SAN ANTONIO – The South Texas Veterans Health Care System administered Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to enrolled veterans at Texas A&M University-San Antonio on Saturday.
The South Texas VA said they aspired to vaccinate 500 veterans living on the South Side of San Antonio who have difficulties reaching other vaccination sites offered throughout the area.
“The plan is to see how well this one goes and then be (on a) consistent rotation until the VA reaches near 100% on vaccines,” said Richard Delgado Jr., U.S. Marine Corps veteran and executive director of Military Affairs at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
Delgado said the vaccine clinic will help South Side veterans who can’t commute far.
“We truly want to be that beacon of light and hope for the South Side, not only for our students but as a military-embracing institution. We want to do all we can for our veterans,” Delgado said.
The South Side has been hit hard by COVID-19. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reports more than 16,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in District 3, and 256 people have died of COVID-19 in that area.
District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran said there are several reasons why this district has been hit harder by the pandemic than others.
“We have a high percentage of people that do not have health insurance in the southern sector of San Antonio,” Viagran said.
Viagran also said a lot of residents are essential workers and live in multigenerational households.
There’s only one mass COVID-19 vaccination site on the South Side at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Center on Military Drive.
“We still need more vaccines. We still need more vaccine hubs in the South Side of San Antonio, and we also need mobile vaccine sites so we can get it into the communities that maybe can’t travel to a hub,” Viagran said.
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