Breckenridge Texan

By Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan

Stephens County continues to make gains in getting local residents vaccinated against COVID-19. Local residents have already had several opportunities to get the shots, and there are several more options to get one of the vaccinations at no charge coming up this weekend.

On Sunday, March 7, the Texas National Guard set up a clinic at Elliott Street Church of Christ and gave about 100 first doses of the Moderna vaccine on a first-come-first-served basis to people in the community. And, on Friday, March 5, Stephens Memorial Hospital, with the help of TSTC nursing students, gave 200 second doses of the Moderna vaccine to local residents who had received their first dose last month.

Then, on Sunday night, Stephens County Judge Michael Roach posted on the county’s Facebook page that the community should receive around 600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines this week. According to his post, the Breckenridge Medical Clinic and the Walmart and CVS pharmacies will receive doses of the Johnson and Johnson one-shot vaccine. Also, on Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m., there will be a Moderna Mobile Clinic at Breckenridge’s First United Methodist Church.

Additionally, on Friday and Saturday, the National Guard will be visiting some local senior citizens to give them the vaccine in their own homes.

If all 600 of those doses are successfully administered to local residents, by the end of the week Stephens County should have more than 1,500 people vaccinated, according to the data provided by Stephens Memorial Hospital and local officials. That means at least 20 percent of the adults in Stephens County will have been vaccinated against the disease that has caused a worldwide pandemic and more than 500,000 deaths in the United States in the past year.

Local COVID-19 Vaccination options available

COVID-19 Walk Up Vaccine Clinic

There will be a walk-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic at 10 a.m. until they run out of vaccine on Sunday, March 14, at First United Methodist Church, 419 W. Walker St. Anyone 18 years of age or older is qualified to receive the vaccine.

COVID-19 Home Vaccinations for Seniors

In conjunction with Texas’ Save Our Seniors Initiative, senior citizens in Stephens County who are 75 years and older or are homebound can receive a COVID-19 vaccine at their home this Friday or Saturday, March 12 and 13.

Members of the Texas National Guard will be visiting the homes of those who have signed up to administer the vaccination with little inconvenience to the residents. For more information on how to sign up, call Chris Curtis with Stephens Memorial Hospital at 254-559-2241.

Stephens County is one of 34 counties participating in the second week of the Save Our Seniors COVID-19 vaccine initiative, which combines the efforts of the Texas Division of Emergency (TDEM), the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and the Texas Military Department (TMD) to provide vaccines to seniors throughout the state. The first week of the project included 26 counties. The state has allocated over 10,000 vaccine doses for the second week of the program, which the state will use in partnership with local officials and service organizations to target Texans who are 75 years and older or homebound.

“With the Save Our Seniors initiative, Texas is providing vaccines to seniors across our state who are most at risk from COVID-19,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release earlier this week. “For the second week of the program, we have allocated over 10,000 vaccines to reach the most vulnerable populations in our communities. I thank the men and women of the National Guard who are carrying out this important mission to protect seniors in need.”

Signups for Johnson and Johnson local COVID-19 Vaccinations

The Breckenridge Medical Clinic and the Walmart and CVS pharmacies are receiving doses of the Johnson and Johnson one-shot vaccine. To get the vaccine at Walmart or CVS, you first need to go to their websites and sign up. To sign up to get the vaccine at the Breckenridge Medical Clinic, you need to call their office at 254-522-6236.

Erika Cervera, a nursing student at Texas State Technical College, gives a COVID-19 vaccination to a patient during a clinic on Friday, March 5, at First Baptist Church in Breckenridge. She was one of several TSTC nursing students who were assisting Stephens Memorial Hospital personnel during the clinic as part of their training. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: TSTC nursing student Abbey Demere of Goldthwaite gives a COVID-19 vaccination to a patient during a clinic on Friday, March 5, at First Baptist Church in Breckenridge. TSTC Breckenridge Vocational Nursing students assisted Stephens Memorial Hospital personnel during the clinic as part of their training. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

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