BRYAN, Texas — With vaccine eligibility in Texas continuing to expand, the Texans Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is creating a new way for Texans to register for vaccination appointments.
The DSHS launched the Texas Public Health Vaccine Scheduler Monday morning. It is designed to alert people when appointments are available in their area and potentially create vaccination events if there is enough demand in areas.
“This is a tool that will let people sign up to be vaccinated at vaccine clinics hosted by DSHS or several participating local health departments," said Imelda Garcia, the chair for the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel for DSHS.
The tool will be used for public health entities managing COVID-19 vaccination events to be held across the state. The DSHS also hopes it will assist rural and smaller towns/cities manage their appointments.
Local health departments and HUBs may continue to use their own scheduling platforms.
“The release of these systems come at an opportune time given the expansion of eligibility and increased volume of vaccines coming through the state," said Nancy Ejuma, the deputy associate commissioner for DSHS.
The sign-up for the scheduler takes roughly five to ten minutes to complete. Anyone 16 and older can create a profile.
If someone is not eligible to sign up for the vaccine, the scheduler allows them to create a profile and will notify them when they are eligible.
DSHS will use the information from the tool to identify what they call ‘clusters. Areas of people that are ready and signed up to get the vaccine.
“This will allow us to plan the deployment of vaccines to those jurisdictions and identify communities where we can potentially host vaccination events and create appointments and match those appointments to individuals who are ready to receive a vaccine," Ejuma said.
Those registered through the website will be matched with the next available appointment within the area they reside in. If no appointments are available, the scheduler will continue to monitor for more appointments as they are created. It will then alert people via email or text when availability is found.
The tool also gives people the option to choose which day of the week works best for them and the time of day to get a vaccine.
DSHS has also launched a call center support (833-832-7067) for those who need help signing up or don’t have access to the internet. It is open seven days a week from 7 am - 7 pm.