Updated March 8 at 4:06 p.m.
Since mid-January, the state has been allocating COVID-19 vaccines to so-called “vaccine hubs.” These large-scale vaccination sites are supposed to focus on populations and areas hardest hit by the virus.
“The goal of these hubs is to provide more people the vaccine and a simpler way to sign up for an appointment,” the Texas Department of State Health Services says.
So far, the hubs have been allocated 1,000 or several thousand doses a week, while smaller providers receive only a few hundred. You can access a hub regardless of where you live. Right now, the state is authorizing providers to vaccinate the following groups:
- Phase 1A: Front-line health care workers and long-term-care facility residents
- Phase 1B: People 65 and older, and people 16 and older with a chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from the virus
- School and child care workers
But the rollout hasn’t been perfect. And not everyone who wants a vaccine can get one right now.
Some hubs have experienced delays in getting their shipments, and some waitlists have already reached their capacity for right now.
KUT will be updating the details below as more information becomes available.
Bastrop County
A+ Life Style Medical Group
- 866-268-2289
- www.covac.info
- Allocated 2,000 first doses of the Moderna vaccine for the week of March 8
- Note: When you fill out the survey at the link above, you'll be placed on a waiting list and contacted to set up an appointment once vaccines are available. If you don't have access to the internet, you can call the phone number to get on the waitlist.
Bell County
Bell County Public Health District
- 254-933-5203
- www.bellcountyhealth.org/covid-19_vaccine
- Allocated 7,020 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for the week of March 8
- Note: The website says appointment times are being posted each Tuesday. The county is accepting appointments for second doses. Only people who got their first dose from Bell County are eligible to get their second dose from the county.
Burnet County
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Marble Falls
- 844-BSW-VACC / 844-279-8222
- www.bswhealth.com/covid-vaccine
- Allocated 1,170 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for the week of March 8
- Note: Baylor Scott & White asks those interested in a vaccine to create a MyBSWHealth account. (You can visit MyBSWHealth portal or download the app to do so.) Through this digital portal, BS&W will reach out to people eligible to receive the vaccine to schedule a vaccination appointment, "as supply allows."
Gillespie County
Hill Country Memorial Hospital
- 830-990-6648
- www.hillcountrymemorial.org/hill-country-covid/register-for-a-vaccination
- Allocated 1,200 first doses of the Moderna vaccine for the week of March 8
- Note: You can fill out a vaccine interest form, where you'll be asked to attest that you fall under phase 1A or 1B. Then, as vaccines become available, Hill Country Memorial will give out appointment times to people who have completed the form.
Hays County
Hays County Health Department
- 833-521-2766
- www.haysinformed.com/covid-19
- Allocated 4,680 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for the week of March 8
- Note: On Feb. 4, the county opened a "pre-registration portal." People can sign up through the portal, and the county will contact qualified individuals to receive the vaccine. Those who don't have internet access can call the number above to get help signing up.
Travis County
Austin Public Health
- 512-972-5560
- www.austintexas.gov/aph-vaccine-reg
- Allocated 12,000 first doses of the Moderna vaccine for the week of March 8
- Note: You need to register in the portal at the link above. As vaccines become available, appointments are posted in the portal that those eligible for the vaccine can choose from. APH is now releasing appointments on Monday evenings. If vaccines are still available, the agency will release more appointments on Thursday evenings. Read more about the process here. APH also posts updates on vaccine availability on its Twitter account.
UT Health Austin
- 512-232-9999
- www.uthealthaustin.org
- Allocated 11,700 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for the week of March 8
- Note: Members of the public can request a vaccine here. When you sign up, you won't immediately get an appointment; UT Health says it will contact you when it has vaccine available. Students, faculty and staff can fill out a form here.
Williamson County
Family Emergency Room at Cedar Park
- 833-984-3747
- https://familyhospitalsystems.com/services/covid-19
- Allocated 6,000 first doses of the Moderna vaccine for the week of March 8
- Note: Family Emergency Room said on its website Feb. 4 that vaccine appointments are booked through March. "If you are currently on our waitlist, we ask that you continue to be patient as we schedule more appointments once more vaccines arrive," the website said. You don't need to book an appointment for your second dose; you'll get an email with a time frame for setting up that next appointment, it says.
Vaccine providers are also getting shipments of second doses. Texas DSHS says people should be able to return to the same provider to get their second dose within six weeks of getting the first.
If you qualify for a vaccine, you can also try getting on a waitlist at smaller providers, like local pharmacies and clinics, that have been allocated some vaccines. Find some of those waitlists here.
The federal government has also been shipping doses to pharmacies in Texas as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. You can find locations near you here.
This post has been updated.
