Kerr County officials discuss latest rounds of area COVID-19 vaccinations

On Friday, Kerr County officials held the latest COVID-19 Community Update, and Kerrville Fire Chief Eric Maloney said that the county’s most recent COVID-19 statistics make him feel “cautiously optimistic.” As of February 25, Kerr County has 99 active coronavirus cases and 8 patients hospitalized at Peterson Regional Medical Center due to COVID-19.

The current case numbers show a significant decrease from January’s record high 500 active COVID-19 cases and 31 coronavirus related hospitalizations at PRMC.

Maloney said that the majority of the county’s citizens who fall into the Phase 1A (health care workers) category for vaccination distributions have already been vaccinated, and the current focus is now on those individuals who qualify for the Phase 1B tier.

According to DSHS statistics, Kerr County has 14 thousand residents who are aged 65+ and 14 thousand individuals who are aged 16-64 years with medical conditions which qualify them to be placed into the Phase 1B category.

DSHS has recorded 5 thousand Kerr County residents who have already received at least partial vaccinations, and 1,900 of those people have had both shots.

Anyone wishing to pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine can do so by calling the Kerr County COVID-19 call center at (830) 315-5900. PRMC has also established a pre-registration site and can be reached at (830) 208-3611, or by visiting www.research.net/r/PetersonHealth.

It is being recommended for all individuals interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccination to learn more about it by visiting www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus, which also includes vaccination sites and interactive maps.

PRMC CEO Corey Edmondson announced that 500 people were given vaccinations Thursday and another 500 shots are expected to be given out next week. Edmondson said that everyone who pre-registers for the vaccination will receive an email of confirmation and then be notified when they have an actual slot, which is based on vaccine distribution tiers per DSHS.

There will also be a clinic held next week in Kerr County for those who will be receiving their second dose of the vaccine. Currently, there are roughly five thousand people who have already pre-registered for shots to be administered in Kerr County.

On Friday, a U.S. Food & Drug Administration panel will be deciding whether or not to green light the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine which studies have shown to be 72% effective in preventing the virus. If the panel does approve the Emergency Use Authorization for the vaccine, it would become the third on the market.

PRMC officials want to remind everyone that despite the promising trends which indicate COVID-19 cases are decreasing, we should all continue to practice safety measures by wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands.

Kerrville Mayor Bill Blackburn concluded Friday’s press conference reminding citizens of two things: Resilience and Resolve. “We still have a ways to go, but we are getting there.”