SAN ANTONIO — Following the December 29 announcement that the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) would open up vaccinations to Texans in Phase 1B, there has been some confusion on who can get a vaccine and where.
RELATED: Some areas of Texas begin to vaccinate people 65 and older, people with pre-existing conditions
Additionally, the statement by DSHS Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD that “all providers that have received COVID-19 vaccine must immediately vaccinate healthcare workers, Texans over the age of 65, and people with medical conditions," has caused some confusion regarding local distribution efforts.
KENS 5 reached out to H-E-B's corporate leadership after receiving several questions from viewers who fall in Phase 1B as to why they were unable to get the vaccine at their local H-E-B Pharmacy.
In response to our request for information, H-E-B provided the following statement:
“H-E-B will follow the distribution schedule set by the government, and any updates will be communicated with customers via our Pharmacy page on heb.com and H-E-B Newsroom. During this first phase of COVID-19 vaccine rollout, some H-E-B pharmacies received a limited quantity of the Moderna vaccine to help vaccinate our community healthcare providers and groups identified in Phase 1A. Once the need is met within Phase 1A, vaccinations will be given to those who fall into Phase 1B. Many of our H-E-B Pharmacy locations are still working through waitlists for healthcare providers in Phase 1A. We will continue to move into vaccinating people in Phase 1B when we receive more allocation of Covid-19 vaccine from the state of Texas.”
Offering further clarification, H-E-B's spokesperson said that H-E-B Pharmacies will not be accepting walk-ins at this time. Appointments will be scheduled to ensure that "we use every dose in the vial as to not waste a single dose."
Those in Phase 1B are asked to use H-E-B's online scheduling tool as soon as it is launched, which is expected to be sometime next week.
For the latest information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit our COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker.
