A day after Collin County and several state lawmakers sent a letter to the Texas Department of State Health Services to request more vaccines, state health officials committed to send 6,975 doses of the Moderna vaccine to the county next week, according to a news release.
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The Texas Department of State Health Services announced 200,000 doses of the vaccine will be distributed across the state this week, but none of those doses were allocated for Collin County, according to the release.
Collin County Health Care Services staff has officially requested 10,000 doses immediately, 14,000 doses for the week of Jan. 18 and 42,000 doses for the week of Jan. 25 and each week after, according to the release.
Those on the county's vaccine waitlist will be contacted by CCHCS staff immediately, according to the release, to schedule appointments for next week.
County commissioners sent the joint letter Jan. 12 to Commissioner John Hellerstedt of the Texas Department of State Health Services to request additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine for Collin County as soon as possible, according to a county news release.
In addition to all Collin County commissioners, the letter was signed by state lawmakers Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney; Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster; Rep. Justin Holland, R-Rockwall; Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano; Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Allen; Rep. Scott Sanford, R-McKinney; and Rep. Candy Noble, R-Murphy.
“I and our legislative delegation are working diligently with the leadership of Collin County and with the Department of State Health Services to attack COVID-19 head-on," Leach said in the news release, "including ensuring that Collin County citizens have quick and efficient access to vaccinations. Those citizens expect, demand and deserve nothing less.”
Commissioners sent the letter following the Jan. 11 meeting, wherein they unanimously voted to contract private-company Curative Medical Associates to establish “megasites” for COVID-19 vaccines.
Collin County Judge Chris Hill said he believes the county, alongside several public and private partnerships, stands ready to administer 2,000 vaccine doses per day, potentially raising the bar to 6,000 doses per day at each location, by Jan 25.
