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After racing for a first dose of the vaccine, some Austinites find themselves in the same situation for their second shot

Central Texans line up at a drive-through clinic for COVID-19 vaccines at Kelly Athletic Stadium in Round Rock. (Bob Daemmrich)
Westlake-area resident Joan Skerry said she and her sister were excited to receive their first Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at a First Medical Response of Texas pop-up clinic on Jan. 2, held in the Dripping Springs Fire Department's parking lot. However, when their second shot deadline came and went last Saturday, Skerry feared the two would have to start the vaccine regimen anew.
Due to a misunderstanding about saving part of their vaccine allotment for the second booster shot the vaccine process requires, First Medical used up all of its shipment on first vaccines and didn't have any more doses left for the second round, co-owner Edwin Reyes told Austonia.
Edwin Reyes, owner of First Medical Response in front of his operations trailer, last month. (Jordan Vonderhaar)
Almost a week overdue, Skerry's sister managed to get a second vaccine elsewhere before Ascension Seton contacted her with a slot that she gave to Skerry. Both qualify as 1B recipients—consisting of older individuals and those with chronic health conditions—for the vaccine, the second phase in the distribution effort designated by the Texas Department of State Health Services after first responders and healthcare workers in group 1A. Skerry is 72 years old and her sister is 66 years old.
"I was so relieved when (Seton) called me that I started crying—not my usual behavior," Skerry said of the news that she would receive a booster shot. "So my story has a happy ending."
First Medical worked with government officials and state representatives to finally secure the 1,800 vaccines needed to provide those first vaccine recipients with their second vaccines, scheduling a clinic Friday for distribution, Reyes said.
However, some residents aren't so lucky and are still on the hunt for a second dose, including those who received an initial dose from clinics that were able to extract 11 doses from a vial allocated for 10 doses. There's no assurance they can take out extra doses to coordinate with those individuals who received the "extra" doses the first time.
Jeffrey Warnken, pharmacist and co-owner of 38th Street Pharmacy, is one of those providers. He drafted a second dose waitlist that contains 25 to 30 individuals qualified under 1A or 1B as of Feb. 3.
Pharmacist/Co-owner Jeff Warnken (38th Street Pharmacy)
Warnken said his pharmacy recently administered seven first doses to people with the understanding that they could not be assured of receiving a second dose from his facility. He thinks finding second doses will continue to be a problem until more vaccines become available.
"Instead of wasting it, it's better to give somebody a first dose with the possibility of not giving them their second dose because a half is better than zero," he said, adding that a single dose provides some immunity to the disease although the extent of that immunity is unknown. The protection from a single Moderna COVID-19 vaccine dose could range from 50% to 80% immunity after four weeks, Warnken said.
He's hopeful the pharmacy will get more vaccines in, especially with President Joe Biden's plan for the federal government to distribute vaccines directly to retail pharmacies like his facility.
Tarrytown Pharmacy's Pharmacist-in-Charge Rannon Ching also maintains a 1,300-name second dose waitlist for individuals looking for a Moderna booster. Because some individuals were able to find their first shot at independent locations, the opening of larger vaccine hubs have stranded those vaccinated by smaller sites that, as with Ching, haven't received additional doses in weeks.
Pharmacist-in-Charge Rannon Ching (Tarrytown Pharmacy)
He said he views those who aren't matched with a second dose fighting for that booster along with everyone else in the fight for a vaccine.
"The good thing about second doses is, once you give them, that's it and you don't have to coordinate for another dose," Ching said. "Second doses lend themselves well to those extra doses we pull out of the vial because those aren't accounted for and won't be accounted for to get second doses four weeks later."
His waitlist also includes individuals who want to make sure they have a "backup plan" in case something happens to their designated second vaccine and recommended first vaccine recipients return to their initial provider for the booster.
Austinite Leslie Lindzey, who received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine on Jan. 14 at Austin ISD's Delco Activity Center, isn't sure if she should pursue other options for her second dose. As of Feb. 4, she hadn't received word on scheduling her booster.
