HARLINGEN — After weeks of pushing for vaccine dosages, officials here today will hold the city’s first COVID-19 community vaccination clinic targeting people 65 and older.
The new Harlingen Convention Center’s sprawling covered entryway will turn into a two-lane drive-thru clinic as officials plan to administer 1,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine during two vaccination rounds.
At City Hall, officials hatched a plan allowing people to pre-register for the clinic to help cut down on waiting time in temperatures expected to drop into the low 40s.
On Thursday, hundreds packed the convention center to register for their vaccinations, picking up wristbands carrying identification numbers they’ll show to receive their doses today.
“That gives them a guarantee,” Irma Garza, the city’s spokeswoman, said, referring to the wristbands.
The wristbands also assign people to one of two vaccination groups, she said.
Officials plan to administer vaccinations to the first group from 6 to 11 a.m. before giving the vaccine to members of the second group from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“They won’t have to wait for hours and hours,” Garza said.
State targeting 65 and older
As part of the state’s vaccination program, the clinic will target people 65 and older, Josh Ramirez, the city’s public health director, said.
“The state is telling us we need to concentrate on 65 and older,” he said. “We still have a population of 65 and older in dire need of protection. The majority of deaths have been 65 and older. We want to give this vulnerable population this fighting chance.”
Citizens’ requests led city to hold clinic
For about a month, Harlingen leaders had been requesting state and county officials allocate vaccine doses to allow them to hold the city’s first vaccination clinic.
“We had a lot of citizens’ requests, which drove us to demand more vaccine,” Ramirez said. “The demand is huge. We understand the limitations and supply.”
County helping cities open clinics
Now, county officials are working with cities, planning to allocate vaccine doses to allow them to hold their own vaccination clinics, Melissa Elizardi, the county’s spokeswoman, said, adding the state has been shipping the county 6,000 doses a week for the last five weeks
“We are certainly partnering with different cities,” she said.
Last Friday, Brownsville leaders held their first vaccination clinic after county officials sent them 2,000 doses.
Then on Tuesday, San Benito officials opened their first clinic, administering about 500 doses.
After the clinic, Assistant City Manager Fred Bell said he expected the city will hold more vaccination clinics.
Meanwhile, county officials are counting on the state to begin boosting its vaccine shipments as manufacturers step up production.
“We want to get to a place where we’re working with all the cities,” Elizardi said.
Expanded distribution means better access to vaccine
Across Cameron County, the county’s decision to expand distribution gives residents better access to the vaccine, Ramirez said.
For those disabled or lacking transportation, he said, hometown clinics give them a better chance to get vaccinated.
“Instead of one location, the cities can offer support for our citizens who are not able to travel to other sites,” Ramirez said. “They’ll have the option to stay in their hometown.”
City officials are planning to hold more vaccination clinics, he said.
“We continue requesting so we can do this more often if the county can provide more vaccine,” he said.
