University Medical Center is opening registration at 6 p.m. Tuesday for 4,000 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19.

People qualified for current vaccination under Texas Department of State Health Services vaccination groups 1A and 1B can do so at www.UMCelpaso.org, as soon as the system opens at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

UMC said it anticipates all 4,000 vaccination appointments will be exhausted within minutes. The hospital will close the registration system when it reaches 4,000 registrants.

UMC officials said this will likely be one of the last online registrations it opens for vaccinations. City and county officials last week agreed to combine registration systems to create a waiting list, a process the city has used since January.

People eligible to register for the vaccine are those in what the state classifies as Group 1A, first responders and health-care personnel who are essential to keeping the health-care system intact; and Group 1B, people 65 years of age and older and those 16 years of age and older with at least one chronic medical condition.

UMC also said it will open online and telephone registration dedicated to people 70 and older at 9 a.m. Thursday. The hospital is setting aside 1,000 appointments for this group.

Registration for the “Super Seniors” vaccinations can be made at www.umcelpaso.org or by calling 200-2700.  Both the online and phone registration will close when available appointments have been exhausted.

Cover photo: People received COVID-19 vaccines Jan. 19 at the El Paso County Coliseum. (Photo courtesy of University Medical Center)