Although the vaccine hub isn't giving out second doses to individuals who didn't have their first vaccine through Austin Public Health, spokesperson Jen Samp said the department will be reaching out to first vaccine recipients for their second dose. As of Feb. 3, she said APH was waiting on news from DSHS regarding the second doses.
"We don't want to contact folks if we don't have the vaccine," Semp said about the second doses. "Once we secure the vaccine, we'll be contacting (them)."
On Jan. 21, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommended interval for the two Moderna vaccines to include the scheduling of a second dose to be administered up to 42 days following the first dose if it isn't feasible to be timed at its recommendation of 28 days.
"The 28 days is not a deadline," Samp said. "It is merely an expectation that you should wait at least that amount of time before you get your second one."
With the two-dose Moderna vaccine and similar Pfizer vaccine in distribution, pharmaceutical maker Johnson & Johnson submitted an application Thursday to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requesting Emergency Use Authorization for a new single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. The company stated in a news release that it expects to be able to ship that vaccine immediately after it is approved. Maybe that will end the two-dose conundrum?More on the vaccine:
- Austin healthcare offering COVID-19 vaccine waitlists - austonia ›
- A 'handful' of ineligible people got the COVID vaccine in Austin ... ›
- Freestanding ERs receive COVID vaccine after hospital ERs - austonia ›
- UT professor played role in Pfizer and Moderna's COVID vaccines ... ›
- Williamson County takes over COVID-19 waitlist - austonia ›
- Testing sites close, vaccine appointments stay on track despite cold - austonia ›
- City working overtime to vaccinate residents - austonia ›
- Vaccine Angels help seniors get vaccinated with lists - austonia ›
- Travis County among most at-risk counties for vaccine shortage - austonia ›
- With cases down, Austin could lift restrictions to Stage 3 - austonia ›
- Volunteers create "scraper" bots to find vaccines fast - austonia ›
- How to make your second COVID vaccine appointment in Austin - austonia ›
- All Texas adults will be able to get a vaccine next week - austonia ›
- FDA approves Pfizer COVID shots for 12-15 year olds - austonia ›
- APH, Austin clinics begin administering all COVID boosters per CDC announcement - austonia ›
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(Pixabay)
This Gemini season, starting today, is appropriately paradoxical, twisting and blending simple concerns with life’s bigger, faster and more fiery quests.
Shortcuts: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
On Sunday, May 29, we’ll experience one of the year’s biggest calls to adventure in the Mars/Jupiter conjunction—a potent duo whose combined force will start to be especially strongly felt when Mars moves into Aries on May 24. Contrastingly, Mercury, the ruler of Gemini, will keep our mental temperament grounded and steady as they move slowly through the sensual, materially-oriented sign of Taurus for most of the month. These contrasting forces might be tricky to weave together—read ahead for tips on how your sign can find the right approach this month!
Gemini: May 21-June 20
Welcome to the season of your Solar Return, Gemini! This month will set the stage for your whole coming year, so it will be great to start it off on the right foot. The most important bit of cosmic context is Mercury moving slowly till the end of the month in the grounded sign of Taurus. This is an encouragement to savor your questions and conversations with the world, without needing to rush to answers and to mull over the elemental, fundamental aspects of your life. It would be great to give yourself perspective, especially by experiencing new environments and by moving through the world in a new manner. Allow yourself to be surprised! You might loosen some of your hardened beliefs, but don’t discount the trustworthiness or substance of the new ideas you may stumble upon.
Cancer: June 21-July 22
For you, Cancer, the paradoxes of Gemini season have to do with inwardness and outwardness. On the one hand, you can expect your inner world to be as active as ever, swirling with meaningful thoughts and experiences needing to be digested. On the other, this month features a strong call to get out of your shell, open up to the world at large, and bravely share yourself—perhaps even in an unprecedented way! In transitioning between these extremes, the Moon can be as good a guide as ever—heading into and out of the New Moon on the 30th, you might focus on articulating and envisioning this burgeoning impulse and nourishing the terrain for its growth. As we ramp up to the full moon on the 14th, you might find small ways to embody, communicate and make real this developing dream.
