Four counties host mass drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine clinic at COTA

A mass drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine clinic was hosted Saturday at Circuit of the Americas, the result of a collaboration of four counties, Travis, Hays, Bastrop, and Caldwell.

3,000 vaccines were set to be distributed. As cars came in, people waited in line, drove through, and got their shot. Then, they waited for 15 minutes in a separate parking lot to make sure they didn't have any reaction. 

The four county judges working to put this on said this is a major step in getting vaccines out to the community. 

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"The Texas Division of Emergency Management has helped us immensely with covid testing and now we have the opportunity to turn the corner with mass vaccinations," said Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra. 

The judges said they have been working together, adding this is a non-partisan issue. "COVID doesn't recognize if you're a Republican or a Democrat, it just doesn't care," said Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Hayden.

Rather they said it's about working to get those in the community vaccinated.

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"The quicker that we can get 80% of people in our region vaccinated and reach herd immunity, the quicker we can get back to business, and live music and bars and restaurants and everything that we want to be doing," said Travis County Judge Andy Brown. 

Brown said a site like this is the first step. 

"As you know, every journey, whether a mile or a thousand miles starts with one step and this is a fabulous step in the beginning of that journey," said Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape. 

"I think this is the way that Texas is going to get back on its feet and move faster in a forward pace," Hayden said. 

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Judge Brown says mass sites like this can reach more than what could be done in a single county site, adding as more vaccines come in through the state, there may be more sites like this in the future. 

"The goal is to do as much as possible," he said. "So if we're up to 10,000 a day here, and there is more vaccine, we'll open up additional sites around the county."

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