Williamson County Judge Pens Open Letter Urging Vaccines

GEORGETOWN, TX —Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell wrote an open letter to the people of the county on Friday urging them to get vaccinated for COVID-19, while acknowledging it remains a personal choice.

In the letter, published on social media, Gravell called the pandemic the "single greatest disaster we have faced in the history of Williamson County." He said 493 people in the county -nearly one per day - have died from COVID-19 during the pandemic, and more than 42,000 have been infected.

Gravell said there was a time early in the pandemic when "we had no tools to help prevent the death and dying from COVID-19." But that is no longer the case. He offered statistics about how the virus is currently affecting the unvaccinated.

"The last 13 deaths we have seen in Williamson County have been unvaccinated people," Gravell wrote. "Since the beginning of March, 95 percent of the confirmed cases have been unvaccinated people."

In the letter, Gravell said it is a person's right to choose if they want to be vaccinated, and he will always respect those rights. In fact, Gravell said he still has some concerns about the vaccine himself.

However, Gravell revealed he was vaccinated in March, and said he got the shot to remain in good shape to serve the community, make a safe environment for his co-workers and set the right example.

"Personally, maybe even selfishly, I just want to live and spend my remaining years with my wife. I want to see my grandkids grow up and get married someday. I want to be around my mom and dad who are still living and not make them sick," Gravell wrote.

Gravell called the county's nearly 500 deaths "staggering," and used an example to illustrate the size of that number.

"Imagine, attending a football game in the fall, but there is no band, no football team, no spirit squad and a portion of the stands are empty," Gavell said. "That's how many lives we have lost to COVID-19."

The judge concluded the letter with one final plea to residents.

"Please consider getting vaccinated," he wrote. "It is a step you can take to prevent one more death per day."