Update from Waller County Judge Duhon:
First, the 2nd day of the Waller County PVAMU Vaccine clinic is well underway and everything is going well. Today we are doing 200 second doses, and 600 first doses. All slots are filled. Again - special thanks to PVAMU, PVAMU police department, AccessHealth, PVAMU Dept of Nursing and all our nursing student volunteers, WCSO, and the Waller County Office of Emergency Management & Fire Marshall for all of their hard work and cooperation to get this clinic done. About 800 vaccinations were done yesterday, and everything ran relatively smooth as well.
WHERE TO GET VACCINE & ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS
The biggest question I am still getting right now is "Where can I get signed up to get a vaccine?" So below is some information to answer this question and hopefully help you along. Please feel free to share this information to anyone. Anybody from any county can get a vaccine any vaccine clinic (even in another county).
First, please remember that right now we are only vaccinating categories 1A and 1B (generally - healthcare workers, anyone over 65, and those over 16 with certain medical conditions) AND NOW, PER FEDERAL DIRECTIVES - TEACHERS, DAYCARE WORKERS, SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYEES, AND BUS DRIVERS ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE. This includes:
* Those who work in pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools;
* Head Start and Early Head Start programs (including teachers, staff, and bus drivers); and
* Those who work as or for licensed child care providers, including center-based and family care providers.
For more information on the eligible categories, please visit:
https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine.aspx
WHAT'S MY BEST OPTION TO GET VACCINATED?
So, right now, where is the best place to get registered and get vaccinated??
Waller County currently does not have another vaccine clinic scheduled at this time. We are still waiting to be allocated more vaccine doses. If we receive additional doses, then we will schedule another clinic and we will re-open registration at that time. If you have already registered, and you did not get scheduled for an appointment at today's clinic, then you are still on the list, and we will start with those remaining registrations for the next clinic, whenever that may be. You do not need to do anything else.
If you are not registered through Waller County/Access Health, then the only thing you can do right now is sign up TO BE NOTIFIED when registration will re-open.
https://registration.wallercounty.us/
PLEASE NOTE - this is not a registration for the COVID-19 vaccine or a vaccine clinic. This sign up process is so that you will be NOTIFIED when registration will be opened or re-opened to the public for an upcoming vaccine clinic in Waller County.
By registering for this waitlist, you will receive email notifications when registration for a vaccine clinic run by Waller County will be opened online. This registration does not guarantee you a spot for a vaccine. This system will only notify you of when registration for a clinic will be open so that you can plan accordingly.
THE BEST LOCAL OPTION FOR GETTING VACCINATED WITHIN A FEW WEEKS
The best option for anyone locally, if you want ensure that you will get vaccinated in the next few weeks, continues to be the Washington County SubHub in Brenham. In order to register for this clinic (which vaccinates at least 3,000 people per week on average, sometimes more), you start by PRE-REGISTERING at the following site:
https://wacounty.saferestart.net/
Let me explain how this works. When you go to this site, you will click on "Step 1: I Need to Register for a Covid-19 Vaccination"
It will then ask you for your preferred method of communication (text, email, or call). Once you make your choice, it will validate your phone number or your email address by sending a text or email with a code that you will enter to continue.
I did it with text and I immediately received a text message from an 817 number that gave me by Safe Restart verification code. Once I entered the code, it took me through the screening process to ensure that I was qualified to receive the vaccine. Then it prompted me for my contact information. Once you hit submit, it will thank you for completing the screening and it will tell you that your submission has been received and is approved, and that you will be contacted as appointment times are released.
At that point, there is nothing else to do but watch your phone or email for a notification with a code for scheduling. Once you receive that, you will go back to the SafeRestart website where you will click on "Step 2: I have a a Code for COVID-19 Scheduling" and it will take you through a process to schedule your appointment time.
Bottom line - if you register for the Washington County SubHub, it is likely you will receive a vaccination within 2-3 weeks. Even as of this morning, they will still trying to fill a few hundred slots for next Tuesday, where they will be doing another 3,000 doses.
OTHER OPTIONS FOR VACCINATIONS
You can also register through Harris County Public Health Authority as well. To do that, you can go to:
https://publichealth.harriscountytx.gov/.../Register-for...
In addition to the above locations, there is also a number of other locations both locally and throughout the state where you can get vaccinated. Some of these are small local clinics or pharmacies. Some are large hubs. If you are interested in finding these type of locations, you can see where vaccine doses are being allocated on a weekly basis at:
https://dshs.texas.gov/.../immunize/vaccineallocations.aspx
You can also use the following links as well:
Vaccine Hubs: https://dshs.texas.gov/coronav.../immunize/vaccine-hubs.aspx
Vaccine Availability Map:
https://tdem.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html...
List of Vaccine Providers:
https://dshs.texas.gov/coronav.../immunize/vaccine-hubs.aspx
Please remember that the only clinic that is run by Waller County (in partnership with AccessHealth is the Waller County PVAMU Clinic). If you register for the Washington County clinic, you will need to follow their instructions and directions. Generally, we can try to assist you with most questions, but their process is relatively simple. If you register with Harris County Public Health Authority and you have any questions, you will need to contact them. We do not receive updates on the clinics held by HCPHA.