Vaccine a dose of relief
What to knowabout making an appointment to get yours
As each county and city in Texas decides for itself how to register people for the COVID-19 vaccine, many people are confused about how and when they’ll receive the shot in their arms. About 1.2 percent of Texans, or 340,000 people, have been vaccinated so far.
The reality is that most people will not get vaccinated for COVID-19 until later in 2021. Hospital systems must plan not only to vaccinate the next groups of people, according to priorities set by Texas Department of State Health Services, but also those returning for a second dose.
“It’s going to take a couple months,”
said Dr. James McCarthy, chief physician executive at Memorial Hermann Hospital System.
Here’s what you need to knowabout the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Who is getting the vaccine?
COVID-19 vaccines are being administered to people in the phase 1A and 1B groups, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The first priority groups in phase 1A include medical workers who treat COVID-19 patients, staff and residents at longterm care facilities, home health care workers and first responders.
In the second tier of phase 1A, staff in outpatient settings who interact with symptomatic patients, staff at free-
standing emergency rooms, pharmacists administering the vaccine, public health staff, school nurses, funeral home workers and medical examiners who work with people who died from COVID-19, will receive vaccines.
Phase 1B includes people who are 65 and older and people who are 16 or older with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, pregnancy or cancer, that puts them at higher risk for complications and death from COVID-19. People who are in Phase 1B can register to get vaccinated at this time.
Hospitals such as Houston Methodist have said that they would prioritize patients who have recently seen a primary care doctor or specialist in their networks before the rest of the public.
Signs are up at doctor’s offices, hospitals and pharmacies around Greater Houston warning that the COVID-19 vaccine isn’t available yet to most people.
“The best estimate we are able to offer is that supplies of the vaccine are expected to increase sufficiently to vaccinate the general public sometime in either March or April,” said Porfirio Villarreal, a spokesperson for the Houston Health Department.
How do I sign up?
Appointments are required to get the vaccine. The Houston Health Department began allowing Phase 1A and Phase 1B vaccine recipients to sign upon its website or by phone Monday through Saturday at 832-393-4220. As of Monday afternoon, the city’s department no longer has available appointments for the rest of January .
You can, however, continue to check the Houston Health Department’s site to signup as more vaccines are produced. No details on when those vaccines will be shipped are available. Private hospitals may have separate sign-up systems or websites.
Some links have circulated in recent days allowing Harris County residents to sign up regardless of pre-existing conditions or age. The link from Harris County Public Health has been taken down, and department staff will turn away any residents who show up at a vaccination site and do not fit vaccine rollout criteria.
Nearby counties, including Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, have not received shipments of the vaccine but will create online scheduling systems when the vaccine becomes available.
Most people should be eligible for vaccination by the spring. The best way to find out when and where a vaccine will be available to your group is to check the Texas DSHS website.
Where can I see COVID-19 vaccine locations?
Dozens of medical providers in the Houston area are listed as COVID-19 vaccine providers on the Texas DSHS website. They include major hospitals, clinics, public health offices and pharmacies.
You’ll need an appointment before getting your COVID-19 vaccine. Call ahead or sign up online on the provider’ s website to make one.
But don’t bother trying to sign up yet if you’re not in the 1A or 1B groups. Hospitals are prioritizing vaccine recipients within phase 1A and 1B groups and sending out sign-ups to small groups of patients at a time.
“Right now, we’re inviting discreet groups like certain neighborhood health clinics in underserved areas, but having to do it in a limited way so the people we invite can get scheduled,” said McCarthy of Memorial Hermann.
Can I go to my doctor’s office to get a vaccine?
Primary care providers will provide another way to get vaccinated, but most are following a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” approach.
At Baylor College of Medicine, staff are using medical records to identify which patients within the Phase 1B group should get vaccines first. For instance, a 64year-old who is obese and has a heart condition might be offered the vaccine before a healthy 66year-old.
“We’ve provided a list to physicians who will reach out to our patients to schedule, so patients don’t have to do anything,” said Dr. James McDeavitt, Baylor College of Medicine’s senior vice president and dean of clinical affairs.
Some hospitals are emailing sign-up links to patientswho have been identified as high priority for the vaccine. Some of those patients might pass the registration websites along to people who don’t qualify, but hospitals said those who don’t belong to priority groups will be turned away.
Calling to try to jump the line won’t work either, hospital officials said.
“Cold calling hospitals and clinics is not helpful,” Memorial Hermann’s McCarthy said.
How does the vaccine work?
The COVID-19 vaccine is given in two doses. A clinician administers the first dose to a patient and keeps them for as long as 20 minutes for observation. During this time, the patient is monitored for any allergic reactions to the vaccine. For most, the extent of their reaction is a sore arm.
Between the two inoculation appointments, patients should continue towear a mask, practice social distancing and avoid gatherings.
Three weeks later, patients will return for the second dose. Combined, the two doses are 95 percent effective in protecting people from coming down with COVID-19. It’s still unknown whether people can continue to carry the virus after being vaccinated.
Experts advise getting both doses from the same provider.
How much does the vaccine cost?
Vaccines that have been purchased as part of the federal allotment will be free, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Providers administering them “may not seek any reimbursement, including through balance billing, froma vaccine recipient.”
Patients and their insurance providers, however, may be on the hook for other costs— a bill for visiting the doctor’s office, for instance, or for care if they have an adverse reaction. It’s still unclear what counts as an administration cost. A patient who is uninsured can still receive a COVID-19 vaccine at no cost, because the Provider Relief Fund will reimburse hospitals and clinics for services related to COVID-19.
Why can’t I get a vaccination despite being in a priority group?
Most places are still inoculating the phase 1A group’s first and second doses. There are only so many clinicians qualified and available to administer the vaccine and monitor patients afterward.
People who fall into the 1A and 1B categories have reported calling around for hours, unable to get a vaccination appointment at a medical provider. A lot of it has to do with basic math: According to a Chronicle analysis of the data, 786,250 doses have been distributed across Texas, but, according to the Census, more than 3 million Texas residents alone are 65 or older.
There are also more than 1.6 million health care workers and 270,000 assisted living facility residents in Texas who are part of the high priority groups.
Medical providers say they are running out of vaccines for the doctors, nurses and patients who need it most. Pharmacies, such as H-E-B’s, and small clinics said they’ve received smaller shipments of vaccines, with individual locations getting as few as 100 doses.
State officials allege that vaccines are sitting on the shelves and not getting distributed quickly enough. The Texas Department of State Health Services did not reply to a request for comment.