El Paso receives 5,000 more 1st doses of vaccine; tentative dates for 2nd doses void

El PASO, Texas -- El Paso public health officials said Thursday afternoon they had received another 5,000 Covid-19 vaccines to be given as first doses at the city's vaccination hub site near the airport.

To date, the city said it had administered more than 86,000 doses of virus vaccine to El Pasoans who have registered via the online portal at epcovidvaccine.com. Appointments will continue to be scheduled from that database, officials said, encouraging people to continue to get on the vaccination waiting list by registering.

In a new development, health leaders indicated that tentative dates originally set for folks who had already received the first dose to get their second shots were no longer applicable.

The city said second doses cannot be given until they are distributed to El Paso by the state of Texas. Officials said second dose recipients will be notified by the city when those doses become available for them.

Public Health Director Angela Mora told reporters the timeline to get everyone in Phase 1 fully vaccinated was initially February, but now it has been extended to mid-to-late March.

The Texas Department of State Health Services designates the use of all vaccine shipments it sends to the City of El Paso.