Coryell Health hosted a mass vaccination clinic, vaccinating 765 people on Saturday, and over 1,000 since receiving the vaccines on Thursday. Coryell Health was designated a COVID-19 vaccination hub last week. 

In coordination with city and county officials, it was determined the best way to get as many individuals vaccinated quickly, would be to host a drive-thru vaccination clinic at the Gatesville Civic Center to ensure the safety of both volunteers and vaccine recipients.

Coryell Health opened up the appointment only schedule online, and as the case across the state, appointments filled up within minutes.

“This was a natural next step when we found out we would be a Vaccine Hub. We've been doing vehicle testing at our clinic, and we've been doing outside car medical visits,” said Dr. Diedra Wuenschel, Coryell Health Medical Clinic Director and Coryell County Health Authority. “It’s a vital part of our mission to preserve the health of the communities we serve. We were concerned that rural areas wouldn’t receive enough vaccines, so we applied to be a vaccine hub and the state approved us. We ended the vaccine clinic on Saturday without any vaccines left- another step toward leaving the pandemic in the past.”

“We are making plans for the future on how we will strategically disseminate vaccines to Coryell County over the next weeks and months,” said David Byrom, CEO of Coryell. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have had to respond quickly to challenges presented in this rapidly evolving situation. Expediting vaccination against COVID-19 is extremely important to us. The amount of vaccine received determines how many appointments Coryell can make available. We hope we can begin receiving more vaccine from the state, so we can protect more people.”

When Coryell Health receives the next vaccine shipment, open appointments will be available on our website at www.coryellhealth.org/vaccine.