COVID-19 VACCINE UPDATE FROM THE VICTORIA COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT:
February 26, 2021 at 5 AM
REGISTRATION FOR COVID-19 WAITLIST OPENS AT 9 AM
Victoria City and County officials will open registration to the new Victoria Vaccine Waitlist this morning at 9 a.m. for residents who meet the DSHS current criteria for receiving a vaccine. Phone registrations will take place from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. today and continue next week Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until spots are filled. Online registrations open at 9 a.m. and will remain open until slots are filled. There will be set amount of spots allocated for each method of registration. Future vaccination clinic dates will be released next week, and appointments will be filled from names on the waitlist.
Officials created a NEW waitlist registration link at http://victoriawaitlist.com to facilitate this process. Registrants can type this link directly or access the site from the vaccine information link at http://vcphd.org. The new link must be used as the http://victoriatxcovidvaccines.com link will no longer be in service.
Victoriawaitlist.com will allow individuals who register to be placed on a “smart waitlist,” which the Victoria County Public Health Department (VCPHD) will use to select (at random) and contact those who are eligible for an appointment as vaccines become available. The 20,000-person waitlist will be open to online and phone registration. Eligible residents without internet access can call 888-966-5640 to be placed on the waitlist.
Once individuals are selected to receive a vaccine, they will be called or emailed a single-use link with instructions on how to select a date and time to get vaccinated at the Victoria Community Center. Individuals contacted for a vaccine have 48 hours to schedule an appointment before the opportunity is offered to someone else and they will be put back on the waitlist. This process will help prevent VCPHD from experiencing delays in getting out the vaccine each week. The “smart waitlist” system does not use a first-come, first-served process for allocating vaccine appointments. Phone and online registrants have equal chance of being selected. Individuals in Phase 1A who register for the waitlist will be prioritized before those in Phase 1B to ensure everyone in Phase 1A has an opportunity to receive the vaccine. Priority will be given to those aged 75 and older.
The recent City/County joint purchase of the Innoculate registration software is being utilized within the “smartlist” registration system. This software improves the clinic’s registration process and frees up volunteers to assist in other vaccine roles. Victoria City/County officials, including the mayor and judge, emergency response officials and area hospitals, continue to work together to meet the needs of the community, inform the community about state vaccine allocations and provide logistical support to Victoria’s area health care facilities.
- Victoria County Public Health Department
- Victoria City/County Office of Emergency Management
- City of Victoria
- Victoria County
- Citizens Medical Center
- DeTar Healthcare System
- Post Acute Medical
Phase 1A includes health care workers, emergency service providers and others with an increased risk of coming into contact with the coronavirus, while Phase 1B includes those at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and people aged 65 and older. Detailed information about vaccine eligibility can be found on the DSHS website at https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine.aspx.
Victoria City/County officials, including the mayor and judge, emergency response officials and area hospitals, continue to work together to meet the needs of the community, inform the community about state vaccine allocations and provide logistical support to Victoria’s area health care facilities.
For more information, visit www.vcphd.org, follow the Victoria County Public Health Department on Facebook, follow our other participating partners’ social media pages, or visit www.victoriatxoem.org.