WELLMED

The City of San Antonio and WellMed will host a Fiesta-themed COVID-19 vaccination drive this Saturday on the South Side.

WellMed will resume administering the single-dose Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine beginning Wednesday at two San Antonio community vaccination sites.

WellMed has opened online registration for two San Antonio community vaccination clinics offering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

The City of San Antonio has announced that local vaccine providers will stop administering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control recommended to pause inoculations due to blood clots.

WellMed has opened online registration for more than 4,000 first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

WellMed is scheduling more than 3,000 appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations next week.

SAN ANTONIO – With every Texan 16 years or older eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday, the race for vaccination appointments is about to get a lot more competitive. KSAT 12 spoke with two women who have spent their free time helping to get more than 1,400 people between them signed up for vaccine appointments. Those two, along with CVS Pharmacy, are poised to be big vaccine providers in the weeks to come, though they don’t have the same profile as the largest sites. Sign up for alerts, and check providers frequentlyTake whatever advantage you can get by signing up for whatever text, email, or smart phone alerts you can find. Be prepared to schedule family members separatelyThe vast majority of vaccine providers are only offering appointments one-at-a-time, generally through online sign-ups.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio City Council members want a better way to sign up for vaccinations, but it’s not clear what form that might end up taking. The Community Health and Equity Committee discussed the need for easier vaccine registrations during a Tuesday afternoon briefing from the county’s largest vaccine providers, including the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, WellMed, University Health, and UT Health-San Antonio. Some council members, led by District 9 Councilman John Courage, have expressed support for a central registry or waitlist system. Some of the vaccine providers at Tuesday’s meeting spoke against the idea of a registry. “I don’t think any of us are opposed to a single registry, but it will come with problems,” said Dr. Robert Leverence, the chief medical officer for UT Health San Antonio, which began offering vaccine appointments to the public last week.

Metro Health, WellMed to reopen COVID-19 vaccination registration, receive 9,000 more doses eachSAN ANTONIO – WellMed announced on Sunday that it will reopen its COVID-19 vaccination hotline on Monday morning. According to a release, the hotline for the community COVID-19 vaccination clinics operating in partnership with the city of San Antonio, closed on Sunday for maintenance. “The line will reopen at 8 a.m. Monday, March 8 to take appointments for COVID-19 vaccine shots at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center or the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center,” officials said. The hotline will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until the current supply of vaccines is exhausted. RELATED: How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio when appointments are available

SAN ANTONIO – The WellMed COVID-19 vaccination reservation hotline reopened Friday morning to fill first-dose appointments for 9,000 Moderna vaccines, according to health officials. The hotline is used for residents to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center and the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center. Those who are seeking to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at these two sites must schedule their appointment over the phone. Currently health care workers and anyone over the age of 65 and 18 with chronic health conditions are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at this time. RELATED: How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio when appointments are available

All current vaccine doses have been reserved. WellMed will announce to media and post on social media when the hotline reopens. SAN ANTONIO – The reservation hotline for the WellMed COVID-19 clinics closed Wednesday after all appointments were filled for the current allotment of 30,000 vaccine doses. WellMed officials expect to re-open the reservation hotline on Friday if they get more vaccines. WellMed will announce to media and post on social media when the hotline reopens.

Original Story:The WellMed COVID-19 vaccination reservation hotline will reopen this week to fill 30,000 first-dose appointments, according to health officials. The hotline is used for residents to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center and the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center. AdThose who are seeking to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at these two sites must schedule their appointment over the phone. If the call doesn’t go through at all, it may be an issue with your phone service provider, according to WellMed. Currently health care workers and anyone over the age of 65 or 16 and older with chronic health conditions are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at this time.

SAN ANTONIO – The two WellMed-run community COVID-19 vaccination clinics will remain closed this week due to the wintry weather conditions. The patients scheduled to receive vaccinations this week were due to get the second dose of the Moderna vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control says the second dose may be administered up to 42 days after the initial dose for the two-shot regimen to remain effective, WellMed officials said. The WellMed vaccination hotline is closed while healthcare officials await more shipments of the vaccine. Appointments scheduled on Wednesday, Feb. 17 should return at the same time on Wednesday, Feb. 24 .

