Questions and concerns surrounding vaccine distribution have been swirling since the first doses were distributed.
After the announcement from the state's Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel that those who fall under Phase 1B would be able to get the vaccine, many people in that category are still waiting.
Right now, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the state has a limited supply of vaccines available.
The decision to open up vaccine opportunities to those in Phase 1B was because some some counties met all of the vaccine needs for Phase 1A. But in Bell County and McLennan County, folks in both categories are waiting to receive the vaccine.
“There’s always a few hiccups in the road. This is a new process for a lot of people,” said Dr. Amanda Robinson-Chadwell, Bell County Public Health District Director.
There’s a lot of moving parts when it comes to vaccine allocation. Due to the long and lengthy application process providers must fill out to get the vaccine, Dr. Chadwell says they are still waiting for theirs.
“We are among a number of providers that, I have been told, have not received the vaccine yet, but we are in communication with DSHS to get that sorted out and we hope to have that sorted soon,” she said.
Over in McLennan County, officials have distributed all of their vaccines they received at the end of December.
“We worked with various 1A providers, including EMS providers and other clinics, to schedule appointments and administer all of our vaccines last week,” said Stephanie Alvey with the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.
But the supply is not meeting the demand. The DSHS reports about 18,000 people that fall under Phase 1A alone. McLennan County has only received 6,750 doses since vaccine allocation began. Still, the county is planning ahead.
“We are making plans for a large-scale vaccination clinic, but those plans are completely dependent on our allocations,” Alvey said.
“DSHS said this too, just because the community is eligible for that vaccinations doesn’t mean we have enough vaccines for that group yet but we will get to them as quickly as we can,” added Dr. Chadwell.
At this time, there is no clear indication on when people who fall under Phase 1B would be able to get the vaccine. Dr. Chadwell says it's all dependent on each provider's stock of vaccine