Leo: July 23-Aug 22
This Gemini Season is particularly intense for you, Leo, as it calls forth both a fiery, hungry spirit and a more serious, dedicated energy, aware of life’s hardships and limitations. These impulses herald a summer of growth and maturation, which would be great to get a good jump on. Just don’t let this process make you too heavyhearted or self-involved! Your friends, community, and experience of the broader social world at large can help soften and clarify this strong, fiery self that’s metamorphosing. You might rely upon this bigger, human perspective to help you progress smoothly and gracefully. Although it might require some extra humility, taking yourself less seriously can be a superpower. A lighthearted approach can be extraordinarily efficient and effective. It might be paradoxical, but consider that relying on a bigger, greater power than your own is your path to individual fullness.
Virgo: Aug. 23-Sept. 21
This Gemini season brings a charge for you to expand into more substantive and serious subjects, Virgo. Especially if you feel you’ve been playing small, this will provide an opportunity for you to grow into more meaningful and demanding work in the world. At times, this will feel hectic and harsh—there will be no shortage of fire this month. You, as much as anyone, though, can help find the right place and time for that fire, directing it where there’s a need for more energy and oomph. Lightheartedness can be really helpful in navigating and dancing with this heat—with a bit of humor and perspective, you can respond and adapt quickly and gracefully. By the end of the month, you should be able to feel like your view of and faith in the bigger picture has expanded.
Libra: Sept. 22-Oct. 23
This Gemini season will provide ample opportunities for you to learn and grow through your relationships, Libra. We’re really looking at the full spectrum of potential experiences here—on the one hand, Mars’ entry into Aries can ignite flammable subjects, and people are generally likely to be on edge, assertive and protective. On the other, Venus’ conjunction with Uranus toward the end of the month can bring unexpected encounters and new forms of relationship into play. Throughout all of this, there’s a theme for the next year of growth through fiery, direct relationships. This is a step beyond just keeping the peace which may be discomforting, but consider that it may take your relationships to incredibly satisfying and enduring places.
Scorpio: Oct. 24-Nov. 21
This Gemini season brings opportunities for sharpening both your wits and tools, Scorpio, although this may feel like a trial by fire. Although they may feel particularly urgent and exciting this month, many of these challenges and opportunities will last throughout the summer, so take your time to get your focus clear and settle into a groove. The real challenge and potential this month have to do with navigating subtle, intricate dynamics so that you aren’t flustered and know exactly where to put your effort. In order to develop this discernment, you can definitely rely on trusted allies, who can act as mirrors, triangulation points and simple safe havens amid the storm. This is a strategic necessity, but be sure to give thanks and enjoy the simple goodness of companionship, too!
Sagittarius: Nov. 22-Dec. 21
The sharp, powerful impulses and stimulation of this Gemini season are pushing you to the development of your free will, Sagittarius—a spirit of playful, proud independence and spontaneity. There are a couple of ways that you might think about this. First, that courage is necessary to truly live out your convictions and ideals, as well as a way to ultimately best serve the world. Truth isn’t always soft or easy. On the other hand, this isn’t too complex and is keyed to cutting through stagnation. There’s a sort of simplicity and instinctive wisdom that you can draw upon and develop into this month, letting things happen. If you need to, you can think of this as an act of trust, or faith in a basic goodness and natural, flowing order of things.
Capricorn: Dec. 22-Jan. 19
The motion and activity of this Gemini season can quickly develop your values and taste, Capricorn, as you strip back ordinary and inherited ways of thinking and open your eyes to life’s beauty. This simple and vibrant beauty will stimulate your desire to savor life’s goodness and strive for the highest quality experience possible. Along the way, your fixed, limited ideas about what is possible can fall away, even as the new and extraordinary may require incredible strength and devotion from you. Although these are lofty ideals, they’ll have a lot to do with your tangible, everyday experience of your body and sense of home—this is a primal, almost wild energy being rekindled. Alongside this intense fire comes a certain risk, so make sure to enter into this new adventure step by step, without injuring yourself or anyone else.
