Due to the current limited supply of vaccines nationwide, there is a temporary suspension to vaccination registrations both online and by phone. UT Health RGV will continue to provide regular updates regarding availability and latest vaccine information.
Vaccines are vital to fighting deadly infectious diseases. When the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to you, we strongly encourage that you receive it.
The COVID-19 Vaccine is a fast-evolving situation, and details of the complex vaccination program are still being worked out. As always, UT Health RGV will continue to share as much information as we can, as quickly as we can to best serve you and your family during this time.
UT Health RGV is administering the COVID-19 vaccine as directed by UT System. Phase 1A of the vaccine, based on guidance from CDC and Texas Department of State Health Services, will focus on protecting health care workers that are essential to preserving our health care system in order to continue caring for COVID-19 and other patients during this initial phase when the supply of the vaccine is limited. Phase 1B focuses on specific groups who are most vulnerable at the moment, see qualifying groups below. For the latest information on the different phases of the vaccine visit the CDC website.
Texas DSHS COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Guiding Principles and Pase Definitions:
Download Vaccine Phases Infographic
Updated as of December 28, 2020.
UTRGV and UT Health RGV are following the guidance of the CDC and the Texas Department of State Health Services for vaccine allocation decisions, including identifying groups that should be vaccinated first to provide the most protection to vulnerable populations. This is subject to change and pending detailed guidance on prioritization for other qualifying populations.
People Age 65+
People Age 16+ with at least one qualifying chronic medical condition including:
COVID-19 can cause severe medical complications and lead to death in some people. There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you. If you get COVID-19, you could spread the disease to family, friends and others around you.
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine can help protect you by creating an antibody response in your body without you having to become sick with COVID-19.
A COVID-19 vaccine might prevent you from getting COVID-19. Or, if you get COVID-19, the vaccine might keep you from becoming seriously ill or from developing serious complications.
Getting vaccinated also might help protect people around you from COVID-19, particularly people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Overall, vaccines are very safe. The U.S. vaccine safety system ensures that all vaccines are as safe as possible. Safety is a top priority as we work to make a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine(s) available. After a vaccine is authorized or approved for use, many vaccine safety monitoring systems watch for adverse events (possible side effects). This continued monitoring can pick up on adverse events that may not have been seen in clinical trials.
If an unexpected adverse event is seen, experts quickly study it further to assess whether it is a true safety concern. Experts then decide whether changes are needed in U.S. vaccine recommendations. This monitoring is critical to help ensure that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks for people who receive vaccines. As of this time, the only absolute reason to not get the COVID-19 vaccine is a previous severe allergic reaction to vaccine ingredients.
UT Health RGV has been working with federal, state and local authorities, as well as area hospitals on plans for the Rio Grande Valley, including how the FDA-approved vaccines will be distributed and the order in which people may receive the vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be limited and will be prioritized based on guidance from the CDC, which recommends vaccinating healthcare workers, first responders and support staff. As the vaccine is distributed across the country and worldwide, we will have additional information about distribution at selected UT Health RGV locations.
Please remember, these vaccines give us hope, but the vaccine alone will not end the pandemic. We must all continue taking safety precautions to reduce the spread of the virus. This includes wearing a mask, frequent hand washing and sanitizing, and physical and social distancing.
Overall, vaccines are very safe. The U.S. vaccine safety system ensures that all vaccines are as safe as possible. Safety is a top priority as we work to make a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine(s) available. After a vaccine is authorized or approved for use, many vaccine safety monitoring systems watch for adverse events (possible side effects). This continued monitoring can pick up on adverse events that may not have been seen in clinical trials. If an unexpected adverse event is seen, experts quickly study it further to assess whether it is a true safety concern. Experts then decide whether changes are needed in U.S. vaccine recommendations. This monitoring is critical to help ensure that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks for people who receive vaccines. As of this time, the only absolute reason to not get the COVID-19 vaccine is a previous severe allergic reaction to vaccine ingredients.
Currently, two vaccines are authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19 in the United States. To help guide decisions about how to distribute limited initial supplies of COVID-19 vaccine, CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices have published recommendations for which groups should be vaccinated first. It is understandable how concerning this may be for people, especially for those who are at increased risk for serious illness from this virus and for their loved ones.
The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as large quantities are available. That is why, early in the response, the federal government began investing in select vaccine manufacturers to help them increase their ability to quickly make and distribute a large amount of COVID-19 vaccine. This will allow the United States to start with as much vaccine as possible and continually increase the supply in the weeks and months to follow. The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as large quantities are available. Several thousand vaccination providers will be available, including doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers.
You should cover your mouth and nose with a mask when around others, avoid close contact with people who are sick, stay 6 feet away from others, avoid crowds, and wash your hands often. Get more information about these and other steps you can take to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
The two authorized and recommended vaccines to prevent COVID-19 in the United States both need two shots to be effective. There is one COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States that uses one shot.
Yes. CDC recommends that during the pandemic people wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth when in contact with others outside your household, when in healthcare facilities, and when receiving any vaccine, including a COVID-19 vaccine. Anyone who has trouble breathing or is unable to remove a mask without assistance should not wear a mask. For more information, visit considerations for wearing masks.
Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. However, vaccination providers will be able to charge an administration fee for giving the shot to someone. Vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.
COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to you regardless of whether you already had COVID-19 infection. You should not be required to have an antibody test before you are vaccinated.
However, anyone currently infected with COVID-19 should wait to get vaccinated until after their illness has resolved and after they have met the criteria to discontinue isolation.
Additionally, current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection. Therefore, people with a recent infection may delay vaccination until the end of that 90-day period if desired.
Yes. While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to us to help stop this pandemic, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask, washing hands often, and staying at least 6 feet away from others. Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC’s recommendations for how to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19. Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide before deciding to change recommendations on steps everyone should take to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Other factors, including how many people get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect this decision.
There are currently no available vaccines that will prevent COVID-19. However, multiple agencies and groups in the United States are working together to make sure that a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is available as quickly as possible.
A flu vaccine will not protect you from getting COVID-19, but it can prevent you from getting influenza (flu) at the same time as COVID-19. This can keep you from having a more severe illness. While it’s not possible to say with certainty what will happen in the winter, CDC believes it’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both be spreading during that time. That means that getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever.
The protection someone gains from having an infection (called natural immunity) varies depending on the disease, and it varies from person to person. Since this virus is new, we don’t know how long natural immunity might last. Current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection.
Regarding vaccination, we won’t know how long immunity lasts until we have a vaccine and more data on how well it works. Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are trying to learn more about, and CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.