APH pilots COVID-19 vaccine clinic without appointments
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Public Health will be piloting a walk-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic and expanding online scheduling as part of ongoing efforts to provide easier access to the vaccine.
Austinites age 18 and older can walk up to the Delco Activity Center in Northeast Austin without an appointment on Thursday, April 22 and Friday, April 23 from 12-7:30 p.m., or until vaccines run out. If all vaccine is administered before 7:30 p.m., staff and volunteers will help residents who arrive on-site schedule an appointment to return for their vaccine.
Residents are not required to pre-register in the APH system because staff and volunteers will gather information and complete the registration on-site prior to their first dose vaccination, however, residents can save time by creating an account in advance.
"We have the vaccine supply and we want to continue to put as many shots in arms as we can," said APH Director Stephanie Hayden-Howard in a release. "As we see a nationwide decline in appointment scheduling, we know we must decrease barriers for individuals to get vaccinated without technological barriers."
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP
As a reminder, a minimum of 28 days is required for Moderna between first and second doses. Second dose appointments are automatically being scheduled by APH closer to the 28-day mark by email, text or phone call – if someone has not received an appointment they should double-check their spam/junk folders.
However, after 28 days, individuals can call 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000 to find the next available clinic to receive their second dose without an appointment. They must provide their CDC vaccination card that shows they have received their first dose of Moderna.
APH has also expanded online scheduling. The current queue that began at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 20 will end at 7 a.m. on Friday, April 23.
SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS
Going forward, APH says the appointment scheduling system will be open from 7 p.m. on Fridays to 7 a.m. the following Friday and will reopen again at 7 p.m. that evening for appointments for the following week. The 12-hour closure of the scheduling system on Fridays will allow APH to finalize the appointment schedule and update appointment times for the following week.
Telephone Scheduling:
Those who cannot access the online scheduling system are asked to call 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000. Call takers can assist with technology issues, account creation, and pre-registration. For additional assistance, they will take your name and number and provide it to APH Equity Hotline for a callback.