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. 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. “We have a high percentage of people that do not have health insurance in the southern sector of San Antonio,” Viagran said. RELATED: How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio when appointments are available

SAN ANTONIO – The South Texas Veterans Health Care System on Wednesday began administering COVID-19 vaccinations to frontline health care employees and veterans residing in long-term care Community Living and Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder centers. The VA System is part of the initial group of 37 VA medical centers across the country that began receiving and administering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week. “The South Texas Veterans Health Care System is proud to be a part of the initial 37 VA medical centers receiving the vaccine,” said Christopher R. Sandles, Medical Center Director/CEO. “We are dedicated to ensuring all Veterans receiving care at VA and our employees are ultimately offered the vaccine.”The vaccine is administered as a series of 2 doses, 21 days apart. VA will report directly to the CDC data on all vaccine doses administered by VA.

SAN ANTONIO The Rio Grande Valley continues to be hit hard with COVID-19 as hospitals run at capacity, so the San Antonio VA hospital is stepping in to help. I reached out to my counterpart at the VA Health Care System down in the Valley, and so together we coordinated, Sandles said. In a matter of 12 to 36 hours, patients were already en route to the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital in San Antonio. The San Antonio hospital has received five COVID-19 patients from Starr County who are nonveterans. Sandles said they also moved patients to other VA facilities so that they can support the border communities.

San Antonio The South Texas Veterans Health Care System is gearing up for a surge in the number of Covid-19 related hospitalizations in the coming weeks. The hospital currently has 57 hospitalized patients with Covid-19 and is monitoring another 360 plus positive cases. The 5th and 6th floor of the hospital were renovated to treat Covid-19 patients, and the 7th floor is under renovation. Staff is also being dispatched from other VA hospitals to San Antonio. RELATED: How San Antonio celebrates Fourth of July will impact COVID-19 wave, officials say

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio veterans hospital has confirmed it has admitted 18 patients with COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the VA.Officials said Friday that the South Texas Veterans Health Care System has reported the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the VA Health Care System. The 18 coronavirus inpatients in the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital are in stable condition, officials said. “Within the last week we’ve seen an increase of patients being treated for COVID-19,” Christopher R. Sandles, director and CEO for the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, said in a news release. This week, the number of San Antonio and Texas cases have risen dramatically, causing Bexar County to implement a new face mask requirement for businesses. The South Texas Veterans Health Care System states anyone who enters one of their facilities must wear a face mask and should expect to be pre-screened.

SAN ANTONIO – The South Texas Veterans Health Care System announced Monday that it is taking additional steps to ensure the safety of veterans, volunteers and visitors. If a veteran is concerned that they may have COVID-19, they should call 877-537-7348 before going to VA clinic. Virtual care and support is available 24/7 at no cost to veterans who are enrolled for VA health care, according to a press release. Everyone who enters the South Texas Veterans Health Care System campuses will be prescreened. Click here for more information on how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is handling the coronavirus.