SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Bexar County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez and Metro Health Assistant Director Dr. Anita Kurian updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in the Thursday night briefing.
Nirenberg reported 524,642 first-dose COVID-19 vaccines have been administered. He said 294,158 people are fully vaccinated.
During Thursday’s briefing, the mayor spoke about the city council’s recent vote to approve the creation of a pilot program for a vaccine registry to serve those who are 65 years or older. He said city staff members are working on setting up the registry, and it’s expected to launch in a few weeks.
Kurian said the registry is still in its design phase. She said it would give individual users a virtual “parking spot” to become eligible for an appointment for a vaccine as soon as one becomes available.
Rodriguez said University Health would be receiving an increase of 50% more doses next week. Nirenberg said the city would receive a boost of more than 22,000 doses.
Rodriguez said a new East Side administration site would have 5,000 appointment slots available. More information is expected to be announced later this week or early next week.
Kurian said some providers have inadvertently administered a vaccine to minors who are not qualified for the vaccine. She said if someone is underage, they are pulled from the line. However, it is not required to include a birthdate on the appointment signup, nor is an ID a requirement when at an administration site, so some minors could slip through the cracks if gone unnoticed, Kurian said.
All incidents of those minors unauthorized to receive a vaccine but still inoculated are reported to the CDC.
City officials urge residents not to participate in mass gatherings this Easter weekend. However, if people do attend them, they should take all COVID-19 safety measures to avoid more spread, even if vaccinated.
Overnight camping will not be allowed at city parks this year, Nirenberg said.
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