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Southeast Texas pharmacies working to administer COVID-19 vaccines as shipments come in

"The supply is way less than the demand, it's exponential. I know everyone is excited but patience is key."

BEAUMONT, Texas — For Jeenal Nihalani it's still crazy to think that this year is ending with hope for a better 2021. She's the regional immunization coordinator for H-E-B. Their pharmacies received the Moderna vaccines last week, so they're been busy getting people vaccinated. 

"I can't put a number on how many, but it's a lot," Nihalani said. 

They're just getting started. on Thursday, Dr. John Hellerstedt with the Texas Department of State Health Services issued a statement asking that providers begin offering the vaccine to people in the 1B category. 

That includes people 65 and older, and those 16 and older with chronic health conditions. 

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"Once we get ample supply of the vaccine from the state, then we'll move on to 1B, but for now we're still only doing 1A at our pharmacies," Nihalani said. 

If you fall in this group and are ready to get the vaccine, local pharmacies like those at Market Basket and Brookshire Brothers may have appointments available. 

CVS and Walgreens are only offering the vaccine to certain long-term care facilities at the moment. John Fratamico, district leader for CVS Health, said they plan to complete that tier in about 12 weeks. 

"That alone, that first tier, and again CVS is one of the three providers, that'll be 4 million people that we vaccinated," Fratamico said. 

For now, vaccine providers continue to ask for patience. 

"The supply is way less than the demand, it's exponential. I know everyone is excited but patience is key," Nihalani said. 

That state tells 12News you can get your vaccine in another county if you fall into one of the first phases. This all depends on availability, so the state says you should call the provider to make sure there's a vaccine available for you. 

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