Dear Neighbors,

I hope you are staying safe and well during these challenging times.

I am so grateful that Austin, like other areas throughout the country, has begun to get COVID-19 vaccines. However, as you may be aware, the vaccine is in very short supply. For most of us, it will likely be many months until there is enough supply to receive a vaccine, as the priority will be on getting individuals vaccinated who are at highest risk.

Texas has indicated that those in the 1B category can now receive the vaccine (65 and older or some specific underlying medical conditions), but right now the supply in our city has only been enough for some of those individuals to receive the vaccine.

The State of Texas is determining which providers receive vaccines and how many doses each will receive.

The state has created a map of providers receiving vaccines; we expect this list to continue to grow, and we are hopeful that providers like Austin Public Health with the ability to administer large numbers of vaccines will receive bigger supplies as more vaccine becomes available.

If you have a primary care physician or a relationship with a medical clinic, please reach out to see if they will be receiving the vaccine, and if so, if you can join a waiting list for the vaccine.

As the state map indicates (link below), you can also get the vaccine at a pharmacy or clinic (some in the Austin area include Austin Regional Clinic, CVS, Walgreens, and HEB pharmacies) after making an appointment. While most don’t yet have enough vaccine for those in the 1B category, HEB and some of the other facilities have created online waiting lists.

Austin Public Health (the city/county health department) is one of the providers receiving vaccines, but its supply is very limited. For right now, Austin Public Health will be focusing on giving those vaccines to uninsured/underinsured individuals who fall within the 1A and 1B category and live in areas of the city with the highest numbers of COVID cases and limited transportation and clinic options. Online registration for qualified individuals began on 1/13/21; individuals without online access can also call 311. Please note that Austin Public Health asks that individuals with insurance and/or regular physicians seek other distributors at this time so that their limited vaccine supply can be reserved for individuals without other resources.

Here is a link to the state’s website:


Some of you have asked whether Austin has one centralized sign-up system for our community: the answer is no.

Austin Public Health is working with the different vaccine providers to determine if a centralized sign-up system can be created for our region – but please know that because providers use different systems and databases, creating one regional system poses major logistic challenges and cannot happen quickly, if at all.

As mentioned above, it will likely be quite some time before enough vaccine is available in our community for everyone who is able to receive one. In the meantime, we will have to pull together as a community and allow those at highest risk to receive theirs first – and to do our best to mitigate the spread of the virus in our city.

The number of COVID-19 cases in our community is higher than ever, and Austin is now in Stage 5. If you’re able, please continue to work from home as much as possible and limit activities outside your house to essential tasks. And as we have for months, please wash your hands, wear a mask and stay a minimum of 6 feet from individuals outside of your household.

The City of Austin will continue to provide up-to-date information on its COVID-19 webpage: http://www.austintexas.gov/covid19. Information specific to the vaccine – including a weekly newsletter called “Vacc Facts” – is available here: www.AustinTexas.gov/COVID19-Vaccines.

Austin Public Health will be hosting two community townhall meetings to update the community regarding the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine strategy and plan as well as to host an expert panel discussion regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness. 

  • The first town hall was in English on January 13th at 6 p.m. To access the recorded video, please see the archived broadcast here.

  • The second town hall will be in Spanish on January 14th at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Facebook and the Univision 62 website and app. Additional details can be found here.

The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access will be provided upon request. If you cannot access a location because of problems with transportation, internet, email, or computers please call 512-972-5560. Language Interpretation services will be provided at no cost to anyone in need of the service.

I encourage you to share this information with your networks as our Austin Public Health Department continues the enormous task of responding to the pandemic.

All the Best,

Kathie Tovo
Council Member District 9