SAN ANTONIO — Some parents are rushing to get their kids the COVID-19 vaccine before the holidays. Parents in one area of San Antonio are grateful to have the vaccines available.

The 78237 San Antonio ZIP code once had the region's highest rate of COVID cases. School officials are now working to have the highest number of vaccinated students. Estella Arredondo is one of the parents getting her daughter the shot.

Estella and her family, including her 7-year-old daughter Sophia, are ready to roll their sleeves up and get a small poke in the arm. Arredondo is getting a booster shot while Sophia is getting her first dose to protect her against COVID.

“Everybody in the family is vaccinated except her. She was the last one,” said Arredondo.

Arredondo says they’ve been lucky to go without contracting the virus this whole time.

“For us, we were the district that had the highest number of positivity rates. The numbers were crazy for our 78237 ZIP code at one point,” said Edgewood ISD's Olga Moucoulis.

Moucoulis said high COVID rates were only part of the problem.

“We were even one of the ZIP codes that had the lowest number of vaccines,” said Moucoulis.

She said many families in this area do not have reliable transportation. Getting a vaccine for some is simply not possible.

“They would have to take four or five different buses to get to the Alamodome or the Wonderland of the Americas,” said Moucoulis.

This is why the district decided it was time to offer a vaccination site there. 

“Here, it’s accessible. It’s easy. It’s easy. That’s the big thing,” Moucoulis said.

The vaccine distribution is carefully planned.

“Everything is color coded. We have the Johnson & Johnson in yellow. We have the Pfizer in pink. We also have the Pfizer for 5-to-11-year-olds, and that’s going to be an orange form. We have green Moderna,” said Moucoulis.

The goal is to bring peace of mind about being in school.

“We get letters every week saying there’s been someone who has tested positive and I’m like, 'oh, man,'” said Arredondo.  

Arredondo uses only one word to express how she’s feeling after her daughter got the shot.

“Relieved. Very relieved,” said Arredondo.

She’s takes a breath of relief, knowing they can stay safe being around family as we head into the holiday season.