Willamson County EMS Medics Receive Coronavirus Vaccine

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Williamson County paramedics were inoculated with the coronavirus vaccine — six days after the county received its first allotment of the medicine — officials confirmed Tuesday.

Williamson County EMS field staff —among the first to respond to emergency calls in the community — have two different entities they can count on to get vaccinated, county officials wrote in an advisory. Williamson County partnered with Family Hospital Systems to vaccinate the County’s EMS personnel in order to protect them from getting infected with the virus while providing essential life-saving services for county residents, officials wrote.

In addition, the Williamson County and Cities Health District also is conducting vaccinations for people currently eligible to receive it, according to the county advisory.

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The Williamson County and Cities Health District received its first allotment of 900 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. The health district was the subject of some criticism — including from Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell — for not starting inoculations immediately while proceeding to close its doors in observance of the Christmas holiday. "I am profoundly disappointed," Gravell said at the time, as quoted by the Texas Tribune.

As medics prepared to get vaccinated on Tuesday, the judge struck a more conciliatory tone: “I am grateful to Operation Warp Speed for expediting the COVID-19 vaccination process and giving us all hope from the devastation of this virus,” Gravell said in a prepared statement. “I am grateful for Family Hospital Systems and their willingness to work during the holidays to administer the vaccine to our eligible employees. When the vaccine is available for me, I plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage others to take it.”

Health officials noted that while getting the vaccine is encouraged for all field staff, especially those with underlying conditions, it is a voluntary decision that will be made by each individual.

“We are so excited that this day has arrived," Williamson County EMS Director Mike Knipstein said in a prepared statement. "This is an important part of helping keep our caregivers safe, and we are blessed to be one of the first to receive the vaccine,” said. “We would like for everyone to consider getting the vaccine when it is available.”

Public health officials stressed the vaccine is safe and provides an extra layer of protection from COVID-19. However, officials added, the vaccine should be treated as just another tool in the toolbox for combatting the virus. "The vaccine is not the sole safety measure that will prevent a person from getting COVID-19," health district officials said in a prepared statement. "The public is strongly encouraged to continue to practice personal responsibility measures to prevent the spread of the virus."

The measures are made easier to remember with a mnemonic device utilizing the letter w:

• WEAR a mask. People should wear a face covering over their mouth and nose.
• WATCH your distance. Keep six feet of distance from people outside your household.
• WASH your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.

Williamson County has been under the highest alert level for coronavirus — the red-coded Stage 5 advisory that denotes uncontrolled spread of the respiratory illness — since Nov. 19.

For more information on vaccines, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Information portal maintained by the Texas Department of State Health Services.