Many in Texas are itching to get a COVID-19 vaccine and return to how life was before the pandemic.
"I really think the vaccine is the exit strategy for the pandemic. That’s what needs to occur for us to begin to return to some semblance of normalcy,” said Bell County Judge David Blackburn.
“This this going to be one of our most important weapons,” said Kelly Craine with the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.
However, that may take some time. The Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or other vaccines haven’t been approved by the FDA yet.
Local health officials say they plan to work with hospitals and healthcare providers to give frontline workers priority access.
However, distribution for the general public will take even longer to setup.
“The same way we’re doing our testing now, where we have drive-thru's or walks ups,” explained Craine. “Depending on the storage we need. That’s something they can do, which is not in the near future but is in a plan.”
There’s not a set date when the vaccine will be available for frontline worker or the public, plus vaccination sites would need refrigerators, staff and more to operate.
Places like Nolanville are trying to stay ahead of the curb by using a CARES Act money to build a COVID-19 testing and vaccination site.
“The approximate cost on this project is $180,000. Our current focus is to encourage vaccination against influenza,” said Nolanville Mayor Andy Williams. “We're working with the Bell County Health Department to become a distribution site to help combat this pandemic.”
Williams says the site will be an extension to the back of the Central Bell County Fire and Rescue Department Station.
They plan to have the site complete by the end of December.
