SAN ANTONIO — As University Health System plans to vaccinate 1,000 people per day in the upcoming week, many people have questions about when to expect to get a vaccine.
And, right now, it’s a waiting game.
That’s because it all depends on how much of the vaccine is available and how many of those vaccines will be allocated to Bexar County after this week.
This afternoon the Texas Department of State Health Services announced that Bexar County will receive 6,150 additional doses of the vaccines in the fourth week of vaccine distribution.
Lines wrapped around Christus Santa Rosa Hospital over the weekend as many people showed up hoping to get a COVID vaccine.
This comes after Texas health officials opened the doors for those eligible under Tier 1 B to start getting the vaccine.
So, who falls under this group?
It includes people 65 or older and those 16 or older who have underlying health conditions that place them at a greater risk of being affected by the virus, like those with chronic kidney disease, heart conditions, or pregnancies.
After many people weren’t successful in getting the vaccine over the weekend, many people are left wondering if they do fall under the Tier 1 B eligibility, when can they expect to get a vaccine?
The first issue is that there may not be enough vaccines to give out right now.
A spokesperson for Christus Santa Rosa said they want to accommodate everyone who needs the vaccine but are still vaccinating frontline workers and don’t have enough supply on hand right now.
HEB said they are doing the same, and a CVS spokesperson said they are continuing to vaccinate residents of long-term care facilities who fall under the Tier 1 A group.
Area vaccine providers are waiting to learn from state health officials when and how many vaccines they’ll receive after this week.
State health officials report that Texas has received 1.5 million doses in the first four weeks of vaccine distribution.
And when enough vaccines are allocated to Bexar County providers, like University Health this week, providers said if you are eligible to receive the vaccine under Tier 1 B, you must make an appointment.
Providers like HEB, CVS and Christus Santa Rosa said they are prepared to launch online reservation portals as soon as they know how many vaccines will be available.
If you don’t have access to the internet, CVS said they will have a dedicated 800 doses.
So, when will the vaccine be available to the general public?
State officials said the best estimate is during the springtime of this year.
But, they said that could change as it depends on how quickly and how much of the vaccines can be produced, and if other vaccines become available.