ANAHUAC, Texas — The wait for a COVID-19 vaccine is finally over for many rural areas in Texas.
The Texas Department of State Health Services is now tracking which locations receive shipments of the vaccine.
So far, only week one and week two shipments are accounted for on the state's map.
Week three of vaccine distribution is underway, so there's a little lag in the reporting.
In Southeast Texas, most of those facilities providing the vaccine are pharmacies.
Before you show up and request a vaccine, you need to know it's not available to the general public.
So far, front line workers and those in long-term care facilities are the only people eligible.
In Chambers County, pharmacies will play a crucial role in vaccinating folks in long-term care facilities.
Samantha Humphrey with Chambers County said there is a plan in place to begin administering the vaccine to that specific population.
"We're all going to work collaboratively to ensure that those long-term care facilities are serviced and the plan is, as of now, pharmacies are going to be the ones to provide vaccines to those populations," Humphrey said.
Chambers County has received 1,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Judge John Gothia said Orange County has received 200 vaccine doses.
Those will be given to first responders and folks at nursing homes.
In Hardin County, Judge Wayne McDaniel said 1,600 doses have arrived and will be distributed among the four Brookshire Brothers pharmacies.
Humphrey said as of now, Chambers County does not have a plan for the general public. They are working to get through phase one first.
"We're getting a lot of calls and Facebook messages of people wanting to get vaccinated. But it's just a waiting game right now because the supply is so finite," Humphrey said.
Over the next three months, more than 275,000 residents and staff at long-term care facilities will receive the first dose in Texas.
More than 3,000 facilities have signed up for the vaccination program statewide.