SAN PATRICIO, Texas — Many folks in surrounding counties might be wondering when they’re going to get the coronavirus vaccine after watching Nueces County receive 4,000 doses this week.
San Patricio County is one of those places still left wondering. Dr. James Mobley is the Health Authority for San Pat. He said some county residents have been able to go to a few pharmacies around the county to get a vaccination.
For many communities, it's not an option, and unfortunately, the county is still waiting to get its first shipment of the vaccine.
"We are expecting an e-mail sometime today to give us the amount of our first allocation," Dr. Mobley said.
"It’s my understanding they normally ship the vaccine on Mondays that way they can give it throughout the entire week, but since we have a holiday next week [Martin Luther King Day] I’m expecting it on Tuesday.”
If that shipment does not arrive, there is an offer on the table to allow some of San Pat's most vulnerable residents to get the vaccine at the Nueces County mass vaccination site at the fairgrounds.
"We’ve turned our sites now to San Pat and we will be working with and reaching out to them next week when we receive more vaccines so they can also make sure they could have at least addressing some of the most vulnerable," Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said.
Judge Canales had more good news for our surrounding counties. She said that the Community Action Corporation of South Texas is watching how Nueces County is handling the mass vaccination effort.
"We just had a visit this morning from a federally qualified health center that tackles six different counties including Jim Wells, Duval, Aransas and Bee," Canales said. "So, we know that they’re here to learn from our operation and they’re going to receive allocation they believe next week.”
Dr. Mobley said that San Pat has around 70,000 residents. He pointed out that he needs to get the vaccine to at least half of those folks to provide some immunity.
Right now -- that vaccination effort has fallen way short as he estimates only 250 folks have gotten the vaccine so far.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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