WilCo Urges Coronavirus Vaccination Program Enrollment

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — With the arrival of vaccines to combat the coronavirus, county health officials are urging health care providers to enroll in a vaccination program.

Makers of the Pfizer vaccine secured emergency use authorization on Dec. 12, while Moderna secured the approval on Friday. As a result, the Williamson County and Cities Health District is inviting any facility, pharmacy, organization or provider licensed to possess or administer vaccine or provide vaccination services to consider enrolling as a COVID-19 vaccine provider, officials wrote in an advisory.

The health district's planning efforts are aligned with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's "Vaccine Playbook" and the related Texas Vaccine Distribution Plan, officials explained. County officials further noted the state plan is based around leveraging the private/public provider network to ensure broad coverage and sustainability, through four phases of priority and vaccine availability: Planning Phase (until a vaccine is approved), Phase 1 (current - may be a limited number of doses available to allocate to providers who will be able to reach critical populations at highest risk such as health care workers), Phase 2 (supply is adequate and community-based providers will play a key role), and Phase 3 (routine administration is widely available).

“We are excited that vaccines are ready to be administered to help our community get back to some normalcy,” said Immunization Advocacy Director Dr. Caroline Hilbert. “Wide availability from many providers will be the key to efficiently distribute it across the county.”

The first step to becoming a COVID-19 vaccine provider is registering through the Immunization Program Portal maintained by the Texas Department of State Health Services agency. The Moderna vaccine needs only to be stored at standard vaccine freezer temperatures, and the minimum order is 100 doses, making it easier for more providers to participate, officials said.

Only providers registered through the state site can receive and administer COVID-19 vaccine in Texas. Enrolled vaccination providers will get COVID-19 vaccines from the Texas immunization program. Vaccines will not be available for purchase.

For questions about registration, call the Texas Department of State Health Services COVID-19 Vaccine Provider hotline at 877-835-7750, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday or email COVID19VacEnroll@dshs.texas.gov. For more information about COVID-19 vaccines and the state’s distribution plan visit the Williamson County and Cities Health District website.