Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Alondra Mejia, Texas Southmost College Diagnostic Medical Sonography student, raised her sleeve and said it was her shot toward normalcy during TSC’s first student-only vaccine clinic at the International Technology, Education and Commerce (ITEC) Center.
“It feels great. I’ve never been more excited for a vaccine,” she said. “This is going to keep me safe, my family safe, and hopefully it means we can return to campus soon.”
Mejia was only one of many students who took advantage of the opportunity of the vaccine drive hosted at TSC in coordination with the city of Brownsville and Cameron County Health Department.
TSC General Studies student Andrew Castillo said he did it for his grandparents.
“I’m a step closer to keeping my grandparents and other vulnerable populations safe,” said the General Studies student. “I’ve been waiting for my chance, and I’m so thankful to TSC for doing this for us.”
Mejia and Castillo, like others, can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing they are moving in the right direction toward safety and defeating COVID-19 after receiving their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
TSC President Jesús Roberto Rodríguez said, as the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s comprehensive community college, it is vital the college does its part in keeping the people it serves healthy and safe.
“Here, we are all family, and we are offering our communities protection against COVID-19, one vaccine at a time,” said Rodriguez. “We are pleased to do our part in the fight against this virus. It’s collaborative efforts like these that will help us all reunite more quickly and safely. We miss our Scorpions, and getting our students vaccinated is critical for their health, their families’ health, and the health of our region.”
In addition to the student vaccination clinic, TSC, in coordination with the city of Brownsville and Cameron County Health Department, has hosted numerous vaccine clinics, vaccinating more than 1,000 people at each event.
According to the City of Brownsville’s incident status report, more than 200,000 Cameron County residents have been vaccinated to date.
That includes more than half of the more vulnerable population over 65 years of age. In addition, more than half of all Brownsville residents over 16 years of age have at least one dose of the vaccine.
Jaime Salazar, TSC executive director of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management, said the focus of each vaccination clinic has slowly shifted according to the state of Texas’ vaccine rollout timeline.
“Each clinic has been a success because of the support of the TSC Board of Trustees, TSC President Rodríguez, the college’s administration and the number of people from TSC and the community who volunteer. Together, we have vaccinated thousands,” he said. “Collaborating with the city and other stakeholders in making this vaccine available has been a rewarding opportunity for the college and our communities, and TSC students can count on us to continue these clinics.”
For more information about upcoming vaccine registrations and clinics hosted at the TSC ITEC Center, visit btxcares.com.
