The Texas Department of State Health Services has informed Fort Bend County that the county will begin receiving a steady supply of thousands of vaccines on a weekly basis, said County Judge KP George during a video update Feb. 26.
So, George said, the county has made changes to its registration system to allow more residents to get in line for when those vaccines are available.
Currently, only individuals who qualify under Phases 1A or 1B of the state’s vaccination plan are eligible to receive a vaccine at this time. Residents who fall into those categories include frontline health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, residents age 65 and older or those with a chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from COVID‑19.
However, the new registration system allows residents who do not fall under those two categories to also register for a vaccine. Those who do so will be placed in a separate queue, said Barbarah Martinez, Fort Bend County health services division manager, and will be contacted when Texas expands the eligibility requirements to include those other residents.
Like before, residents can visit www.fbchealth.org to sign up for a vaccine. The registration portal reopened Feb. 26 and will not close quickly as it did previously, Martinez said. Additionally, residents without accessible internet or a computer can call 281-633-7795 to register.
“The portal will remain open so that we can get as many residents on as we can, and we will be contacting them to come get their vaccine as soon as possible,” she said.
After registering, the process is simple, Martinez said: Residents will be notified via email, text message or phone call and will be provided a personal link for their appointment. The system will automatically schedule residents for their second dose based on the contact option specified during their initial registration.
“We look forward to serving you and providing you the necessary COVID-19 vaccine, so that we can, one of these days, return to normal,” Martinez said.
