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Bell County to administer second dose of COVID-19 vaccine

The second doses are expected to arrive Tuesday, February 2, with vaccinations set to begin the next day.

BELL COUNTY, Texas — Bell County health officials announced the plan for providing second doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The second doses are expected to arrive Tuesday, February 2, with vaccinations set to begin the next day. Those second doses will be administered in the Bell County Expo Center via a drive-through process.

Individuals who received their first dose of the vaccine at one of the county’s two vaccination centers will be invited to make appointments for their second dose. Those appointments will begin Wednesday, February 3, which is 21 days after the Bell County Public Health District first began offering inoculations. Patients are not allowed to receive their second dose earlier than 21 days after their first dose.

“While we cannot administer that second dose within three weeks of the first,” Dr. Amanda Chadwell, Director of the Bell County Public Health District said. “There is no maximum interval between the first and second doses, so people don’t need to worry if they are not able to get an appointment for that 21st day.”

The Bell County Expo Center will be open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Those with appointments will drive through a coned off course that will lead them to the inoculation station located under the dome of the facility. After receiving their vaccination, patients will drive to another location for the mandated period of observation. In this way, county officials hope to deliver up to 100 doses an hour.

“We are confident that this drive-through delivery model will allow us to serve a large number of patients effectively in a short period of time,” Bell County Judge David Blackburn said.

Before users can register for a second dose appointment, the new appointment system requires them to certify that they received their first dose at one of the county’s two vaccination centers. The certification further asks users to confirm their understanding that, if they are found to be ineligible for a second vaccine, their appointment will be canceled and they will be turned away.

When they arrive, patients will be required to show their COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, which contains both the date and provider of their first vaccine dose, as proof of their eligibility.

Since opening its two vaccination centers on Wednesday, the Bell County Public Health District has administered 5,234 first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. 

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