TEXARKANA - Officials want the public to know that local coronavirus vaccine supplies are limited and no one will receive a dose without first making an appointment.
Instances of people going to places such as the Texarkana-Bowie County Family Health Center in hopes of getting vaccinated prompted a reminder Tuesday that such walk-ins will not result in shortening anyone's wait.
With only hundreds of doses per week being allocated by Arkansas and Texas to local vaccine distributors, demand likely will surpass available supply for months.
For now, the available local options are to get on the Texas-side waiting list and to keep trying to make an appointment with one of a handful of distributors.
On Monday, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced its weekly allocation of vaccine doses to Texarkana. This week, the Health Center will receive 500 doses of the vaccine produced by Moderna, and CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System will receive 300.
As of Tuesday, the waiting list being compiled by the Health Center was about 2,000 names long. Those on the list who qualify for vaccination under Phase 1B of Texas' distribution plan will get shots on a first-come, first-served basis as doses become available. Texas' Phase 1B includes people age 65 or older and anyone 16 or older who has a chronic medical condition that increases risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
No vaccination appointments were available Tuesday at CHRISTUS' Trinity Clinic in Texarkana. Along with city and Bowie County officials, CHRISTUS is lobbying state public health agencies for Texarkana to become a designated vaccination hub. The foundation of Texas' vaccine distribution plan is a group of "hub" locations across the state prioritized to receive larger amounts of the state's limited vaccine supply.
CHRISTUS has established hub vaccination clinics at system hospitals in Longview in Northeast Texas, as well as Beeville, Kingsville and Alice in Southeast Texas, and is preparing to do so here should TDSHS name Texarkana a hub city.
This week, the state allocated 2,925 doses to CHRISTUS' Longview clinic, 1,950 doses to the Beeville clinic and 975 doses each to the Alice and Kingsville clinics.
The highest number of doses allocated to a Texas hub this week was 32,475 for the Denton County Public Health Department.
CVS Health announced Tuesday that it will begin administering coronavirus vaccine on Feb. 11 at its pharmacies in 70 Texas cities, and online appointment registration will be available beginning Feb. 9. Whether Texarkana will be among those cities is not yet known.
"The list of specific stores will be available on CVS.com as stores receive shipments of vaccine and appointments become available," a spokesperson said.
Arkansas' vaccination plan also has reached Phase 1B, which the Arkansas Department of Health defines differently than Texas. In Arkansas, Phase 1B includes people age 70 or over and those who work in education, including child care providers.
College Hill Drug in Texarkana, Arkansas, is administering vaccines as doses become available, and residents can register for an appointment through the store's website. The Miller County, Arkansas, Office of Emergency Management said Friday that the Texarkana Walmart and Albertson's pharmacies will soon offer vaccinations by appointment, as well.
There is no residency requirement for vaccination in Texas, but in Arkansas vaccines are restricted to people who live or work in the state.
Public health experts urge continued precautions to help slow the virus' spread, including avoidance of large gatherings, wearing face masks when around others, social distancing of at least six feet and frequent hand-washing.