Central Texas counties getting ready to vaccinate all adults

With word that people 16 or older over can sign up to receive COVID-19 vaccines next week, many counties in Central Texas are gearing up to handle extensive waitlists.

"I think it is good news. There’s a lot of folks who still want to be vaccinated and they’re just gonna need to be patient and understanding," said Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell.

Gravell said Williamson County is going to follow the state's order and open up vaccination to all adults next week. "We’ve got two mega sites right now that can do 9,000 doses a day and we’ve got smaller sites which can do 1,500 doses a day," he said.

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While the county's waitlist will be open Monday for those 16 and older, if you don’t fall under the 1a through 1c categories expect to wait a little bit to get that shot. As of Tuesday, the waitlist has more than 45,000 people signed up and priority is given to those in the 1a category.

Bastrop County says they are also ready to open up distribution to all adults and those over 80 years old will be given priority. 
Hays County is also ready to open up distribution, but residents still must register for an appointment first and no walk-ins will be accepted.

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While these counties are ready to go, Judge Gravell said the main issue relies on the vaccines themselves. "We’ve got the tools on our end I do believe the state is doing everything they can but we really just need from the federal government are more shots more vaccines," said Gravell.

As counties wait for their share of vaccine doses they’re urging people to also be patient as they wait for their names to be called. 

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