WilCo Coronavirus Vaccine Providers Set To Give 9,700 Shots

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Providers of the coronavirus vaccine are preparing to administer 9,700 first doses throughout the week, county officials said on Monday.

The effort adds to the continued efforts of getting the vulnerable population in the community vaccinated, officials noted. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the following providers will be vaccinating people who have signed up to receive their first shot.

• Family Hospital Systems, 8,000 doses.
• Williamson County and Cities Health District, 1,000 doses.
• Lone Star Circle of Care in Cedar Park, 100 doses.
• Lake Aire Med Center Senior Health and Wellness, 100 doses.
• WellMed in Leander, 400 doses.
• Lone Star Circle of Care, TAMU Health Science Center Family Health, 100 doses.

“Getting more vaccines for our community members is instrumental to support our efforts of keeping our most vulnerable residents safe and protected from COVID-19,” said Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell. “While our public-private partnerships have been key in getting this work done, we are hopeful we will get a larger supply of vaccines through the support of our state and federal leaders.”

Those interested in getting on the COVID-19 vaccine waitlist through the county’s vaccine hub provider Family Hospital Systems now can visit www.wilco.org to get registered. Williamson County is now maintaining the waitlist which will be used by Family Hospital Systems and other COVID-19 vaccine hub providers, such as Curative Inc., that have established agreements with the county to provide the COVID-19 vaccine, officials said.

On the county’s website, people who sign-up to get on the waitlist will be able to check if their name is on the list and edit their information or remove themselves if they receive the vaccine elsewhere.

A big part of the county’s vaccination plan includes the assistance of volunteer-run Vaccine Registration Technical Assistance (VRTA) centers. The centers are made possible through efforts of local partners willing to fill the need for technical support by providing wi-fi connectivity, assistance with uploading documents, and other technical needs, officials noted.

Following are the county’s three VRTA centers and their availability:

• First Baptist Taylor, 2500 Mallard Lane, Taylor, beginning Tuesday, will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Hill Country Bible Church, 3300 Little Elm Trail, Gym Building, Cedar Park, beginning next Monday will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Sun City Ballroom, 2 Texas Drive, Georgetown, is open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The county’s first VRTA center at the Sun City Ballroom will continue servicing people on an appointment basis only, officials said. However, officials added, appointments are not necessary to get help at the VRTA centers in Taylor and Cedar Park.

Related stories:

• WilCo Opens Coronavirus Information Call Center
• Coronavirus Call Center In Williamson County Off To A Slow Start

The county’s call center reachable at (512) 943-1600, remains open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to serve as a resource of information related to coronavirus to community members. Just in the first week of operation, the call center received more than 16,000 calls, Gravell noted.

Patch readers last week alerted to long wait times to reach a call center representative, while others said they were never to get anyone on the line. Gravell noted the call center has added staff members to keep up with the influx of calls the county has received since launching the service last Monday. As Patch previously reported, the resource is not a call center in the classic sense, but comprising existing county employees taking turns in shifts to answer residents' questions.

For more information on the county’s vaccination plan, visit the county's COVID-19 Vaccine Information portal.