Travis County Vaccine Hub: When And Where To Get Vaccinated

UPDATE: Austin Public Health experienced technical difficulties Monday evening. To make-up for the unscheduled appointments, the agency will need to add an additional day of appointment scheduling and asks the public check back for updates by 5 p.m. March 16.

TRAVIS COUNTY, TX — Travis County and the Texas Department of State Health Services will continue to have several drive-thru vaccination sites for the week of March 15.

Austin Public Health announced Friday it is working to prioritize the vaccine for more than 200,000 1A and 1B individuals in its system who have not yet received the vaccine, after learning it has not received an increased vaccination allocation for this week from the state.

The city and county agency said it will still continue to prioritize newly eligible education professionals, early childhood staff, and 1C individuals.

This week, the city-county public health agency will make modifications to its registration platform to include the 1C population, which includes people 50 to 64 years of age.

If you're planning to get vaccinated, here's when and where you can get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Do you live in Georgetown, Round Rock, Cedar Park or Leander? Here's your guide: Williamson County Vaccine Hub: When and Where To Get Vaccinated

First, are you eligible for a vaccine?

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Texans who can receive the COVID-19 vaccine at this time must fall into the Phase 1A, Phase 1B and Phase 1C categories.

Phase 1A includes health care workers, medical first respondents and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. Those in Phase 1B include anyone 65 and older and individuals 16 and older with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness.

On March 10, the Texas Dept. of State Health Services announced Texans age 50 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (Phase 1C) beginning March 15.

Earlier this month, the state agency and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services announced teachers, school staff, bus drivers and those who work as or for licensed child care providers, including center-based and family care providers are also eligible for the vaccine.

Had COVID-19 recently? If you plan to get a vaccine through Austin Public Health, the city-county health agency will not vaccinate those who are currently sick or have been positive for COVID-19 within the last 60 days.

More on teachers: Texas Teachers, Child Care Workers Now Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaccine information: TX Coronavirus Vaccine Hub: Where, Who And How To Get Immunized

Texans Don't Have To Prove They're Eligible For The COVID-19 Vaccine, And Some Are Jumping The Line. Here's Why.

How do you register for a vaccine?

For a free vaccination with Austin Public Health, you must first pre-register to determine your eligibility, according to the city of Austin's website.

Completing pre-registration does not guarantee that you will receive the vaccine or a scheduled appointment, but it will allow you to be added to the system to schedule at a later date when additional vaccine is available.

Here's where to pre-register for the vaccine.

I got a "Schedule a COVID Vaccine" button. What do I do next?

When you are eligible for a vaccine, you will see the button in vaccination appointments on the site, which are released on Monday evenings.

On March 8, Austin Public Health announced the weekly Monday release will include first dose appointments for the entire week of planned vaccine operations.

Authorities said specific days made available and the number of appointments released will vary each week depending on vaccine availability and the timing of shipments from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Should additional vaccine doses become available later in the week, the city-county health agency will conduct another appointment release on Thursday evening of each week.

What if Austin Public Health cancels a Thursday release? The agency will cancel the Thursday release of appointments if there is no available vaccine. If that happens, the public will see this cancellation on the scheduling page and on its social media channels.

Below are tips that will help individuals schedule appointments:

1. Appointments are only available to those in the 1A, 1B and 1C groups, as well as those who work at a school or work as/for a certified child care provider. If you are not able to get into the queuing system you are not eligible.
2. When it is your turn, it may take you to the log in screen. If that happens, please log back in and continue to schedule. You have not lost your spot.
3. If you get stuck clicking "Next" this means too many people are selecting that time slot. Please click the home icon in the upper left corner and click "Schedule, Reschedule, Cancel a FIRST Dose Vaccine" to select a new time slot. Do not click the back button in your browser.
4. Make sure you are scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine and not a COVID-19 test. Testing sites do not have the vaccine.
5. Enable all cookies when in the queue. This will help hold your place in line if you are logged out. Cookies are small bits of information which help websites remember that you've logged in, or perhaps to store your personal preferences for that website.

Vaccination sites in Travis County:

Since Austin Public Health is no longer the only source of the vaccine, residents are encouraged to regularly check locations they normally receive vaccines such as pharmacies and doctor's offices.

Limited vaccines are available at doctor’s offices, pharmacies and hospitals. To find a local provider in your area, visit VaccineFinder.org.

Want to see who has available vaccines? Check out Texas' vaccine availability map.

Also, here are some state allocated sites:

• UT Health Dell Medical School, 1501 Red River St., in Austin
• Communitycare South Austin, 2529 S 1st St., in Austin
• Cornerstone Specialty Hospital of Austin, 4207 Burnet Rd., in Austin
• Lone Star Circle Of Care At Collinfield, 8913 Collinfield Dr. Unit 1, in Austin
• Lone Star Circle Of Care At El Buen Samaritano, 7000 Woodhue Dr. in Austin
• Seton Medical Center Austin, 1201 W 38th St., in Austin
• Texas DSHS Laboratory, 1100 West 49th St., in Austin
• Austin Public Health, 15 Waller St., in Austin