San Antonio – As concern over the Delta variant and new cases locally and nationally grows, local health officials continue to push for unvaccinated people to get their doses.
The latest Bexar County numbers show 61.9% of residents 12 years and older are fully vaccinated, while 74.7% have had at least one dose. However, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District says slightly more than 100,000 people are overdue for their second shot, and people in the 12- to 35-year-old age range still have lower rates of vaccinations.
The City of San Antonio has advertised daily pop-up clinics around the city, including at churches and other community buildings, which Metro Health Health Program Manager Katerina Tsvetkova says typically draw 10 to 25 people per day.
Unsurprisingly, events where there are incentives tend to do better, though not always. Past incentives for getting vaccinated have included: Six Flag tickets, Fiesta Medals, San Antonio FC tickets, and a chance to win San Antonio Spurs tickets.
The Spurs ticket raffle events on July 10 and July 17 resulted in a combined 288 doses, which Tsvetkova says was a good turnout.
“Most of them were minors. So we are seeing a lot of interest for parents wanting to get their children vaccinated,” Tsvetkova told KSAT.
The latest lure for residents is at a four-day pop-up clinic at the San Antonio Zoo parking garage. People who get a dose Monday through Thursday will get a pair of tickets to the zoo’s “Dragon Forest” exhibit, a Renaissance Fair-style area that lasts through October.
No matter how many people end up with a shot in their arm at these events, Tsvetkova says they see each one as a victory.
“Even if it’s just five people that got vaccinated, we are excited about that because we got five additional people vaccinated,” she said.