County receives additional doses of COVID vaccine
Milam County received its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine last week and began to vaccinate residents on Thursday, Dec. 31.
Milam County Judge Steve Young said the Milam County Health Department vaccinated 50 individuals in Cameron on Tuesday, Jan. 5. These were individuals from Group 1A and Group 1B who had signed up to be vaccinated.
Health Department Director Robert Kirkpatrick said vaccinations were going well.
The Health Department was expected to finish up the first 100 doses received on Wednesday.
Young said the county received 400 additional doses of the vaccine on Tuesday, Jan. 5.
“We had been told it would be here this Friday, Jan. 8, but it arrived early,” he said. “This is a great problem to have. We will vaccinate and administer the 400 doses in short order.”
The county is arranging a vaccination clinic in Rockdale this Saturday, Jan. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Rockdale Hospital.
“We hope to get over 100 individuals vaccinated,” Young said. “Further, we have Texas A&M Health Science coming Monday, Jan. 11, and the Milam County Health Department will continue with its vaccination protocol.”
Young said that Brookshire Brothers in Rockdale has vaccinated about 60 individuals thus far. However, they will not accept any more applications until Jan. 12.
“At this point, one must download the consent form from the Brookshire Brothers web site and take the completed form to Brookshire Brothers on or after Jan. 12 for processing,” Young said. “Please do not call the pharmacy regarding the vaccinations as their lines are overwhelmed.”
If you want to get on the vaccination list, please call the Milam County main number at (254) 697-7000 or simply email Amy Guillen at aguillen@milamcounty.net to be put on the list.
“We need your contact information, including your email and put you on the list,” Young said. “The shots will be given to those on the list on a first come, first serve basis. Currently we have about 1,000 individuals on the list.”
Those eligible for the shots are:
Group 1A – healthcare workers, including long term staff workers, EMS, home health care workers, rest home residents, staff that interact with symptomatic patients, school nurses and others.
Group 1B – those over 65 and those over 16 with underlying chronic health conditions which puts them at increased risk for a severe illness from the virus, including cancer; chronic kidney disease; COPD; heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies; solid organ transplantation; obesity; pregnancy; sickle cell disease; and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The county is using the Moderna vaccine. The drug is a two-shot vaccine, meaning that a booster shot is necessary 28 days after the first shot. Those who are vaccinated will be given a card depicting the type of vaccine they received and when the booster shot can be given. It is imperative that both shots be received. Further, the drug cannot be intermingled with another drug, such as the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccine will be provided at no cost, although there may be an administration charge for those with insurance.
“While vaccinations are totally voluntary, we highly recommend that everyone receive a vaccination,” Young said. “Even if you have previously been infected by the virus, you should still get the shot. This is our best chance to get this terrible pandemic under control. In order to establish herd immunity, we need 70-90 percent of the Milam County population to be vaccinated. We have been under the gun for almost a year and now we have a ticket to safety, so please do your part and get the shots.”