BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The Texas State Department of Health Services said all COVID-19 vaccinations must move to Phase 1B of the state’s vaccine plan, which includes people aged 65 or older or with certain conditions doctors, but hospitals in Brazos County say they are still operating in Phase 1A.
Phase 1A of the Texas COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan includes frontline healthcare professionals and residents of long-term care facilities. Due to the availability of the vaccine, local hospitals say they are not ready to move on.
“The message you are hearing from DSHS about moving to phase 1B now cannot be applied in all Texas communities, because the situations are different,” said Clint Cheng, Medical Director of the St. Joseph Medical Group, in a interview with KBTX. “Some communities received an early shipment of the vaccine and more than they really needed for their health care professionals, so they were able to move more quickly to Phase 1B. We received them later, so we continue to vaccinate 1A now, and we hope to get where we want to be in the next few weeks. “
Baylor Scott & White Health issued a statement about their vaccination efforts across the state, saying that they continue to vaccinate their healthcare professionals and will begin to immunize priority patients and community members as soon as they are finished.
“To date, the organization has received 26,825 doses. The doses received are distributed a few hours after security of shipment and none are retained. The amount distributed per day varies based on a number of factors, including supply, ”says the statement.
Baylor Scott & White says he has more than 56,300 employees and doctors employed across the state and is also vaccinating employees at partner and contracted facilities that support patient care.
Baylor Scott & White and St. Joseph Health did not provide a total number of people vaccinated locally.
Phase 1A of vaccine distribution also includes residents of long-term care facilities before the expansion of Phase 1B to include other vulnerable populations. Click here to learn more about Phase 1B.
Vaccine shipments to Brazos County
Baylor Scott & White Health-College Station was the only hospital in Vale do Brazos to receive vaccine shipments during Week 1 of vaccine distribution, totaling 975 doses. St. Joseph Health and other local pharmacies were then included in week 2, totaling 3,900 vaccines that week.
According to the state’s week 3 vaccine allocation plan, Brazos County received 700 vaccines that went to St. Joseph Health in Bryan and College Station and Baylor Scott & White-College Station.
Week 4 of the vaccine distribution plan shows Brazos County receiving 1,600 vaccines, which will go to local hospitals and pharmacies.
Across the state, more than 326,000 vaccines will be sent to providers during week 4. More than 120,000 of these vaccines will go directly to long-term care facilities through a CDC program that started last week in partnership with pharmacies including Walgreens, CVS and Pharmscript. The state will also distribute an additional 224,250 second doses to recipients in the first week.
The graph below shows the total number of vaccines that local providers have received since Week 1 of the Vaccine Allocation plan, based on the state’s vaccine panel.
| Provider | City | Total doses |
|---|---|---|
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – College Station | College Station | 1,175 |
| St. Joseph Health College Station Hospital | College Station | 600 |
| St. Joseph Health Primary Care – Wd Fitch | College Station | 200 |
| Pharmacy HEB 543 | College Station | 100 |
| HEB Pharmacy 619 | College Station | 100 |
| Pharmacy HEB 746 | College Station | 100 |
| HealthPoint ABC | College Station | 100 |
| Kroger Pharmacy 361 | College Station | 100 |
| St. Joseph’s Hospital (Meditech) | Bryan | 2,500 |
| Primary Colony of St. Joseph Austins | Bryan | 300 |
| St. Joseph Primary Care 29th | Bryan | 200 |
| St. Joseph Primary Care University Dr. | Bryan | 200 |
| St. Joseph Primary Care W Villa Maria | Bryan | 100 |
| Brazos County Health and Welfare | Bryan | 100 |
| BCS HealthPoint | Bryan | 100 |
| HealthPoint Memorial | Bryan | 100 |
| Bryan Family Medicine Clinic | Bryan | 100 |
| Legacy nursing and rehabilitation | Bryan | 100 |
| Pharmacy HEB 544 | Bryan | 100 |
| Pharmacy HEB 644 | Bryan | 100 |
| Kroger Pharmacy 383 | Bryan | 100 |
| Brookshires Pharmacy 1004 | Bryan | 500 |
As of week 4, the municipality of Brazos will have received 7,075 COVID-19 vaccines.
BCHD support services manager Sara Mendez says health professionals included in Phase 1A should contact their employers or primary care provider to find out how to get vaccinated. Mendez said that those in nursing homes should contact the management of the establishment where they are located.
Health officials have recommended that the general public check with local primary care providers about the availability of the vaccine.
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