COVID vaccine shipments expected in county this week
With 2,607 active cases of COVID-19 currently in Wichita County, health officials are anxiously anticipating the first shipments of Covid vaccines to arrive here this week.
During a Wichita Falls City Council Meeting Tuesday morning, Wichita County Health Director Lou Kreidler told council members that United Regional Health Care System and the North
Texas State Hospital are expected to receive 975 doses each of the newly-approved Pfizer vaccine.
“This is an exciting first step in returning to ‘normal’,” Kreidler said during the meeting. “(But) it will take months for us to have an adequate supply of vaccine in our community so that everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to receive a vaccine.”
Kreidler said the first doses will be targeted toward healthcare workers who work directly with COVID -positive patients.
She also told the council that the vaccine is voluntary and frontline healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities will be among the first groups to be vaccinated.
The Wichita Falls-Wichita County Health Unit is already preparing for when vaccines will be available for the general public, which is expected in the late Spring.
Kreidler said, “We are working with local providers to encourage them to sign up to provide Covid vaccines so that when the vaccine is available individuals will be able to receive vaccines where they normally receive their healthcare.”
“The Health District will hold a vaccination clinic when adequate supplies of vaccine become available,” she continued. “The vaccine will be available to everyone without a charge, or co-pay. However, we will have the ability to bill an individual’s insurance company for the administrative fee.”
Wichita County has reported 794 new cases in the past week, as well as 747 recoveries.
The Health Unit reported 15 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the past week bringing the total of deaths in the county to 170. Deaths were reported in the following age groups: Age 50-59 - Two; 60-69 - Two; 70-79 - Four; and 80-89 - Seven.
As of Tuesday evening, there were 95 COVID patients in Wichita County hospitals, 24 of whom are listed in critical condition.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t encourage people to think about the Christmas celebration and finding innovative ways to celebrate this year,” Kreidler remarked.
“We are seeing the spread of Covid-19 from Thanksgiving celebrations and incidences where entire families and extended families have had to quarantine following an exposure at Thanksgiving,” she said. “Christmas is a time of joy, celebration. and gift giving. What we don’t want to give is Covid.”
In addition, the county reported a 17 percent infection rate among those tested last week, down slightly from the previous week.
The health department releases total number of active cases in each zip code in Wichita County every Friday. Last Friday, Iowa Park had a reported 172 active cases, accounting for seven percent of active cases in the county.
Last week, area media had reported that after mass testing at the Allred Unit, which is located in the Iowa Park zip code, 268 inmates had tested positive. While the number is reflected on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website, it appears those numbers have not yet been reported to the Wichita County Health Unit. Emails to TDCJ were unanswered.
As of Tuesday evening, a total of 54,157 Wichita County residents had been tested for COVID-19, with 8,937 of those positive since March 18. Of those, 6,160 have recovered. The number of tests pending Tuesday evening was 1,573.
Iowa Park CISD
Iowa Park High School was notified of three students testing positive for COVID-19 since last Wednesday, one each at Iowa Park High School, W.F. George Middle School and Bradford Elementary. Each of the cases were classified as low risk to the campus by the Wichita County Health Dept.
FREE TESTING CONTINUES
Due to the high percentage of cases locally, free drive-through testing is now being offered by WellHealth through the end of the year in the parking lot of the MPEC Center in Wichita Falls. The hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The latest information on hospitalizations released by the WFWC Public Health District include:
Total Hospitalizations = 95
Stable = 71
Critical = 24
0-5
No hospitalizations
6-10
No hospitalizations
11-19
Stable - 1
20 - 29
No hospitalizations
30 - 39
Stable - 2
40 - 49
Stable - 5
Critical - 2
50 - 59
Stable - 9
Critical - 4
60 - 69
Stable - 16
Critical - 9
70 - 79
Stable - 19
Critical - 7
80+
Stable - 19
Critical - 2
Wichita County New Covid Cases by Month (First case reported here March 18)
March 38
April 27
May 19
June 279
July 539
August 422
September 548
October 2,194
November 3,054
Dec. (thru Dec. 15) 1,023
Total cases reported 8,937
“This is an exciting first step in returning to ‘normal’”
– Lou Kreidler, County Health Director
