SAN ANTONIO – Monday is the day so many people have been waiting for as University Health began the morning administering the Moderna vaccine to the general public.
The current goal is to vaccinate 1,000 people a day. While all eligible Texans under the first phase of the rollout can now receive the vaccine, Phase 1B prioritizes people 65 and older and those who are at least 16 with a qualifying health condition.
“It’s just you know, I can’t wait for this to all be over,” Janet Crystal said, as she was one of the hundreds of people who started their day waiting in line to get their vaccine.
Remember, you must make an appointment to get the vaccine.
“It’s a very exciting day, this is our opportunity to turn the tide on the disease, so we are finally going on the next offensive with the vaccine. The more vaccines we can provide to people, the more we can protect them from the pandemic,” Dr. Bryan Alsip, Chief Medical Officer of University Health, said.
Right now, University Health is administering about 120 shots an hour and it really is the light at the end of the tunnel for so many people.
“We are pleased with the very robust response for us, this is helping the community, the more immunizations we can give, the more people we can protect,” Alsip said.
There are long lines, but they are moving fast and that’s because of the preparation and methodical way of administering the vaccine.
“We wait to get to the room to take their temperature and then we draw out the vaccines in ready to use syringes. These are the ten doses, the doses of the vile that are ready to be administered,” Elliott Mandell, senior vice president and chief pharmacy officer at University Health said, while explaining the process.
University Health issued a statement and said they have had an overwhelming response. They have already had the 11,000 vaccine appointments signed and filled up — so now they wait for more.
“We certainly hope to get more vaccine, right now we scheduled all the appointments for the vaccine we currently have, but the state has told us we use a vaccine we will get more and we’ve already been contact with them to receive vaccines in the future,” Alsip said.
And after the first shot of the Moderna, you wait 28 days for a second dose.
As for Janet and her family, this day couldn’t come soon enough.
“Hopefully the start of a new day, so we will see,” Crystal said.