01/01/2021
Milam County COVID Vaccination and Testing Report
Thursday, December 31, 2020 7:30 p.m.
From County Judge Steve Young
COVID Vaccinations: Today the Milam County Health Department vaccinated 31 individuals in Cameron. These were individuals from Group 1A and Group 1B who had signed up to be vaccinated. The Health Department will vaccinate again on January 5, 2021 in Cameron. Again, these will be individuals that have already signed up for the shot. We plan to vaccinate about 40 people on the 5th.
We also plan to vaccinate in Rockdale at the Patterson Center on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 and Thursday, January 7, 2021. Texas A&M Health Science Center, under the direction of Dr. Joy Alonzo will perform the vaccinations. These will be by appointment only and those who have previously signed up will be contacted and scheduled for these vaccinations. We hope to vaccinate around 100 individuals.
Today, we requested 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine for next week and our request was granted. Therefore, we will have enough doses for the Health Department and Texas A&M Health Science to vaccinate next week. If all goes well, we will finish next week, with over 300 individuals vaccinated. We will receive an additional 200 doses during the week of January 14, 2021 and thus by January 18, 2021 we hope to have about 500 individuals vaccinated.
Brookshire Brothers has vaccinated about 30 individuals thus far. However, they will not accept any more applications until January 12, 2021. At this point, one must download the consent form from the Brookshire Brothers web site and take the completed form to Brookshire Brothers on or after January 12, 2021 for processing. Please do not call the pharmacy regarding the vaccinations as their lines are overwhelmed.
If you want to get on the vaccination list, please email Ms. Denise Wallace at [email protected] or call 254 697 7000 and ask for Ms. Wallace. She will get your contact information, including your email and put you on the list. The shots will be given to those on the list on a first come, first serve basis. Currently we have over 400 individuals on the list.
Those eligible for the shots are:
1. Group 1A – healthcare workers, including long term staff workers, EMS, home health care workers, rest home residents, staff that interact with symptomatic patients, school nurses and others.
2. Group 1B – those over 65 and those over 16 with underlying chronic health conditions which puts them at increased risk for a severe illness from the virus, including:
Cancer
Chronic kidney disease
COPD
Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
Solid organ transplantation
Obesity
Pregnancy
Sickle cell disease
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
The Moderna drug is a two-shot vaccine, meaning that a booster shot is necessary 28 days after the first shot. Those who are vaccinated will be given a card depicting the type of vaccine they received and when the booster shot can be given. It is imperative that both shots be received. Further, the drug cannot be intermingled with another drug, such as the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccine will be provided at no cost, although there may be an administration charge for those with insurance.
While vaccinations are totally voluntary, we highly recommend that everyone receive a vaccination. Even if you have previously been infected by the virus, you should still get the shot. This is our best chance to get this terrible pandemic under control. In order to establish herd immunity, we need 70% - 90% of the Milam County population to be vaccinated. We have been under the gun for almost a year and now we have a ticket to safety, so please do your part and get the shots!
Milam County COVID Testing Report for Thursday, December 31, 2020:
We did not test today, but we do have a total of 164 active infections in the County, just under our record of 167 set back on December 23, 2020.
We have 39 new confirmed cases to report today; no new PCR cases and 39 new probable cases. No one was hospitalized and 26 individuals were discharged from our active lists.
Milam County Cases as of Thursday, December 31, 2020:
1. Confirmed PCR cases 887 – no change
2. Confirmed active PCR cases 44 – down 7
3. Confirmed probable (antigen) cases 621 up 20
4. Confirmed active probable cases 120 – up 20
5. Total confirmed cases in Milam County 164 – up 14
6. Currently monitored individuals 282 – down 65
7. Hospitalizations 18 no - change
a. 4 persons on ventilators – no change
b. Cumulative hospitalizations since the pandemic started 112 – no change
8. Deaths 11 – no change
