More vaccines coming to county next week

Next week we hope to get an additional 600 doses of vaccine!  

These are first round doses, meaning they are to be used for the initial shot. 

We will run two clinics in the county next week on Wednesday, Jan. 27 and Thursday, Jan. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first 600 people on our waiting list will be contacted and scheduled for their shot.  

This is really great news and we think we will get more first round doses for the week of Feb. 1. If so, we will set up more clinics and vaccinate. I can assure every Milam County resident, there will be no shots left on a shelf!

This week we did not receive any first-round doses, but we did receive 100 doses to be given as second round shots. The second round or booster shots will start on or about Jan. 27 for those that got their first shot on Dec. 30. We are confident we will get enough of the second-round shots to ensure that everyone gets a booster.

In the last ten days we ran two big clinics in the county, on Saturday, Jan. 9, and Thursday, Jan. 14. During those two clinics we vaccinated 488 individuals!  

All together Milam County has vaccinated over 700 individuals since we got our first dose on Dec. 29. In addition, Brookshire Brothers has vaccinated 300 individuals and the residents and patients of all three nursing homes in the county have been vaccinated.  

I have requested permission from the state for Milam County to be a rural vaccination hub. This would mean that we would set up a full time vaccination clinic and we would be in a better position to get more of the vaccine. We do not yet know if our request will be granted.

We want everyone in Milam County to get vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus. To get vaccinated, please call our main number at (254) 697-7000 or email aguillen@gmail.com and we will put you on a waiting list. When your turn arrives, we will call and schedule your appointment. As of Tuesday afternoon, we had about 1,800 individuals on the waiting list. While this seems like a lot, we will vaccinate 600 next week.  

We are administering the Moderna drug which 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.  

We thank everyone for their patience and know that we will get this done. We thank all of the wonderful volunteers who have worked so hard to make this possible. We will get more and more of the vaccine as we go forward. While there is no funding for the vaccination process, we are going to find a way to get this done, so that we can all be safe in Milam County!