SAN ANTONIO – (Updated Friday, 8 a.m.)Here is the latest information on closures and scheduling for the public COVID-19 vaccination sites in San Antonio in light of this week’s wintry weather, icy road conditions and power outages. For those who have appointments scheduled before 12:00 p.m. tomorrow, they may arrive at the Alamodome at any time between 12:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. As a reminder to the public, they must have a second dose vaccine appointment scheduled for tomorrow to enter the Alamodome. WellMed Vaccination SitesThe two WellMed-run community COVID-19 vaccination clinics will remain closed this week due to the wintry weather conditions. University Health’s clinic at Wonderland of the AmericasThe University Health COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Wonderland of the Americas mall will be closed on Friday.

SAN ANTONIO – The Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Center and the Alicia Trevino Senior Center, both run by WellMed, will resume taking appointments for 6000 new COVID-19 vaccine doses on Tuesday at 8 a.m. “As long as we continue to receive vaccines, we will continue to serve our community. Those who work in the health care field will need to provide a badge at the appointment. If the call doesn’t go through at all, it may be an issue with your phone service provider, according to WellMed. The two clinic locations are:Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center at 517 SW Military DriveAlicia Treviño López Senior One-Stop Center at 8353 Culebra Road

WellMed plans to administer second doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine early next week, according to officials. The second doses will be administered at two community vaccination clinics on Monday, Feb. 8. Once the doses are received, WellMed will reopen the hotline and schedule those 6,000 doses, according to officials. Those who receive their first dose at one of the WellMed-run clinics will receive a reminder notification about returning for their second shot. The Moderna vaccine is designed to be given in two doses, administered 28 days apart.

SAN ANTONIO – Feb. 3 Update:On Wednesday, a WellMed official said that all available doses at the city’s two WellMed-run clinics in San Antonio are reserved. The telephone registration hotline is now responding to callers with a recorded message stating that all slots are full. WellMed will make a public announcement about reopening the hotline when they receive more vaccine doses. Original Story:The vaccination hotline went live again Saturday morning with people anxious to get their name on WellMed’s list. AdRELATED: How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio when appointments are available

WellMed will make a public announcement about reopening the hotline when they receive more vaccine doses. Original Story:The WellMed COVID-19 vaccination reservation hotline will reopen this weekend, according to health officials. The hotline is used for residents to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center and the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center. The hotline will reopen at 8 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 30 and appointments will begin Feb. 1. AdThose who are seeking to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at these two sites must schedule their appointment over the phone.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Judge Nelson Wolff updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Saturday evening. Nirenberg reported 146,343 total COVID-19 cases and 1,716 total deaths in Bexar County, an increase of 2,840 new cases. The 7-day moving average of cases is at 2,261, an increase from Friday. The intensive care units reported 424 patients, an increase from 403. There are 11% of staffed beds available and 53% of ventilators available.

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and WellMed have each received 9,000 more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Metro Health, which received a shipment of the Pfizer vaccine, will begin booking appointments Friday for the Alamodome next week. To avoid the overwhelming rush of residents seeking appointments that occurred with the first series of Alamodome appointments, the City of San Antonio will make appointments available on a rolling basis. The registration system will continue to reopen as appointments become available due to cancellations. WellMed received 9,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine for distribution next week.

SAN ANTONIO – If you were having trouble accessing the WellMed locations on San Antonio’s South and West Sides this week you weren’t alone. As of Wednesday afternoon, a staggering 5.6 million phone calls had been received since registration opened over the weekend, Councilwoman Adriana Rocha-Garcia told KSAT. A total of 9,000 doses were available at the two facilities but all of the slots have been filled, according to WellMed officials. If you’re unable to get through, city officials say to keep trying as the lines are receiving hundreds of calls every minute. None of them have any vaccines available at this time.

SAN ANTONIO – If you were hoping to get a COVID-19 vaccine at a Wellmed location on the city’s west and south sides this week, you’re out of luck. Registration for 9,000 vaccine slots at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Center and the Alicia Treviño López Senior Center is full until the facilities receive more doses. Our goal is to get residents equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine,” San Antonio Councilwomen Rebecca Viagran, Adriana Rocha Garcia and Ana Sandoval said in a statement. “We ask you to please be patient as we are committed to ensuring our residents have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Updates will be provided as the city receives more COVID-19 vaccines,” the councilwomen said.

