Coronavirus Houston: Answers to common COVID-19 vaccine questions - KTRK-TV

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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Although COVID-19 vaccines have started being distributed, much of the general population has yet to receive their first dose. There's been a lot of confusion around who can go get vaccinated right now and where to get the doses, so ABC13 is answering some commonly asked questions.

Who is eligible for COVID-19 vaccines right now?

According to the state of Texas, vaccine distribution has been broken down into phases. Phase 1A includes medical workers and those living in nursing homes, and Phase 1B includes anyone who is 65 and older, or 16 and older with a chronic medical condition such as cancer, COPD, heart conditions, organ transplant, obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease and type 2 diabetes.

I qualify for the vaccine! Can I get it now?

Possibly. The supply is much smaller than the demand. Approximately 8-9 million Texans fall under Phase 1B, but the state has received less than 1 million doses so far.

How can I try to get the vaccine?

If you use a hospital system, like Memorial Hermann or Houston Methodist, for your primary care, call the office and make sure you are registered with your latest email and contact information. They will notify you when you qualify. Also, call your pharmacy if you use one regularly, and make sure you ask to be registered or ask if they have any available. You can also check with urgent care facilities near your home to see if they are in line for vaccines.

I called around. Nobody has a vaccine for my elderly parent. What do I do?

There is not enough vaccines yet for everyone. The reality is it will take months for even some seniors to get appointments. The state of Texas has a provider map, and you can try calling the locations indicated on the map.

My regular doctor is with Houston Methodist. Will I get a vaccine?

Methodist started notifying established patients who are 75 and over for vaccination slots this week. The hospital system says it will begin notifying qualifying patients 65 and over along with those who have chronic conditions in the next one or two weeks.

My regular doctor is with Memorial Hermann. Will I get a vaccine?

Memorial Hermann began notifying Phase 1B patients with established relationships on Monday, Dec. 28. Check your emails. If you did not get an email to schedule, you may want to call your doctor's office to make sure you are on the list.

My regular doctor is with Kelsey Seybold. Will I get a vaccine?

Kelsey-Seybold received 4,500 doses so far. Most of it is for people who belonged to Phase 1A. Established Kelsey patients may already be getting some email notifications. A further rollout of its vaccine availability should begin on Monday, Jan. 4.

My regular doctor is with Baylor College of Medicine. Will I get a vaccine?

Baylor College of Medicine received 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine on Monday, Dec. 28 and began vaccinations on Tuesday, Dec. 29. Baylor is currently only doing Phase 1A vaccines. It will most likely start administering to people in phase 1B next week. Please contact your doctor's office to make sure your information is up to date to be notified.

My regular doctor is with UT Health. Will I get a vaccine?

As of Dec. 30, UT Physicians is only vaccinating frontline employees under Phase 1A. There is not yet a time table for Phase 1B patients to receive the vaccine.

What about CVS & Walgreens?

CVS and Walgreens are currently participating in the vaccination of nursing home residents as part of a federal plan. At this point, they are not administering vaccines to the general public, but you should continue checking.

Do grocery stores like Kroger and H-E-B have vaccines?

Kroger and H-E-B pharmacies will eventually help distribute vaccines to the general public, but that will take some time.

As of this week, H-E-B received about 23,000 vaccines, which amounted to about 100 per store. Those have been mostly distributed to medical workers. H-E-B is awaiting more vaccines from the state so it can distribute them to Phase 1B customers. Pharmacy customers should check back with the website for more updates.

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