Bexar County, San Antonio leaders ask for COVID-19 vaccination site on the North Side

SANTO ANTÓNIO – Commissioner Trish DeBerry of District 3 of Bexar and three San Antonio city council members representing areas on the North Side are calling on the Metropolitan Sanitary District and Bexar County District Hospital to co-administer a COVID-19 vaccination site in northern part of the county.

Next week, Texas is expected to receive 200,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, which recently received emergency clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

DeBerry says the shipment gives the city and county an opportunity to create a new vaccination site.

“Johnson & Johnson’s FDA approval and shipping creates a unique opportunity for the city and county to work together, expanding vaccine distribution locations,” said DeBerry in a written statement.

District 8, 9 and 10 council members Manny Pelaez, John Courage and Clayton Perry joined Deberry to request a new vaccination site in northern Bexar County.

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Pelaez said the site would facilitate access to vaccines.

“Convenience is the key to success,” said Pelaez. “By placing another location where the constituents live and work, we are more likely to reduce the spread of the virus.

County officials said more than 200,000 people received the vaccine through the city’s Alamodome website and the county website at the Wonderland of the Americas shopping mall.

Courage said that current vaccination sites fall short of their goals to vaccinate needy populations.

“Current vaccination clinics are failing to achieve their intended goal of vaccinating the most deprived populations. The data show that a greater number of northern residents are being vaccinated at these clinics. Why not make it more convenient for our constituents? We are not saying to end these clinics, just add more, ”said Courage in a written statement.

• Local leaders are proposing the following sites as potential vaccination sites in northern Bexar County, as they are on main roads within easy reach:

• Toyota Field on the Wurzbach Parkway

• VIA Park and Ride on Highway 281

• Alzafar Temple in Loop 1604

• Fiesta Texas on Interstate 10

“If the plan is to continue the mass vaccination clinics in our community, we need a COVID vaccination site just north of Loop 410 now established. We were told that the problem is not the lack of available places, but the lack of supply. With more vaccines coming online, it is imperative that we provide closer access to vaccines to our vulnerable populations across the community, ”said Perry in a written statement.