Setting the record straight

There is some misinformation, scattered around the county, that Stephens County may not have been prepared for the vaccine rollout. According to Stephens Memorial Hospital and ResourceCare Community Health Center 280 first dose COVID-19 vaccines have been administered and 48 second dose vaccines.

Chris Curtis, Director of Business Development at Stephens Memorial Hospital, said, “We were extremely prepared and started giving vaccine as soon as we received it. We order each week and wait to see what, if any, we will receive. […] We put a large amount of effort not only in obtaining vaccine but also keeping our community informed of the status. Once we receive vaccines we immediately go to work getting those vaccines in the arms of our community.”

According to Curtis, DSHS and the CDC determine the allotment of who gets what.

“We are at the mercy of DSHS as to when we receive an allotment,” said Curtis. “We order weekly. Sometimes we make the cut, sometimes we don’t. Out of the eight weeks of allocations either the hospital or the clinic have been included in three of those weeks. Faith Community Hospital in Jacksboro is just now receiving their first allotment. Trying to find the logic in DSHS allotment decisions is next to impossible.”

As of Jan. 29 Stephens County has 23 active cases with three pending results. Walker Style has zero active cases of COVID-19.

Curtis said, “It is looking better each day. Abilene’s hospitalizations are down as well so soon we will be exempt from GA-32 and businesses can go back to full capacity and bars can reopen.”