Mobile vaccine unit comes to homebound elders

Homebound seniors now have a safe way of getting the Covid vaccine without having to leave their homes. Austin Public Health is partnering with Meals on Wheels Central Texas to “bring the vaccines to older adults who are homebound and medically vulnerable,” according to a news release from the public health agency. “Seniors in our community remain most at risk of serious health consequences from Covid-19, and MOWCTX worked with APH to identify its most frail and medically compromised clients for this first round of mobile vaccinations.” The mobile vaccination program, which kicked off at the start of this week by vaccinating 66 clients in the eastern crescent of Travis County, will administer up to 400 vaccines a week. Spouses or caregivers who fall into the 1B or 1C category may also receive a shot. As more vaccine becomes available and eligibility expands, the program may start serving entire families. “We need to meet people where they are,” said Stephanie Hayden-Howard, director of Austin Public Health. “With a pandemic, government agencies have to be more flexible with their operations than ever before.”