People from rural communities booking vaccine appointments in Central Texas
HAYS COUNTY, Texas - Cars stretched all around the Hays County Performing Arts Center as hundreds waited to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.
"For a lot of people in 1A and 1B, this is truly a lifesaving vaccination," said Hay County Judge Ruben Becerra. However, Becerra said more needs to be done to get shots in arms.
People from smaller communities, who have less access where they live, are booking appointments at our vaccine hubs.
"It is so stressful and so unfortunate for us at the local level to not be able to give the population what they deserve," he said. "We are charged with public health, and yet we're not given the tools with which to execute that effectively."
He said with the shortage of vaccines, he’s seeing people not only traveling from neighboring counties but from across the state. "People shouldn't have to come here from El Paso, people shouldn't have to come here from Dallas, and that's what's happening," Becerra said.
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According to the Texas Department of State and Health Services, Texas is receiving more than 520,000 first doses of COVID-19 and more than 188,000 thousand second doses for the week of February 1st.
For vaccine hubs in the area, in Travis County, Austin Public Health is receiving 12,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and UT Health Austin is receiving 1,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. In Williamson County, they are receiving 8,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine. And in Hays County, they are receiving 1,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
"It's a mad dash it's unfortunately hyper rationing healthcare for our communities," Becerra said. "And that's just so stressful for everyone involved."
Becerra said one way that could help manage that stress is the idea of regional hubs. "So one hub potential could pull us into a smaller group of Hays County, Caldwell County, Guadalupe County, and Comal County," he said. "For example, that becomes a hub and we have a list that is to manage within those counties of that footprint."
And while Becerra said welcomes people that travel from across neighboring counties and even the state, he says there needs to be a process for those to get vaccinated within their region
"Because literally we're having mass migrations for vaccinations statewide and I have the proof right here right now, and it shouldn't be that way," he said. "The thing we can do ideally is create scenarios where people aren't crisscrossing the state for a vaccine."