McLennan County coalition aims to improve COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Made up of local school leaders, health experts and nonprofits
Source: KXXV
and last updated 2021-01-07 23:44:32-05
WACO, Texas â McLennan County health officials are teaming up with community organizations to improve plans for vaccine distribution.
The coalition, made up of a combination of school leaders, health experts and several nonprofit organizations, aims to spread information about the vaccine to communities across the county and work through ideas for efficient distribution. How do we reach people where they live, where it will be most convenient for them to get the vaccine? That s a lot of the talk we re doing right now, said Kelly Craine, a Waco-McLennan County Public Health District representative. A lot of it will be dependent on when we get more vaccine, though. That s the key.
DSHS says Texas has a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines, causing delays in vaccinations
Source: KXXV
and last updated 2021-01-06 19:29:07-05
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.
With a backdrop of crowded hospitals and a soaring COVID-19 death toll, McLennan Countyâs largest school district is offering COVID-19 tests over the weekend to students and employees preparing for classes to resume Tuesday.
McLennan County wrapped up December with a record number of monthly deaths attributed to COVID-19 and headed into the new year with one of the highest COVID-19 hospitalization rates in the state. The deaths of an 82-year-old man and a 97-year-old woman reported Thursday brought 2020âs COVID-19 death toll among McLennan County residents to 283. Of those, 86 were announced in December, almost double the previous monthly record of 44 in October.
Lynnâs La Vega Pharmacy owner Lynn Everett has stepped in to help the staff field a deluge of calls about whether the pharmacy has started providing COVID-19 vaccines to the general public.
Like other vaccine providers in McLennan County, including doctorâs offices, pharmacies and other entities, Lynnâs still has plenty of front-line health care workers to get to before it will be able to expand who can receive shots. The pharmacy received 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine Monday, had 38 doses left by Wednesday and now has a waiting list of 300 people.
âWe have other front-line workers and we donât have enough to cover them at this point,â Everett said. âWeâre trying to decide what we can do, and we donât want to waste any.â
What does the new variant of COVID-19 mean for Central Texas?
and last updated 2020-12-30 18:42:08-05
America s first known case of a more contagious coronavirus variant was discovered this week in Colorado. This particular strand, called B.1.1.7, was first identified in UK back in September.
The World Health Organization says this strand can now be found in 26 countries, but what does that mean for Central Texas?
First off, healthcare professionals told 25 News that it is completely normal for a virus to mutate and change. In fact, studies show COVID-19 has at least one mutation in its genome every two weeks, but this particular strand has more than one.