After the recent administration of COVID-19 vaccines in the county, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra addressed in a Feb. 4 letter to the local community that the county has officially opened a pre-registration portal for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. 
Only individuals categorized in Tier 1A or 1B are eligible to sign up for pre-registration via www.haysinformed.com. 1,500 candidates from the list will be contacted to receive a vaccine on Feb. 8 and 9 in Wimberley.
According to the letter, signing up through the pre-registration portal does not guarantee an individual will be selected for the upcoming round of vaccination, however, their name will remain on the list for future rounds. 
The county is in the process of establishing a phone system to sign up for pre-registration. However, at this time, only online pre-registration is available. 
Over 70,000 individuals attempted to sign up for a vaccine on Jan. 29, however, only 1,950 vaccines were available. According to the letter, if this rate continues, it will take 36 weeks until all of those 70,000 people are vaccinated. 
“The vaccine shortage continues to affect our community,” Becerra says in the letter. “I have a strong desire to vaccinate our school district employees, front line workers and our vulnerable population whose lives are at a higher risk than most and who help keep our economy moving.” 
The University Star will continue to provide updates as any information becomes available.