Austin-Travis County EMS Receives First Round of COVID-19 Vaccine

PRESS RELEASE

AUSTIN, TX—Earlier last week, the first round of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Austin-Travis County, through direct shipments to area healthcare facilities.

As part of the 1a vaccine distribution group as designated by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) expected shipments of vaccinations for their front-line EMTs and paramedics to arrive in late December, with the goal of rolling out the vaccine to their personnel before the year’s end.

Thanks to Dell Medical School at the University of Texas, some Austin paramedics and EMTs have received their vaccines even sooner than expected.

The COVID-19 vaccination operation currently underway at UT Health Austin, the clinical practice of Dell Medical School, is part of a broad collaboration across The University of Texas at Austin that also includes the School of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, University Health Services and the Office of Campus Safety. The UT Austin team is also collaborating with Austin Public Health, the City of Austin, Travis County, and the State of Texas.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, it’s been clear that it would take a broad coalition across Central Texas working together to defeat COVID-19,” said Amy Young, MD, UT Health Austin chief clinical officer and vice dean of professional practice at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. “We are continuing to work in partnership with Austin Public Health, along with Austin-Travis County EMS and the Austin Fire Department, to support our community’s health care personnel and our critical health infrastructure.”

EMTs and paramedics with Austin-Travis County EMS, the Austin Fire Department and various Travis County Fire Departments began receiving their first round of COVID-19 vaccinations Dec. 19, 2020, with many more expected to receive them throughout the coming weeks.

“We’re lucky to have such a close working relationship with our hospital partners. To be invited to get vaccinations earlier than expected was an opportunity we could not (and would not) pass up,” said Ernesto Rodriguez, chief of Austin-Travis County EMS. “It really is a blessing to have such a good partnership, and work together to ensure the safety of all the healthcare workers in our area. Getting the vaccines ahead of our expected timeline means that our hardworking EMTs and paramedics will be able to safely care for Austin-Travis County residents all the sooner.”

Over the course of the pandemic, ATCEMS has implemented multiple strategies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Among those measures is the COVID Clinical Consult Line, a supplement to the emergency call triage system, which employs communications medics with special training. This line is meant to help 9-1-1 callers who may be experiencing COVID symptoms reach the right resources for their condition.

Helping to champion these efforts, and following the first group of medics who received their vaccination, was Dr. Mark Escott, medical director for Austin-Travis County EMS and Interim Public Health Authority.

“In an emergency, the men and women of ATCEMS, AFD and our other Travis County fire departments are, for many residents, the very first healthcare providers they see. Our medics wind up being their patient’s introduction into the healthcare system,” Escott said. “With COVID cases on the rise, it is critically important that our clinicians get vaccinated as early as possible, to protect themselves and thereby protecting their patients from COVID-19.”