Anyone 50 Or Older Can Now Get COVID-19 Vaccine
A Message from Texas A&M University
March 11, 2021
People 50 years and older now qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine after the Texas Department of State Health Services widened the eligibility pool this week.
Brazos County, which includes Bryan and College Station, is following federal guidance, which states that higher education personnel do not qualify at this time unless they are otherwise included in Phases 1A, 1B and 1C. Population definitions can be found here. Those already eligible – people 65 and older, and those who are 16 and older with a pre-existing medical condition – can continue to sign up.
Shawn G. Gibbs, dean of the Texas A&M School of Public Health, said he encourages all faculty, staff and students who are eligible to get the vaccine as soon as they can through the Brazos County Vaccination Hub or other sources.
The Brazos County Community COVID-19 Vaccination Hub* has moved away from its previous waitlist and now will open new appointment registration at 10 a.m. each Friday for the following week. Check the website frequently. For assistance with appointments, you may also call 979-703-1545; specialists are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Texas A&M officials continue to talk daily with DSHS to discuss receiving additional vaccine inventory, however, the state’s plans currently focus over half of the weekly vaccine allotments to centralized hubs, such as the Brazos County Community COVID-19 Vaccination Hub. Individual providers are starting to see more vaccine allotments.
We recommend that you check the Federal Vaccine Finder and State of Texas Vaccine Availability websites to determine COVID-19 vaccine availability, eligibility and scheduling. It can take at least two weeks after your second dose for the vaccine to have its full impact on your body and its stated efficacy level. It’s not known if you can continue to spread the virus after a successful vaccination. As such, you should not change your COVID-19-related safety behaviors after vaccination: physical distancing, wearing a face covering and handwashing must be continued.
To date, Texas A&M has received a total of 1,975 vaccine doses, which have been distributed to our Phase 1A and 1B populations locally and at our remote campuses across the state. All vaccine providers, including Texas A&M, still are receiving little advance notice of deliveries, or any long-term commitment to the amount of vaccine that will come our way. As more are received, we are prepared to distribute according to the phased approach outlined by the DSHS *distribution plan for Texas and under the instructions of Brazos County.
As the different versions of the vaccine are approved only under a Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization, they currently cannot be required of employees or students.
Resources:
- Texas A&M updates its COVID-19 information page regularly, so please bookmark it on your device.
- If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccination plans at Texas A&M, email covidvaccine@tamu.edu.
- If you know someone who is eligible for a vaccine but doesn’t have internet access, please tell them they can call 2-1-1 for referral to a local vaccine provider.
* This link is no longer active and has been removed.
