5 tips for getting COVID-19 vaccine scheduled

SAN ANTONIO – With every Texan 16 years of age or older eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday, the race for vaccination schedules is about to become more competitive.

So how do you maximize your chances of getting a place?

KSAT 12 spoke with two women who spent their free time helping to get over 1,400 people together, who signed up for vaccination appointments.

They offer the following tips for proposing a meeting.

Large vaccination sites, such as Alamodome or WellMed clinics, may be helpful, but they shouldn’t be the end of your search. Both Lisa Holguin and Karen James recommend that you also consult suppliers who have fewer doses on site.

“I would recommend looking at local pharmacies. There are a lot of people who will come out “, said Holguin, who has registered at least 420 people so far.

James, who has so far enrolled more than 1,000 people, said he remains mainly at HEB and Walmart. The two, along with CVS Pharmacy, are set to become major vaccine providers in the coming weeks, although they do not have the same profile as the larger sites.

KSAT has compiled information on some of the largest providers in the San Antonio area HERE, although not an exhaustive list.

Take advantage of any benefits you can get by signing up for any text, email or smartphone alerts you may find.

For those providers who do not have alert options, such as HEB or Walmart, check their sites frequently. Appointments can occur throughout the day, and checking at unusual times can also help.

“Where I have the most time – I should say that most people are early in the morning, from 2 to 4 in the morning,” said James. “It’s like throwing people left and right.”

If you find a vaccine provider with a waiting list, go ahead and sign up yourself. Although you may want to use this as a backup plan while you continue to search for something earlier.

Here are some places to sign up for notifications or to check for updates.

THINGS text notifications – write “vaccine” to 55000 for scheduling updates through the four major vaccination providers: San Antonio (Alamodome), WellMed, UT Health, and University Health (Wonderland of the Americas).
UH Go Mobile application – University Health has its own smartphone app, which provides a head-up for new appointments.
UH email updates – University Health says you can also sign up for email notifications through its Health Focus SA blog.
Slack – Holguin says there are several channels in the Slack app, which is available for smartphones and computers, which have information about new meetings. You can find the channels by searching for “Texas Vaccine Updates.”
CVS – Check availability on its website.
TO HAVE – Check availability on its website.
WalMart – Check availability on its website.
UT health – Check availability on its website.
DSHS – The State Department of Health Services website lists the state’s weekly vaccine allocations, which could help you make some educated assumptions about where new appointments might open. However, it does not seem to be updated with allocations that go directly to local pharmacies through a separate federal program.

The vast majority of vaccine providers only offer one-on-one meetings, usually through online registration. So, without a quick typing and a decent amount of luck, you will have trouble making several appointments at the same time and in the same place.

“That’s what I tell people when they call me and I’m a husband or wife – I always tell them, ‘I’ll try to get you together. But right now, it’s almost anything you get, “Holguin said.

The only exception for the multiple registrations that Holguin and James know were WellMed, which has two vaccination sites in the city. A WellMed spokesman confirmed that it will allow four or five people from the same family to register for each phone call.

However, WellMed also has a reputation for being a notoriously frustrating way to get a date. Because it channels all entries through its telephone system, it can take hundreds of calls before it passes – if you fail at all. So you may not want to put all your eggs in that basket.

This applies to the time, location and type of vaccination. The more flexible you are, the more opportunities you will have.

James said he sent people to Austin, Pearsall and even Brownsville – although that person had a family there.

“The further you go, the better. If you try to get something in San Antonio, you will wait, ”said James.

However, if you have limitations – whether it’s transportation issues, a difficult work schedule, or a doctor who recommends that you only follow a certain type of vaccination – the following advice will be twice as helpful.

There are still so many doses to travel in Texas. So chances are, you’ll have to wait a while before you get vaccinated.

Holguin advises you to expect to spend two or three hours looking for an appointment. While she and James have managed to make numerous meetings a day, they also know their ways around the different systems.

“If it’s the first time you’re looking, you’ll probably spend a few days – two or three days – kind of looking and getting acquainted with the system and seeing where you can get one,” Holguin said. “And you’ll start to notice places – you’ll miss some, you know, but you’ll say, ‘OK, well, they seem to be clearing a lot of this store.’ ”

But when you find a place that works for you, grab it. Because it’s guaranteed that someone else is heading for that.

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