WellMed receives 9,000 more coronavirus vaccines, registration opens Saturday

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – WellMed will reopen the COVID-19 vaccination hotline Saturday after receiving 9,000 more doses from the Texas Department of State Health Services.  That’s in addition to 9,000 doses that are being administered by WellMed this week at the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior Center on Culebra Road and the Elvira Cisneros Senior Center on S. W. Military Drive.

“If we are ever going to go back to what we call normal, we’re going to have to get the majority of our population vaccinated, and this is a step in the right direction,” said Dr. Carlos Hernandez, President of WellMed Medical Group.

Hernandez says these Moderna vaccines are being offered to people 65 and older, health care workers, and individuals as young as 18 who have chronic health conditions.

“Through our partnerships with Metro Health, the University Health System and some very determined city council members, our ability to mass vaccinate was what prompted the State to provide us the vaccine to administer to the community,” Hernandez said.

Registration for the new supply of Moderna vaccines will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday.  You can make an appointment by calling a toll-free number, 833-968-1745.

Hernandez asks that you be patient because they’ve  had more than 7  million calls since the vaccination hotline opened last week. Some are repeat calls by very determined individuals.  He says one person trying to make an appointment called 621 times.

If phone lines are overwhelmed, you will hear one of two messages: On a cell phone: “The line you are trying to reach is out of service.” On a landline: “All circuits are busy. Please try your call later.”

If  you are cut off after getting through to the recorded greeting, it means all operators are on calls. It is also possible the call will not go through at all. These all are issues with the phone service provider.

“WellMed is donating staff and facilities to support these clinics,” said Dr. George Rapier, chairman and CEO of WellMed Medical Management, Inc. “We are committed to expanding vaccination operations into other parts of the city as more doses become available.”