show up for a vaccine with an appointment.

Emergency Operations Director Mike Jones said in a press release, “We have a tight window of opportunity to distribute the vaccine once a vial is opened and we’re asking for the public’s help in ensuring we strictly follow the protocols in place.”

Emergency Management Coordinator Alex Villalobos responded to a question about potential waste of vaccines, should someone not show up for an appointment. “Our plan is to not to waste any of it,” he said.

The county’s plan was put together by medical professionals and emergency management professionals that have been administering the vaccine to first responders and healthcare workers already.

“We are not perfect, we are human beings and we are giving it our all and giving it our best,” Villalobos said.

Becerra also urged the community to wear masks and urged businesses that do not require customers to wear masks to take down their signs and begin requiring masks.

“It is out of control and January has been an extremely high month in terms of numbers,” said Villalobos.

Residents who receive the vaccine will automatically be scheduled for their second shot at the time of their appointment.

For future registration and for those who were able to make an appointment, you will need to print out and complete a consent form on the website and bring it to the vaccination appointment.

Appointments can be cancelled 48 hours prior to the appointment and residents should arrive five minutes in advance of the appointment. They will have to wait 15 minutes after the vaccination for observation.

Hays County officials request that residents wear appropriate clothing for the vaccine to be administered on the shoulder, such as a t-shirt. Masks will be worn at all times while in the remote clinic.

County officials remind the public to continue practicing COVID-19 safety precautions including regular hand washing and wearing masks. Health experts also recommend avoiding gatherings with people who are not in your household.

Judge Becerra and other county officials will provide updates each Friday at 1 p.m. for the foreseeable future via Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/judgebecerra.

Volunteers for the vaccination effort are needed; residents can visit https://www.hayscountycert.com/ to volunteer.

To learn more about the DSHS eligibility criteria, visit the DSHS website.

More information is available at the Austin Public Health Vaccine Pre-registration site at

http://austintexas.gov/aph-vaccine-reg. Austin Public Health and DSHS are instructing people to go through the pre-registration process and not to show up at a location trying to get a vaccine.

For COVID-19 vaccine allocation guiding principles visit https://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine/COVIDVaccine-All...

sgates @sanmarcosrecord.com

@sanmarcosrecord.com

Twitter: @StephJGates