Karen Gleason
City council members have learned the second round of COVID-19 vaccinations for more than 1,000 area residents scheduled for Saturday has been postponed for at least a week.
Assistant Val Verde County/City of Del Rio Local Health Authority Dr. Laura Palau delivered the news to members of the Del Rio City Council during their regular meeting Tuesday.
Mayor Pro-tem Alfredo “Fred” Carranza Jr. asked Palau to give the council “an update on the vaccine situation” at the end of the council’s routine COVID-19 briefing.
“So with vaccines, we’re having some issues. We depend a lot on what the state gives us every week, so unfortunately, we are not getting an allocation this week, so the people who received the first dose on Jan. 23 are going to receive (the second dose) on Feb. 20,” Palau told the council.
She said the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has given city and county health officials some guidance on the delayed second round of vaccinations.
“They have established that we have a limit of 42 days after the first dose to give out the second dose, so (Feb. 20) will still be in the appropriate range,” she said.
Palau said she and other local health officials are requesting allocations of the vaccine every week.
“But we do depend on what the state is receiving and distributing to all the other counties in Texas,” Palau said.
She said city and county officials will be notified at the end of this week if vaccines for the following week will be shipped here.
She said if enough vaccines are received, those who received their first doses on Jan. 23 will receive their second doses next week on Feb. 20.
“And if we do get a new allocation, then have a first-dose clinic. That’s the ideal situation,” Palau said.
Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano asked, “So the inconsistency is at the state level, correct?”
“Yes, correct,” Palau said.
Lozano then said he would like the council members to approve a resolution to be forwarded to state legislators urging consistency in the distribution of vaccinations throughout the state.
“I can’t imagine that the city of Del Rio and Val Verde County are the only ones experiencing an inconsistent distribution of vaccines, and the only way out of this pandemic is to have consistency and a plan from the state,” Lozano said.
The council unanimously approved the mayor’s motion.
Councilman Raul C. Ojeda asked what would happen if someone doesn’t receive his or her second dose of the vaccine within the recommended 42-day interval.
Palau said not receiving the second dose within the recommended time frame will likely lower the efficacy of the vaccine.
“But it’s unclear if they should start again or just get the second dose a little bit later and then get an antibody test to see if they have some sort of elevated antibodies, and if those are low to get another dose,” Palau said.
Ojeda also asked how long a person would be immune after receiving the vaccine.
“Right now we know that the vaccine is 95 percent effective, but the vaccine is new, and the trials, right now, show two years of immunity (after vaccination), but this is a long-term trial, and they are still figuring that out, because it depends on each individual’s immunity. That’s why we still need to endorse masks and social distancing,” Palau said.
