KERRVILLE, Texas – After weeks of reaching out to state legislators and health organizations, Kerr County officials say the area is finally slated to receive more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The announcement came from city leaders on Saturday, who said a total of 1,200 doses of the vaccine are scheduled to arrive next week.
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Peterson Health, City of Kerrville, and Kerr County leaders have reached out to state officials, requesting more doses of the vaccine, as Kerrville is “the largest medical and population center in the Hill Country,” according to a release from the city.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said the county has proven through a regional flu clinic that the county has the capacity to vaccinate 1,000 to 2,000 people per day.
“Given sufficient vaccines, we know that we can vaccinate 1,000-2,000 people per day,” Kelly said in a release. “In fact, for the past 10 years, we have proven that we can vaccinate 1,000 residents a day through our regional flu clinic. With our community stakeholders working together, we are the only county in the region that can do this.”
Kerrville Mayor Bill Blackburn said he was in Austin this past week to learn more about the significant shortage in vaccines available across the state.
“Availability of the vaccine is an issue across Texas and the U.S.,” Blackburn said. “There are 28 million Texans but only 380,000 vaccines available per week statewide.”
Cory Edmondson, CEO and president of Peterson Health, said he and other county leaders stand ready to administer the vaccine to more residents per week when the vaccine supply increases.
“We’ve spent a lot of energy into getting some answers and getting this vaccine, and it’s frustrating,” Edmondson said. “The county, The City of Kerrville, Peterson Health, H-E-B, and other local pharmacies are ready and waiting to go with a solid plan in place to administer vaccines to our community.”
Currently, county officials are working to get vaccines out to tier 1A medical workers first. Then, any remaining doses to tier 1B individuals — persons 65 years of age and older, individuals with compromised health over 16-years-old, and teachers.
Kerr County residents can also check on the availability of vaccines in Fredericksburg for the coming week. When vaccine registration in the area is available, you can register by visiting www.HillCountryCovid.care and clicking on “Vaccine Registration” or by calling 830-990-6648.
The Kerrville VA Medical Center has also been vaccinating veterans with an “assignment” who are 65 and older. To make an appointment, call the southwest VA call center at 877-537-7348.
For more information on the vaccine clinic and plans, officials say to call the information lines at 830-315-5900 or 5901/5902/5903/5904 Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Related: How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio when appointments are available