RICHMOND, Texas – Fort Bend County Judge KP George gave an update on the coronavirus vaccine in Fort Bend County.
George was joined by the Health & Human Services director, Dr. Jacquelyn Minter and opened the news conference by saying the COVID-19 numbers in the county are rising at an “alarming” rate.
According to George, the county is currently at a level red with about 32,000 positive cases. Of those, about 23,000 have recovered, but there are 8,500 active cases, which is about 10 times higher than the number of active cases just two months ago.
George urged people to continue social distancing and following other health protocols. He also said people should avoid large gatherings.
“Dr. Minter recently mentioned that if you go to a large group, it is almost guaranteed that somebody there has COVID. That means you’re going to get it,” George said.
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According to George, the county is a registered administrator of the vaccine and received a shipment of 1,000 COVID-19 vaccines on Monday night. People in Phase 1A will now be able to get the vaccine, the judge said.
George said more than 5,000 people have pre-registered and asked for patients to be patient as officials work to make appointments.
Minter echoed George, saying that once the county gets to 1A patients, they will begin vaccinating those in 1B. However, she said there is no specific date on when that could be.
“We have registration site opening up right now, because (starting Phase 1B) may occur sooner than we think, and we’d hate to put them off because we think they will take longer,” Minter said.
Minter said health care workers and people in Phase 1B can register now at fbchealth.org. After you sign up, Minter said HHS will be scheduling people by priority order. Minter said that does not mean you should wait to sign up.
“(People in Phase 1B) can sign up as well, so we’ll have their names and we’ll be able to call them as soon as there is a slot available,” Minter said.
George said the vaccines will be at no cost.
In Houston, the Houston Health Department is also distributing the vaccine to those who are eligible to receive it in phase 1a and 1b.
You can register to get the vaccine through the city at www.HoustonEmergency.org/COVID19.
In Harris County, there is no plan by county officials to offer the vaccine to the residents on a mass distribution basis. Residents are being asked to contact their primary care provider or a hospital, medical clinic, urgent care or pharmacy.
In Brazoria County, COVID-19 vaccine distribution will take place at Brazoria County health clinics, according to officials, once the county receives the vaccine. Residents can get the latest updates from the county at www.brazoriacountytx.gov
And if you live in Montgomery County, officials there said they are not involved in any mass distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine at this time.