More than 600 vaccines distributed at Travis Co. drive-thru vaccine clinic
By FOX 7 Austin Digital Team
Published
AUSTIN, Texas - On Saturday, January 9, 2021, 638 COVID-19 vaccines were distributed at Travis County’s first drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine clinic in the southeastern part of the county.
The clinic came together through a partnership with CommUnityCare, Ascension Seton and Dell Children’s Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics - Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, Austin Public Health, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Travis County Constable Precinct 4 George Morales III, Travis County Attorney Delia Garza, and Austin Mayor Steve Adler.
Officials say the purpose of the clinic is to equitably distribute the vaccine to people above the age of 65 from the communities and people hardest hit by COVID-19. As a result, the drive-thru clinic was able to administer 638 COVID-19 vaccines to CommunityCare patients, teachers and staff from Austin ISD
COVID-19 patients have made up more than 15% of total hospital capacity for seven days straight, so occupancy limits are increasing for businesses and elective surgeries must be put on hold.
With hospitals stressed to their limits, the city is now prepping the Alternative Care Site at the Austin Convention Center (pictured here in July) (photo by Jana Birchum)
Earlier today, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services officially alerted Travis County Judge Andy Brown of a number he already well knew – that Trauma Service Area (TSA) O has had seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent.
That seven-day threshold is what it would take to activate Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order No. GA-32, which is exactly what happened today for TSA-0, which includes Travis County and 10 other counties in Central Texas. As a result, further restrictions on businesses and hospitals are now imposed. They include:
Read so far
Highlights Posted in:
It’s a new year, but the news out of the capital continues to focus on COVID-19.
Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted last week that “a significant portion of vaccines distributed across Texas might be sitting on hospital shelves as opposed to being given to vulnerable Texans. The state urges vaccine providers to quickly provide all shots. We get plenty more each week.”
Many health providers and county health department officials responded that they were working as quickly as they could to give shots to front-line health care workers and lacked the doses necessary to move to what Texas calls phase 1B recipients. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, phase 1B recipients include those 65 and older and those 16 and older with medical conditions that would put them at greater risk from COVID-19.
AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the Supreme Court of Texas for granting the state’s petition and directing the court of appeals to enjoin enforcement of Austin Mayor Steve Adler’s and Travis County Judge Andy Brown’s illegal local orders, which imposed a four-day shutdown of dine-in food and beverage services from 10:30 p.m.