JEFFERSON COUNTY, Texas — The official coronavirus vaccination hub list for Texas now lists three locations in Southeast Texas.
The three vaccination hubs would be in Jefferson County, Chambers County and Jasper / Newton Counties, according to the COVID-19 Vaccination Hub Providers list on the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Jefferson County Health Department, Chambers County Health Department and the Jasper-Newton Counties Public Health District are both listed, along with phone numbers, but no other information about when the vaccination hubs will be available or how to register is on the list or on either of the health department websites as of the evening of Saturday, Jan. 16.
"We are still waiting on plan approval by state," Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said about the vaccination hub list. "All options are open now, but there is nothing in concrete yet.”
Jasper County Judge Mark Allen said the county is working with the Southeast Texas Emergency Operations Coalition to form a regional, state-supported vaccination hub.
The hub would be similar to the first COVID-19 testing stations in the county back in early 2020, and a committee has been formed to assess the logistics of a mass vaccination operation, he said.
"We are expecting their report sometime next week," Allen said.
Jasper County is expected to receive another 1,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines next week, he said.
"DSHS did leave Jasper County off of the weekly allocation roster last week, but I believe they are trying to make it up by sending out 1,600 doses to us this coming week," Allen said. "Prior to this, Jasper County has only received 1,100 doses in total since late December, 2020 when the vaccines were pushed out to local jurisdictions."
"At the moment, Jasper County prefers to utilize our Health District to distribute the vaccine on a mass scale due to the decades of experience that agency has with providing immunizations to families in Jasper County, he said. "We plan to work through them with our Emergency Management Office as the vaccine allocations and demand begin to grow.
"We’ve worked with them daily since the COVID-19 pandemic began and they have proven to be a great ally during this crisis. As a reminder, the vaccine is completely voluntary, but we welcome anybody wishing to receive it to protect themselves or their family."
Allen said he anticipates clinics and pharmacies will be receiving the coronavirus vaccine in future allocations, making the vaccine available in multiple locations across Jasper County.
Anyone in Jasper or Newton counties who wants to receive the vaccine should call the Jasper-Newton Counties Public Health District at their main office in Jasper at (409) 384-6829 to schedule an appointment, he said.