Any Midland resident aged 16 or over can now receive the COVID-19 vaccine through Midland Health’s expansion of the city’s mass vaccination site, which can now also accommodate more people.
Midland Health currently has a steady supply of the Pfizer vaccine, which is administered in two doses, and the demand within the current phases is beginning to wane, according to a post on the Midland Health website. As a result, they are encouraging anyone over the age of 16 who has yet to receive a coronavirus vaccination to schedule an appointment.
"We've just got to get vaccines out. That's the most important priority," Russell Meyers, Midland Memorial Hospital CEO, said according to NewsWest9.
Individuals under the age of 18 must still be accompanied by a parent or guardian in order to receive a vaccination, according to the post. Residents can visit midlandhealth.org/schedulemyvaccine or call 432-221-4VAX to make an appointment.
“It is extremely important that we get vaccines in arms to achieve our ultimate goal of herd immunity (enough people vaccinated to produce community protection),” the post states.
As of the end of last week, Midland County had 66,000 residents vaccinated, NewsWest9 reported. For Midland, the primary obstacle remaining is in educating and convincing those who haven’t been vaccinated yet to receive the vaccine, so the county is less focused on vetting by age group and more on simply getting anyone who is willing vaccinated.
"What makes sense in Houston or Austin doesn't necessarily always make sense for Midland," Meyers said, NewsWest9 reported. “So we're trying to stay as close to the state's guidelines as we can, while pushing those boundaries a little bit to be sure that we meet the particular needs of our community.”
Midland Health also told NewsWest9 that it is possible the entire state may soon be adopting similar policies.