Kerrville VA Hospital begins administering COVID-19 vaccine as area officials remind citizens of safety measures

The Kerrville VA Medical Center began administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to healthcare workers and veterans in long-term care facilities on Wednesday. According to South Texas Veterans Health Care System CEO Christopher R. Sandles the Kerrville facility is one of 37 VA medical centers receiving the vaccines in the state.

Kerr County officials want to offer last minute COVID-19 guidelines for keeping you, your family and guests safe during the Christmas holidays. With a rash of 106 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Kerr County in the past week, as well as 3 more fatalities attributed to the novel coronavirus, the CDC recommends hosting family celebrations with just those who live in the same household.

As of Dec. 22, Kerr County’s official number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 435, and the county’s official death toll is listed at 33. Peterson Health reported Tuesday that there were 26 people hospitalized in Kerrville due to virus complications. The next Kerr County update will be Dec. 29.

Gillespie County is reporting 92 active novel coronavirus cases and 16 deaths due to COVID-19. Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg is reported to be at 100% occupancy in its I.C.U. unit.

According to Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator Dub Thomas, “Our best recommendation to those individuals is that they keep their guest list small (10 or fewer people,) that they encourage the wearing of face masks (over nose and mouth) around each other at all times and continue to observe the six-foot social distancing rule, both outside and indoors, if possible.”

OTHER TIPS:

FOR GUESTS: Avoid crowded, poorly ventilated areas; Do not travel; Bring your own food and drinks, etc; Stay out of food preparation area.

FOR HOSTS: Limit the number of guests; Weather permitting, host your event outdoors; Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces; Use single-use options.

FOR EVERYONE: Always wear a face mask; Wash hands often; Get a flu shot, if possible.

Thomas concluded, “If you do not feel well or if you think you’ve been exposed to someone who may have COVID-19, it is best to stay home. This year, I’m sure people will understand.”

As of Dec. 23, Texas has officially reported 1,451,256 confirmed cases and 185,202 probable cases of COVID-19 in the state. Over the past seven days, the state has seen an average of 13,159 new confirmed cases and 2,892 new probable cases each day.

As of Dec. 23, the state has officially reported 25,900 deaths. Over the past seven days, Texas has reported an average of 215 deaths each day.