Four months ago, Williamson County began vaccinating the public through partnerships with Curative and Family Hospital Systems (FHS). Including vaccinations of first responders and front-line healthcare workers, the Texas Department of State Health Services reports that 406,836 doses have been administered in the county and approximately 56.6% of adults 16 and older have received their first shot. More than 83% of those age 65 and over have been vaccinated with at least one dose.
“The reason we have seen such success is because of our public-private partnerships,” said Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell. “Our success is a direct result of government getting out of the way of private business and letting them do what they do best.”
Judge Gravell reported that this week will be the last week that first doses will be given at the County’s mass vaccination sites. The County’s contracts with FHS and Curative will terminate in May after second shots have been given for those who received first shots at one of the County’s mass vaccination sites.
“The mass vaccination sites will be closing down in the future, but this isn’t the end. We are moving forward with the mobile units and kiosk units,” stated Cristin Meehan, director of vaccine distribution for Curative. “We want to make sure everyone knows that we are going to be here. You can go to Curative.com and put in your location. There are lots of appointments that are available. There still are plenty of doses to get out. Curative’s mission is to end this pandemic. That is what it has been since we started this back in March of last year, and that is still our goal.”
According to Curative, 57,303 people have been vaccinated through the mass vaccination site at Dell Diamond.
“We are humbled to have been able to transform Dell Diamond into a mass vaccination hub for the residents of Central Texas. The partnership between Curative, Williamson County, the City of Round Rock and the Round Rock Express has helped put our entire community on a path back to normalcy. We cannot wait to open the gates of Dell Diamond for Round Rock Express Opening Day on May 6 and celebrate the return of Minor League Baseball,” said Chris Almendarez, president of the Round Rock Express.
Williamson County discontinued keeping a centralized waitlist earlier this month due to decreased numbers of new registrations. Instead, individuals can schedule their COVID-19 vaccination directly with the provider of their choice. Currently, there are 25 vaccine providers in Williamson County with more than 20,110 first shots available.
In addition, the last day Williamson County will operate its COVID-19 call center at 512-943-1600 and its Vaccine Registration Technical Assistance (VRTA) centers is Friday, April 30, 2021. In an effort to assist people with their vaccine registration who work during the day, the VRTA site at First United Methodist Church Georgetown in the McKinney Christian Ministry Center, 1205 Ash Street, in Georgetown, will offer evening hours on Tuesday, April 27, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. A list of VRTA centers and operating hours can be found at www.wilco.org/coronavirus.
Click this link to view today’s press conference: https://youtu.be/iwTjepDcBT4.