HOUSTON – The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in some of the smaller counties in the Houston region, including Chambers County.
The first doses of the Moderna vaccine were administered to 20 medical workers, paramedics and health department staffers at the Patients Emergency Room near Mont Belvieu on Sunday, according to Chambers County Public Information Officer Samantha Humphrey.
“We’re really excited to have this vaccine because it’s a light at the end of the tunnel for us,” Humphrey said.
So far, the state’s online dashboard shows only 60 people in Chambers County have received at least one shot.
The county said part of the reason is timing: the first shipment of vaccines did not arrive here until the Wednesday before Christmas. As of Monday afternoon, two other locations were still waiting on their doses.
“Hopefully, once they receive their allocations, we’re going to see a very strong uptick in the number of vaccines that have been administered,” Humphrey said.
Coordinating the process also comes with some challenges.
“Finding a time a group of ten people can be in the same place at the same time is a challenge in and of itself and then you’ve got to find a healthcare provider that can actually administer the vaccine,” she said.
The county said the two locations that were still waiting on the vaccines are a medical clinic and pharmacy but the county did not know why they had not arrived yet.