Dr. John Hollinger with WellMed discussed the importance of staying safe during this unprecedented time by seeing a primary care physician. That is why WellMed is working diligently to make your doctor visit safe. “One of the positive outcomes of COVID-19 is innovation to the way patients can now receive care," Hollinger said. When you arrive, stay in your car and one of the health care professionals will come to give you the vaccine. The health care provider is also offering drive-thru flu shot clinics in certain locations.

Dr. Steven Argumendo, with WellMed, answered some commonly asked questions regarding the annual enrollment period for Medicare and reiterated the importance of seeing a primary care physician for pre-existing conditions. “The less time a physician spends with you, the less they know about your particular health condition,” said Argumendo. “At WellMed, health care is about the relationship between the doctor and patient.”4). “Health care is complicated and sometimes it requires several specialists to coordinate your care together,” Argumendo said. The Medicare annual enrollment period ends Dec. 7.

Dr. Victor Soria with WellMed answered some commonly asked questions regarding the Annual Enrollment Period for Medicare. An alarming percentage of Americans are delaying or putting off routine screenings like a mammogram for fear of getting COVID-19. What can Medicare patients do during AEP? Switch from original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, switch Medicare Advantage plans, dis-enroll from a Medicare Advantage plan and return to original Medicare, enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan, switch Medicare prescription drug plans or dis-enroll from a Medicare prescription drug plan. How do they communicate and coordinate care with their patient’s other care teams, such as specialists and hospitalists?

Dr. John Hollinger with WellMed discusses the importance of staying safe during this unprecedented time by getting a flu shot. “The CDC recommends anyone 6 months or older (to) get a flu shot now,” Hollinger said. And, just because you had a flu shot last year doesn’t mean you can avoid it this year. “There are several myths, but here are the facts -- you cannot get the flu from the flu shot,” Hollinger said. If you would like to get a flu shot from WellMed, you can call a WellMed clinic to make an appointment.

{Related: KSAT12 to host virtual phone bank with WellMed and UnitedHealthcare Thursday]Listed below are some of the safety measures that WellMed has implemented to keep its employees and patients safe during the coronavirus. Staff temperature checks twice daily: All staff must undergo temperature checks at the beginning of the day. Visitor temperature checks at the door: All patients and visitors must have their temperature checked before they enter the clinic. Social distancing markers: WellMed clinics have markers that help patients keep at least 6 feet of distance for safe interactions. All staff wears personal protective equipment: All clinic staff are required to wear personal protective equipment.

From online video visits to curbside care, WellMed and others have changed to make sure patients get the care they need while staying safe. Listed below are some of the safety measures that WellMed has implemented to keep its employees and patients safe during the coronavirus. Staff temperature checks twice daily: All staff must undergo temperature checks at the beginning of the day. All staff wears personal protective equipment: All clinic staff are required to wear personal protective equipment. In addition to in-office visits, WellMed now offers other safe options:Online video visits: Patients can meet with a physician or advanced practice clinician using a smartphone, tablet or computer.

SAN ANTONIO Have questions about Medicare during these uncertain times? On Thursday, Aug. 27, WellMed and United Healthcare will hold a virtual phone bank on KSAT.com with live operators taking your calls all day. The phone bank number is 210-622-8415 and it will be held from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. This is a perfect opportunity to get any questions answered regarding Medicare. Visit wellmedhealthcare.com/5Star to have questions answered at any time.

SAN ANTONIO – We can’t attend concerts right now because of coronavirus, but you can enjoy them from the comfort of your home. WellMed Wednesdays LIVE! The line-up includes:April 22 - Flaco Jiménez at 2 p.m.Watch: Flaco Jiménez live stream. April 29 - Raulito Navaira (time TBA)May 6 - Thomas McClary from The Commodores’ (time TBA)The virtual concerts will be available live on Facebook and YouTube. “We are excited to share the power of music to unite us all while we social distance for all.”