Shot opportunities at Adams Gym, Carver this weekend

According to Texas DSHS data, Caldwell County is falling behind in COVID-19 vaccinations compared to the rest of the state.
DSHS’s numbers as of Monday showed that at about 41% of the county has received at least one dose — 10% less than the state average.
According to a post on the City of Lockhart website, the temporary vaccination clinic set up by Curative at Adams Gym has only seen an average of 12 people per day since it began operating a week ago. The clinic currently has the capacity to vaccinate up to 300 people per day.
Lockhart Mayor Lew White emphasized the importance of people taking advantage of available vaccines.
“If you haven’t gotten the vaccine, strongly consider doing so for your safety and that of your family and community,” White said. “We are almost there, so let’s finish strong to the finish line.
The estimated number of active cases in Caldwell County has continued to improve. As of Monday, there were 111 estimated active cases according to DSHS.
Vaccines are available this week in Lockhart either by appointment with medical providers or at two free walk-up clinic opportunities:

• Adams Gym (offered through Curative): noon-7 p.m. May 13-16. Moderna vaccine will be administered here.
• Carver Vocational School (offered through Where We Thrive): 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

Adolescents aged 12 years old and up are now eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency made the announcement Monday, as it amended the emergency use authorization issued in December.
“The FDA’s expansion of the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age is a significant step in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “Today’s action allows for a younger population to be protected from COVID-19, bringing us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy and to ending the pandemic.”
The FDA’s announcement comes days after the Texas Department of State Health Services encouraged pediatric providers to enroll in the COVID-19 vaccine program.
“Vaccinating adolescents will bring us closer to ending the pandemic and getting back to normal,” said DSHS Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.5 million adolescents between the age of 11 and 17 got sick with the coronavirus from March 1, 2020 through April 30, 2021. Experts at the CDC said children and adolescents generally have milder COVID-19 symptoms than adults.
“Parents and guardians can rest assured that the agency undertook a rigorous and thorough review of all available data, as we have with all of our COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorizations,” the FDA’s Commissioner Woodcock added.

State ends automatic vaccine allocations

The Texas Department of State Health Services will no longer allocate COVID-19 vaccine to providers on a weekly basis. Now that the supply of COVID-19 vaccine is regularly exceeding demand, DSHS will fill vaccine orders from providers as they come in and ship vaccine from the DSHS Pharmacy or place orders with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a daily basis.
“This is a big step in vaccine distribution,” said Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services. “The ability to ship vaccine to pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and other providers as they need it will go a long way to making sure it is available when and where Texans want to be vaccinated.”
Vaccine is available more widely than ever at hundreds of locations across Texas, many with no waiting and no appointment needed. Convenience will be key to getting the next group of Texans vaccinated, and DSHS is working with existing providers, employers and community organizations to make vaccination as easy as possible. More information on the vaccine, including tools to locate providers, is available at covidvaccine.texas.gov.
With an ample supply of vaccine, providers no longer need to use every dose in the week they receive it but should store it under the conditions that will maximize its shelf life. DSHS is also encouraging providers to vaccinate anyone who wants to be vaccinated, even if that means opening a new vial for that person without knowing whether all doses will be used.
More than 11.3 million people have received at least one dose, and over 8.3 million are now fully vaccinated. More than half of all eligible Texans have gotten a dose of vaccine, and about 37 percent are fully vaccinated.
As a result of the change to regular vaccine ordering, DSHS will no longer post weekly allocation tables. The state will also retire the weekly report on vaccine doses reported by providers as wasted.