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COVID-19 VACCINE INFORMATION AND ONLINE REGISTRATION

A syringe inside a bottle

COVID-19 VACCINE REGISTRATION LINKS:

(To check for vaccine availability click each of the following links and please

only register with ONE of the providers)

 

COVID-19 vaccines at the Medina County Health Unit Monday through Thursday from 7:30 am-11:30 am and 1:30 pm-5:30 pm on those days, walk-ins welcome.  

There will be a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at D’Hanis ISD in the cafeteria this Friday, Dec 3rd from 3:30 pm-5:30 pm. Online registration is open to school staff, their families as well as community members. You can register by clicking the Health Unit link below or a first-time dose or booster, ages 5 and up welcome.  COVID-19 vaccine is free and bring your card if you are wanting a booster dose.

Health Unit - Booster doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are now available.  You must bring your COVID-19 vaccine card.  Verify location near you and complete registration. See below Vaccine Update for more information.

Medina Regional Hospital - Check for availability

HEB - Check appointment availability

Walmart - Check for availability in Castroville, Devine or Hondo 

VACCINE ALLOCATION UPDATE:  November 29, 2021

A new COVID-19 variant called Omicron has been in the news lately and raises concerns about our protection with the current COVID-19 vaccines. There are still many questions to be answered about this variant and how our current vaccines will work against it.  The Health Unit recommends getting your COVID-19 booster if you haven’t yet. This is still our best protection and our chance to build up our immune system. Also, the holiday season brings more opportunities for exposure than we would normally have. If you haven’t gotten a COVID-19 vaccine yet, this is the perfect time to do so and it’s still free to everyone and easily available. For booster doses, everyone 18 years of age and older are eligible. If you received Moderna or Pfizer vaccine you can get a booster 6 months after your last dose in the series. If you received Johnson and Johnson, you can get a booster 2 months after your first dose. So, get your booster dose if it is time for you. We have COVID-19 vaccine available for anyone ages 5 and up.

A reminder if you are homebound and would like the COVID-19 vaccine, give us a call and we can make a home visit.  You can register for any COVID-19 vaccine at vaccine.medinatx.org for clinic locations at our Hondo office and the Devine WIC and Castroville WIC locations. This week we are in Castroville and Devine on Thursday. Check the online registration for time slots or call us to schedule.

Also, if you haven’t gotten your flu shot, there is plenty of time to do so.  Medina County Health Unit has doses of flu vaccine at no cost for uninsured adults.  Call our office at 830-741-6191 if you qualify for a flu dose.  We always have Texas Vaccine for Children (TVFC)  including flu shots for children who qualify.

COVID-19 vaccine is available and can prevent severe illness and death. You can get vaccinated at most pharmacies, the Health Unit, or check with your local provider. CDC now recommends that children between the ages of 5 and 11 years receive the Pfizer-BioNech pediatric COVID-19 vaccine. Parents and caregivers, check with your pediatrician’s office for availability of doses or register at the Health Unit. Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the pandemic.

Some facts about COVID-19:

  • You can get COVID-19 and other vaccines, including the flu vaccine at the same time.
  • You can not get COVID-19 from getting vaccinated.
  • There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause fertility problems.
  • Children aged 5-11 receive an age-appropriate dose that is one-third of the adult doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Texas Vaccine Availability Map  (this map can filter a specific vaccine to locate doses)

 

DATA UPDATE: 

 

Medina County COVID-19 Vaccine Data as of 11/29/2021

People that are fully vaccinated age 5 and older:  Medina County 53.20%

Texas 58.73%

Additional Medina County data:

Number of people that are 5 years of age and older: 48,707

Number of people who have been fully vaccinate: 25,911

DSHS COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Texas Vaccine Data Dashboard

COVID-19 Vaccination Hub Providers   

Everyone 12+ Eligible for Free COVID-19 Vaccination

 

The state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel recommends vaccination for everyone who falls under the current Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorizations:

  • All vaccines available in the U.S. are authorized for people 18 years old and older.
  • The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people 12 years old and older.

Important to Know:

 

Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines both require two doses. It’s best if you get your second dose from the same brand as your first dose. For example, if you got a Moderna first dose, it’s best to get Moderna for your second dose.

The timing between your first and second dose depends on which vaccine you received:

  • Moderna: 4 to 6 weeks after your first dose
  • Pfizer: 3 to 6 weeks after your first dose

Note: The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one dose.

If you got a Moderna first dose, it's best to get the Moderna second dose 4-6 weeks after your first dose. If you got a Pfizer first dose, it's best to get the Pfizer second dose 3-6 weeks after your first dose.

 

Side Effects & Allergic Reactions:

Allergic Reactions:

 

Mild side effects are normal signs your body is building protection, and they usually go away after a few days. Severe reactions from the vaccine are rare. To be safe, your provider will have you wait on-site for 15-30 minutes after your shot. There's no evidence that the vaccines cause long-term health problems.

People who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their healthcare provider.

 

COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People

People who are moderately to severely immunocompromised make up about 3% of the adult population and are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because they are more at risk of serious, prolonged illness. CDC recommends that people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Website CDC Coronavirus

Who Needs an Additional COVID-19 Vaccine?

Currently, CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. This includes people who have:

  • Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
  • Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
  • Advanced or untreated HIV infection
  • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

 

People should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

How long after getting my initial COVID-19 vaccines can I get an additional dose?

CDC recommends the additional dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine be administered at least four weeks after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Can you mix and match the vaccines?

For people who received either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine series, a third dose of the same mRNA vaccine should be used. A person should not receive more than three mRNA vaccine doses. If the mRNA vaccine product given for the first two doses is not available or is unknown, either mRNA COVID-19 vaccine product may be administered.

What should immunocompromised people who received the J&J/Janssen vaccine do?

The FDA’s recent EUA amendment only applies to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, as does CDC’s recommendation.

Emerging data have demonstrated that immunocompromised people who have low or no protection following two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may have an improved response after an additional dose of the same vaccine. There is not enough data at this time to determine whether immunocompromised people who received the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine also have an improved antibody response following an additional dose of the same vaccine.

What are the benefits of people receiving an additional vaccine dose?

CDC recommends the additional dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine be administered at least four weeks (28 days) after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

What are the risks of vaccinating individuals with an additional dose?

There is limited information about the risks of receiving an additional dose of vaccine, and the safety, efficacy, and benefit of additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine in immunocompromised people continues to be evaluated. So far, reactions reported after the third mRNA dose were similar to that of the two-dose series: fatigue and pain at injection site were the most commonly reported side effects, and overall, most symptoms were mild to moderate.

However, as with the two-dose series, serious side effects are rare, but may occur.