Maverick County Hospital District Receives First 300 COVID-19 Vaccines on December 23, 2020
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
Maverick County Hospital District (MCHD) Chief Executive Officer Alma Martinez announced that the Hospital District received the first shipment of 300 Moderna COVID-19 vaccines from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) on Wednesday, December 23, 2020.
Martinez stated that the Hospital District immediately administered the COVID-19 vaccines to their medical and healthcare staff members with Cardiologist Dr. Lon Walder being the first in Maverick County to be inoculated with the vaccine and General Surgeon Dr. Alfonso Aguirre-Trevino as the second recipient.
A total of 60 Hospital District medical and healthcare staff members were inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine on December 23, 2020, said Martinez.
Martinez added that the District will continue inoculating all medical and healthcare personnel as well as first responders such as firefighters and paramedics according to the DSHS distribution priority schedule.
Present at the first inoculation of the COVID-19 vaccine in Maverick County were Maverick County Hospital District Board of Directors Chairman Aaron Valdez, Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes, and Eagle Pass City Councilman Elias Diaz.
MCHD Board Chairman Aaron Valdez stated that “it’s an honor and honestly much awaited moment for this to happen and it’s a huge step.”
Martinez added that “we are very happy…and a long time waiting to receive the vaccine and the immunizations to begin in our community. We are here to help our community and look forward to administering these first 300 COVID-19 vaccines.”
Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes stated he congratulated Maverick County Hospital District for moving quick on the inoculation of medical and healthcare professionals and staff with the COVID-19 vaccine in the community. Sifuentes added the COVID-19 vaccine will be administered to the City of Eagle Pass Fire Department Firefighters and EMTs as First Responders on Monday, December 28, 2020. In the event that there are any vaccines remaining, Sifuentes stated that he and Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo will be administered the COVID-19 vaccine as members of the Maverick County Emergency Operation Center.
Eagle Pass City Councilman Elias Diaz stated it was a historic moment in the community to be able to administer the first COVID-19 vaccines to the medical and healthcare providers and first responders.
Another 200 COVID-19 vaccines have been allocated by DSHS to Maverick County with the United Medical Centers receiving a shipment of 100 vaccines and H.E.B. Pharmacy another 100.
The first shipment of 500 COVID-19 vaccines in Maverick County are much welcomed and needed as the coronavirus continues to spread within the community at a rapid rate of infections.
As of Wednesday, December 23, 2020, a cumulative total of 6,041 people in Maverick County have tested positive with COVID-19 and 159 people have died from COVID-19 according to the Maverick County Emergency Operation Center; however, DSHS reports a total of 187 deaths, an additional 28 fatalities than reported locally.
One local citizen stated that the arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccine shipment was the best Christmas present and news that Maverick County could receive this holiday season.
