News

Cuero, Texas: In an effort to streamline vaccine appointment setting to Tier 1B once additional COVID-19 vaccines arrive, Cuero Regional Hospital established an online waiting list at www.cueroregionalhospital.org

Those that fall into Tier 1B are encouraged to sign up using the online form and a member of scheduling will call once the vaccines arrive to set appointments. The vaccine will only be available by appointment and appointments will be set during the week days (M-F) during normal business hours. Location will be determined based on number of vaccines received each week.

For those without access to a computer to complete the online form, they are encouraged to call Cuero Regional Hospital's dedicated COVID-19 line, which allows the caller to leave a message with the required information for scheduling to add them to the waiting list. The dedicated line is 361-524-6129.

Lynn Falcone, Cuero Health CEO, shared that due to vaccine packaging, scheduling will take place in groups of 10 so no vaccine is wasted. Patients with appointments can expect to register, complete two vaccine forms, receive the vaccine shot and then wait about 15 minutes to verify that the patient does not have any reaction. “Thus far, we have had staff experience injection site tenderness and minor low grade fever,” said Falcone.

“Unfortunately, we do not know when the next allotment will arrive, so we’ve created this vaccine waiting list for the general public,” said Falcone. “In order for the public to prepare for the eventual vaccine offering, we want them to know that the vaccines are free; however, there will be a small administration fee charged to your insurance. Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial plans have no out-of-pocket expense to members. If a patient is self-pay, the cost is $48 and that administration fee covers both doses. No one will be turned away due to inability to pay; financial assistance will be available.”

The initial 200 Moderna vaccines that Cuero Regional Hospital received were exhausted quickly and administered to Tier 1A as per State guidelines. This particular vaccine is administered as a 2-dose series, one month apart, into the muscle. Those that received the initial dose will return in a month to receive their second dose.

“We anticipate that the next round of vaccines we receive will most likely be the Moderna, so our team has been proactive in planning for the distribution by setting up the online waiting list to expedite the scheduling process,” said Falcone. “We know the public has questions, so we have also included a vaccine FAQ on this form, as well as posted this information on our COVID-19 Updates page on our website. We want to do our best to keep the public informed and educated throughout the process,” said Falcone.

The vaccines will be offered to the public who have completed the online form, received a call from scheduling with a set appointment time and fall into the Phase 1B criteria per Texas Health and Human Services:

• People 65 years of age and older Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be offered to the public, specifically those that fall into Phase 1B for the vaccine allocation, starting January 4, 2021.
• People 16 years of age and older with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19, such as but not limited to:
• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
• Solid organ transplantation
• Obesity and severe obesity (body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Per DSHS, COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Phase 1B Definition Background Mortality and morbidity data collected over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrates that COVID-19 has the most severe effects on people who are 65 years and older and individuals with comorbidities. Protecting these higher-risk individuals is of the utmost concern in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Texas death certificate data, more than 70 percent of the deaths directly caused by COVID-19 are among people 65 years and older.

“The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is a great advancement in combating the coronavirus disease,” said Lynn Falcone, CEO of Cuero Health. “We will continue to update the local media, as well as our website and social media channels, as soon as we receive doses of the vaccine for the public.”

For more information, visit www.CueroRegionalHospital.org and follow Cuero Regional Hospital on Facebook for the latest updates on the vaccine.