HARLINGEN — Cameron County health officials today plan to administer the COVID-19 vaccine’s final dose to 2,000 people who received their first dose last month.
Officials will open the clinic at 6 a.m., requesting people line up by noon at the Casa del Sol community center at 221 E. Madison Ave.
On Jan. 8, officials administered the Moderna vaccine’s first dose to 2,000 people during a vaccination clinic here targeting people 65 years old and over and those suffering underlying medical conditions.
As part of the vaccination process, the Moderna vaccine requires two doses administered within 28-day intervals, Josh Ramirez, the city’s public health director, said.
“The 2,000 people who received the first vaccine on Jan. 8 must come back to get the second dose,” Mayor Chris Boswell stated.
As part of the vaccination program, people who received the vaccine’s first dose on Jan. 5 are required to present their vaccination record card to receive their second dose today, Ramirez said.
Second dose ‘critical’
Ramirez called it critical that people who received their first dose Jan. 8 return today to take the vaccine’s second and final dose to build immunity against COVID-19.
While the vaccine’s first dose helps the body develop about a 44-percent protection rate against the virus, the second dose gives the vaccine its 94-percent effectiveness rate, he said.
Taking the vaccine’s two doses to complete the vaccination process is vital to building a 70- to 80-percent “herd immunity” within the U.S. population, Ramirez said.
Research is showing the Moderna vaccine can offer up to “years” of immunity against the coronavirus, he said.
City, county partnering together
County and city officials worked together to hold the county’s first vaccination clinic aimed at administering the COVID-19 vaccine’s second and final dose.
“We are at the four-week mark where we held the county’s first COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Harlingen and I thank Mayor Boswell and the city of Harlingen, all staff, volunteers and county employees for being part of this collaborative outreach in vaccinating our population from this ongoing and deadly virus,” County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. stated. “We couldn’t have done this without each and every one of you.”
County to hold more second-dose clinics
Officials expect to receive more vaccine doses to begin administering the second dose to those who have received their first dose.
“It is expected that Cameron County Public Health will receive additional COVID-19 vaccines in future weeks and will provide additional second-dose vaccination clinic updates as allocations are confirmed,” officials stated.
Officials are working to give people “equal opportunity” to receive their vaccinations, Treviño stated.
“We look forward for continuous vaccine allocations from the state and partnering with different entities throughout the county to ensure everyone has equal opportunity to receive the vaccine,” he stated.
