The county has been hosting mass vaccination clinics at the New Braunfels Civic and Convention Center since January and has so far administered more than 26,000 doses, according to Cheryl Fraser, director of public health for Comal County.
“We need approximately 50 nurses to be able to do 2,000 vaccines a day,” Faser said at an April 15 Comal County Commissioners Court meeting.
In January, nursing students from Galen College of Nursing in San Antonio began partnering with the county to administer doses as part of their required clinical hours.
Students from St. Philip’s College, also located in San Antonio, have begun working at the sites as well.
“It allows us to give more vaccines and allows them to have more clinical hours,” Fraser said. “And it assures me that they will be there.”
During the April 15 meeting, commissioners voted to approve affiliation agreements with both of the colleges. The agreement with St. Phillip’s will be active through April 2022, and the agreement with Galen College of Nursing will continue through Dec. 31. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Comal County providers have received 74,140 first, second and single doses of vaccine since mid-December.
Out of 47 registered providers in the county, 39 have received allocations, Fraser said, and county officials have begun developing strategies to administer vaccines to homebound residents.
