Llano County Health Authority Dr. Jack Franklin said the county has requested 7,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and plans to have vaccine sites in Llano, Kingsland, and Horseshoe Bay. “All of this is dependent upon getting the vaccine, however,” Dr. Franklin explained. “The problem is we are not in control of supply.”
Llano County set up an online registration for the vaccine earlier this month and has over 5,000 people on the list. Folks can sign up at bit.ly/3be5ymN. Registering does not insure a person will get a dose of the vaccine. Officials will send periodic updates via email about vaccine administration. Dr. Franklin said once a supply of vaccine is received, people on the list will be given an opportunity to schedule a time and be notified of the location.
Dr. Franklin said his office used its initial 100 doses to set up a clinic for 1A personnel last week. “The process went smoothly and we were able to go through all 100 doses in short order. I feel we can duplicate that effort once we have vaccine and scale it up considerably.” Dr. Franklin said the county will prioritize 1A personnel who did not receive one of the first 100 vaccines including EMS personnel, firefighters, first responders, last responders, and school nurses. After the 1A population has been vaccinated, the county will contact people in the 1B group on the list in the order they signed up.
Dr. Franklin emphasized that all their plans to efficiently deliver the vaccine in Llano County depends on the state allocating the vaccine to the county. “We have some worry that the vaccine will only be sent to the new ‘hubs’ that the state has established.”
Baylor Scott & White representative Gabe Martinez said BS&W does not maintain a waiting list for people seeking the vaccine. BS&W encourages residents to sign up on Llano County’s link for the vaccine. Martinez explained, “We have a very limited supply of the vaccine at this time, so if Llano and other Hill Country residents have the opportunity to get the COVID-19 vaccine before Baylor Scott & White has appointments available, we encourage them to do so – and to keep a record of the immunization.”
Since the pandemic began, Llano County has maintained a timely list of new coronavirus cases and made the information available to the public via the county website. Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham explained the detailed weekly posting will pause for awhile. “The people we had assigned to building the list and posting were needed to redirect their efforts to begin planning the logistics for vaccine administration, overseeing the online registration, and distribution of the vaccine throughout the county.”
The number of new positive cases of the coronavirus for the month of December has increased from 343 to 401, and the number of deaths in December has increased from 7 to 12. Dr. Franklin said the reason for the variation in the total of December cases is because some nursing homes reported directly to the Department of State Health Services rather than to the county. “We therefore have gotten these cases a bit late.”
Covid testing will continue at the HSB Central Fire Station each Friday for the foreseeable future for people experiencing coronavirus symptoms, who have been exposed to the virus, or who have medical procedures scheduled. Make an appointment for this free service by calling (325) 216-9641. Please do not call the Fire Department.
