COVID-19 vaccine not coming to Gonzales yet

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Millions of coronavirus vaccine doses arrived at hospitals across the country Monday morning— but not in Gonzales.

According to the Texas Tribune, four Texas hospitals received 19,500 doses which will be disseminated to 110 different facilities. As of Tuesday, Dec. 15, the Gonzales Healthcare System has not been notified by the state that it will be receiving vaccines.

“The first rounds are going to the larger, urban hospitals,” GHS Marketing Director Holly Danz wrote in an email. “The first rounds of vaccine (Phase I) are to go to healthcare workers and nursing home residents. Phase II would be made available to the general public, but that will not be until next year sometime.”

The primary reason the county’s largest healthcare system will not be receiving the Pfizer vaccine is because it cannot store it.

 “We would not be receiving the Pfizer vaccine, as we are not able to store it. The second vaccine, Moderna, is awaiting its emergency use authorization now. That is the one we would expect to receive. If and when we receive the vaccine, we will follow the guidelines put in place by the state as to who it should be administered to. Once we can offer to the public, we will make that announcement as well.”

The announcement that Gonzales County would not be receiving the Pfizer vaccine originally came from Emergency Management Coordinator Jimmy Harless. On Monday, Dec. 14, at the Gonzales County Commissioners Court meeting, he said Gonzales was not on the list to receive the vaccine.

“Just to give you a little update on the COVID vaccine, it was approved by the FDA last week, the first shipment went out yesterday,” Harless said. “There is a list that has come out, they’ve made some adjustments and changes on the priorities as far as the places are concerned. I don’t have that in front of me, but I do know that the first shipment to Texas is going to the major metropolitan hospitals in the state.”

“Gonzales is not on that list, but I would imagine that shortly we would be on the list. So at this point, they’re going to Houston, Dallas, El Paso, Corpus, that kind of thing. I think Corpus is getting 900-and-something doses. So, the process is starting, but it’s kind of an unknown at this point, as far as when Gonzales will get something. And we’ll stay on top of that and let everybody know as soon as we hear something.”

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