CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nueces County officials say they need more COVID-19 vaccines to adequately vaccinate residents.
During her first press conference of the new year, Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said she's sending a letter Wednesday to the State pushing for larger quantities of the vaccines. The county's health department currently does not have any doses through local health care providers do have some supplies.
The county health department has reported triple digit figures of COVID-19 cases since the holidays began. The worst being December 31 when the Health District said 438 people were added to the totals. Only two of those were state data dumps.
The rising number of cases and hospitalizations aren't the only factors prompting Canales to make the special request. She claimed South Texas has a higher population of people more vulnerable to the disease than the state's average.
"Unfortunately as we know it, the sad truth is that our population is more at risk than any other part of the state. We have almost 50 percent people over the age of 65 than Texas' average," she stated during the press conference.
Canales will include three factors or social determinants in her letter to the state asking for more vaccines. They are insurance, chronic illnesses and age.
"We just happen to have more folks in each of these priority categories than any other part of the state. That's what makes South Texas unique."
Until more vaccine doses are distributed to the area, the judge is urging everyone to double their efforts to control the spread of the virus.
"So as all of your questions come in, you want to know how it is that we are prioritizing," Canales stated, "We're not looking for careers to say 'it's your turn electricians, it's your turn plumbers, it's your turn construction workers. All of us are essential and we know who the most critical infrastructure are. What we're looking for next are those categories of over 65 and those of chronic condition. That's where we're headed next. That's 1B."
Anyone falling under the Phase 1B category can find a local vaccine provider by clicking this link:
https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=91ac7fb5e5fd47e7ada4acfe4a05920a