Aquarius: Jan. 20-Feb. 18
This Gemini season can help you learn how to feel more rooted and alive in life’s simple aspects, Aquarius. Although this can certainly take place in tandem with new teachers, these don’t have to be big gurus—rather, your curiosity, delight, and common sense might be the best guides. In this regard, your quality of perception, thought and the well-being of your inner child can all make great strides. Through the first part of the month, this will likely feel exciting and overwhelming. As we approach our new moon, though, you can get a better sense of where you need to be settling into more focus and definition in your life. This back and forth between a growing sense of clarity and inner authority and a stronger capacity to be firm and to the point will continue to deepen throughout the summer.
Pisces: Feb. 19-March 20
This Gemini season is focused on helping you develop a stronger sense of connection to the world around you, Pisces. Although this can take place by rearranging and bringing more life into your body and environment, an initial spirit of fresh possibility and willingness to release what is stale and outgrown is a necessity. In doing so, you can land upon a greater sense of capability and being resourced for life’s adaptations and evolutions. This will certainly be a month of growth in your material world and relationship with your body, but the serious litmus test is how settled you feel internally—the quality and clarity of your thoughts and inner world. Ideally, though this summer you’ll develop a stronger trust in yourself and an easier interface between your inner riches and outer quality of experience.
Aries: March 21-April 19
The Mars/Jupiter conjunction is especially important for you, Aries, as it happens in your home sign. This signifies a spark of expansion that will play out over the coming year. Here, Jupiter is calling you into new ventures and adventures, to level up and act on the big dreams and desires brewing inside of you. Thus, this month is a great time to initiate some bigger change, to take some jump, leap or healthy risk. Although you don’t want to let this moment slip away, please don’t get impulsive or headstrong—make sure you’ve got at least a bit of a plan. Ideally, whatever you’re aiming at will require a good bit of care, and you can expect that much of this opportune, fertile energy will continue and develop throughout the next year.
Taurus: April 20-May 20
The start of the coming month will challenge you to keep up the pace, Taurus, so that it can consolidate into a healthy rhythm. Finding the right stride, you can find yourself breathing more easily, and maybe let yourself loosen your grip or take your hands off the handlebars, trusting your sense of balance and the strength in your legs. This can set the stage for an opportune spell at the end of Gemini Season, as your ruler Venus makes a conjunction with Uranus—you might keep an eye out for spontaneous side adventures, ways to create space for synchronicity, or simple moments where life is calling you into new ways of being. Ideally, these will feel like clear upgrades, but if you need to think of them as experiments or trial runs, that’s totally okay, too.
(Moriah Wilson/Instagram)
Austin police have charged Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, a local cyclist, for the murder of Moriah "Mo" Wilson.
Wilson, a rising star in the gravel and mountain bike community, was found dead with gunshot wounds inside an East Austin home on the night of May 11 when she was in town for the weekend Gravel Locos race in Hico, Texas.
Police believe Wilson was having a relationship with a man Armstrong was also in a relationship with. The man, another gravel cyclist, Colin Strickland, has since issued a statement on the murder.
In his statement, he said he had a brief romantic relationship with Wilson in October 2021 before he resumed his relationship with Armstrong, but that he remained friends with Wilson. "There is no way to adequately express the regret and torture I feel about my proximity to this horrible crime. I am sorry, and I simply cannot make sense of this unfathomable tragedy.
NEW: Austin professional cyclist Colin Strickland has just released a statement about the murder of cyclist Moriah Wilson, clarifying his relationship with her and expressing “torture about my proximity to this horrible crime.” pic.twitter.com/KnIna3mWrE
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) May 20, 2022
The family of Wilson also issued a statement to KXAN saying it was clear to those close to her that she was not in a romantic relationship with anyone.
Wilson, a 25-year-old Vermont native living in Colorado, had won a slew of races becoming a fan favorite. She had just become a full-time racer this year.
Anyone with information on this crime can contact Austin police at 512-974-TIPS or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 512-472-8477.
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