SAN ANTONIO — Thousands of families lined up and rolled up their sleeves at the Wonderland of Americas Mall for their coronavirus vaccines, just in time for the holidays.
Metro Health reports 71% of Bexar County residents are fully vaccinated with nearly 87% having received at least one dose.
The free walk-in clinic operated by University Health typically attracts between 500-600 adults and 150 children a day. But UHS officials anticipated more than a thousand shots to be administered on Monday.
“Probably 99% of the vaccines we’re giving are actually for the booster, so we’re seeing a large demand today. And it started of course last week when the new variant (omicron) was announced,” said Bill Phillips, senior vice president and chief information officer of UHS.
The Kennerson family got their shots in no time.
“My husband and I got a booster, and she got her second dose, as she is finally fully vaccinated,” said Nicole Kennerson.
The pandemic’s proven challenging for people in all fields of work, especially education. Kennerson, a school teacher, admits she was a bit hesitant at first to get her booster shot.
“I decided to go ahead and do it because the risks outweigh the side effects, so I’d rather get the side effects than COVID,” she said.
The Omicron variant has been reported in 38 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Early studies have suggested the new variant is highly transmissible.
Meanwhile, hospitals are also coping with a winter surge of patients impacted by the delta coronavirus variant.
The coronavirus has led to the deaths of more than 800,000 Americans, including over 75,000 Texans.
Metro Health data indicates there’ve been almost 5,000 people who’ve died in San Antonio-Bexar County area following coronavirus infections.
For Frank Coronado, getting the shot was an easy decision.
“So many people dying and getting very sick of it. We all need to get vaccinated if you want to keep on going,” Coronado said.
It’s a decision he hopes will provide some extra comfort while surrounded by family this Christmas. Coronado said his daughter is taking safety another step further, even with everyone vaccinated.
“We’re all going to get tested before we get together,” Coronado said.
University Health is running its Wonderland vaccine clinic through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. No appoints are necessary.
For a full list of UHS clinics, click here.
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