Jacqueline Peraza | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The UTRGV School of Medicine and UT Health RGV continue to administer the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to residents across the Rio Grande Valley.
Individuals who receive either of the vaccines must return for a second injection after being vaccinated the first time.
Last Thursday, School of Medicine faculty members and students administered the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine to those vaccinated in mid-December.
School of Medicine faculty members, UT Health clinicians, nursing students, among others, were the first to be vaccinated after receiving the shipment from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Dr. John Krouse, School of Medicine dean and executive vice president of Health Affairs, said they began with individuals who have direct patient contact and are at high risk of coming across an individual with COVID-19.
“We then moved into the Phase 1a in the community,” Krouse said in a Zoom interview with The Rider and KVAQ-TV. “We opened it up to first providers, EMS services, police and fire, home health aides, etc. We worked through the county medical societies to see if we could get the physicians in the community, who do not have hospital affiliations, vaccinated.”
SCREENSHOT TAKEN BY ROXANNA MIRANDA DURING AN INTERVIEW LAST THURSDAY VIA ZOOM
Eligible vaccine recipients in Phase 1a include physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, physician assistants, front-line vaccination and testing staff, medical examiners, among others.
In Phase 1b, individuals over the age of 65 and anyone over 16 with a qualifying chronic medical condition are eligible to receive the vaccine.
According to a UTRGV Marketing and Communications news release sent last Thursday, “UT Health RGV has vaccinated over 4,000 individuals at distribution sites in Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen and Mercedes.”
In the release, the UTRGV community learned of a new personal digital vaccination profile that will be made available this week. The account can only be accessed with a valid UTRGV username and password and will allow users to express interest in receiving the vaccine or notifying they have already gotten it.
“This proactive approach will allow UT Health RGV to continue serving UTRGV campus community members who are eligible to receive the vaccine now, and to also have a list of future vaccination candidates at our ready once the CDC and DSHS expand eligibility requirements and vaccines become more available,” Krouse stated in the news release.
However, even those eligible to receive the vaccine cannot be assured they are vaccinated on such short notice. For that reason, the School of Medicine has temporarily suspended the registration to the public to receive the vaccine.
“We provided a temporary suspension because in a seven-day period we had 45,000 registrants,” Krouse said. “We’re only getting doses of vaccines in the range of [2,000] to 3,000 doses a week. So, if we’re getting 45,000 registrants a week but only 3,000 doses a week, we’re never gonna get those people covered.”
He said the decision was made in agreement with the offices of the president, provost and Health Affairs to hold off on allowing residents to register until they have a more secure and reliable supply of vaccines.
“We have the capacity to get more doses,” Krouse said. “Once we know that we’re getting more doses on a weekly basis and we’re working our way through that list, we’ll reopen it again.”
Even though the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have proved to be 95% and 94% effective, respectively, after the second dose in preventing disease, he advises everyone to continue practicing CDC guidelines, such as mask wearing and social distancing.
Asked what information he would like to share with the community, Krouse replied, “No one should be reluctant. When your time comes and you are prioritized to receive the vaccine, you should. It’s the way you’re going to keep yourself safe. It’s the way you’re going to keep your family safe. It’s the way we’re going to get back to a normal lifestyle. … And by all indications, this is a very, very safe vaccine. … We’ll get there. So, just be patient at this point.”
