We are pleased to offer this update on the current state of the Covid-19 Pandemic and are very grateful to be able to bring together the most qualified local voices for Galveston and Liberty Counties.

Welcome to all who are watching this recorded community conversation. The Topic of this Community discussion is Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy. Funded through the Texas A&M Heath – Vaccine Grant, Greater Coastal Community Action Council has been very busy since January, educating the residents of Galveston and Liberty Counties at various public events on the importance of being vaccinated and the safety of the Covid-19 Vaccinations for everyone. During this outreach, we have uncovered many questions and concerns that will be professionally addressed today by our expert panel of physicians.

The Order of the discussion will be a brief update on where we stand with the pandemic, followed by the questions we have gathered.

Today we have Dr. Philip Keiser, who serves as Galveston County local health authority, Galveston County Health District CEO and Coastal Health & Wellness executive director. He is an infectious disease expert and a professor of medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where his duties include clinical care, education and research.

We are also joined by Dr. Matthew Dacso, an Associate Professor of General Internal Medicine and is the interim Chair of the Department of Global Health and Emerging Diseases in the new School of Public and Population Health at UTMB.

And, we have Dr. Megan Berman, board-certified in Internal Medicine at UTMB and an investigator with the Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences where she contributes to a number of vaccine clinical trials. Additionally, she is a co-author along with Dr. Richard Rupp of “Vaccine Smarts,” a bi-monthly column about vaccines, published in the Galveston County Daily News.”

Three local physicians giving real answers to real questions.

If you have additional questions, please post them in the blog and we will respond with answers from the medical professionals.

Special Thanks to our partners: The Texas Department of State Health Services, The Galveston County Health Department, The University of Texas Medical Branch Physicians who constitute our panel, Texas A&M University Health Department, and the Greater Coastal Community Action Council.