You got your first COVID-19 vaccine dose at city-run hub, now what?

In Bexar County, 55,947 people of the area’s 1.5 million people have received the first of two doses in the COVID-19 vaccination process.

Another 14,579 people have been fully vaccinated. Some local readers have asked how they join that group.

Nine thousand people were immunized at the Alamodome, the city’s mass vaccination site, during its first week. Others were vaccinated at WellMed’s two sites, made possible by a partnership with the city. Prior to Wednesday, the two city-run options had differing systems of signing patients up for their second round of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Alamodome site was initially sending patients home to set up an appointment online. WellMed’s two facilities, Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Center and the Alicia Treviño Lopez Senior One-Stop Center, have been registering people for their second appointment before they left the property.

Metro Health provided an update on Wednesday on how residents must go about getting their second dose.

Prior to the noon announcement, residents were told to register for their second shot online one week ahead of their final inoculation date. Officials said that the process is now more streamlined as patients are now scheduling onsite after getting their first dose.

The group who was vaccinated prior to the noon announcement should receive a phone call from Metro Health to get set up for their second dose. If the resident missed the call, they are instructed to schedule by calling 311 and selecting option 8. Phone lines have been experiencing high call volumes as people attempt to get an appointment spot, but residents can also email [email protected].

Daniel Calderon, a spokesperson for the WellMed vaccine rollout, said there should be “no confusion” in patients getting registered for their second visit to those sites. He said individuals are given a card as a reminder and asked for an email to receive another reminder to go back for the last dose. Each patient is signed up for their follow-up appointment before sitting down for the required 15-minute observation period, he said.

At this time, people who qualify in the 1A or 1B categories (healthcare workers, anyone age 65 and older, and adults 16 and older with a chronic condition) are eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations at these clinics.

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | [email protected] | @maddyskye