KLEBERG COUNTY, Texas — Kleberg County received 1,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and quickly turned around and started getting the medicine into the arms of residents on Thursday.
County health officials were working to get the first 500 people inoculated outside of the J.K. Northway Expo Center. On Friday, they will finish up with the last 500 doses.
All those getting vaccines through these drives are pre-registered through the County Judge's office to receive the Moderna vaccine.
"We are not going to be the stepchildren left behind. I see a lot of big counties like Corpus Christi getting thousands and thousands of vaccines. I called the State and I said that's not acceptable. I want more vaccine. You don't have to send us workers. You don't have to send us anything. Just send us the vaccines and we will administer them ourselves," Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid said."
"All these volunteers you see behind me, it's not just us that's here. We can't make it happen without all of them, so I want to thank them and thank the community for being patient with us, because like the judge said, we're going to get everyone vaccinated but unfortunately not right now," said Benjamin Gonzalez, Kleberg County Public Health Coordinator. "It'll be a few weeks."
Those getting vaccines on Thursday included law enforcement officers, fire department personnel, healthcare workers and those 65 and older with comorbidities.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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