Fort Bend County moves forward with vaccine distribution

Fort Bend County announced Jan. 4 it had received 1,000 vaccines and would begin contacting preregistered individuals to schedule their first dose, but as of Jan. 5, the county's coronavirus vaccine preregistration was full.

"We have requested that more vaccine be made available to our citizens," Fort Bend County KP George said during a press conference. "We are working very closely with the concerned authorities and we are doing everything in our power to make sure it is distributed in an orderly manner."

"As soon as they make them available, we will get the information out," George said. "At this point, I believe we are eventually going to open up a registration process where you could sign up-you could register-to get a COVID vaccine when it is available."

Registering, however, does not necessarily mean someone will be next in line for vaccination, George said. Prioritization of the distribution at that point will defer to experts at Fort Bend County Health and Human Services.

"We are ready to receive this vaccine," George said. "We are ready to administer the vaccine. ... We are ready to get to work."

As of Jan. 5, Harris County had provided the first dose of the vaccine to 62,321 individuals, and all providers in Fort Bend County had provided it to 9,837. During that distribution, Fort Bend has focused on first responders, health care workers and medical providers.

As the county awaits additional shipments, George and Minter both reiterated the need for continued precautions.

"Please continue to keep your guard up," George said. "Wear your masks, wash your hands. ... Be patient."

Details regarding vaccine distribution in Fort Bend can be found at www.fbchealth.org.