From now on, Dallas County officials said Friday that there will be appointments only for future COVID-19 vaccinations after two days of confusion and long waits for unscheduled vaccines.
The announcement came on the same day that Dallas County reported 2,817 new cases of COVIDovid-19 and 24 more deaths.
The waiting line was a mile from Fair Park on Friday afternoon, and some people said it took six hours to cross the line and get vaccinated.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says people over 75 were invited in tweets to visit Fair Park without appointments on Thursday and Friday, as the county’s website for setting appointments has been compromised.
“Calling people here, depending on their age, only happened today, but we had to do this, because when our scheduling system was broken, we would either do that or stay here without meetings,” said Jenkins.
Want to get a waiting list for vaccines?
As the state begins distributing COVID-19 vaccines to those in Phase 1A and 1B, county health departments have begun waiting lists for those who want to be inoculated.
You can register now to get vaccinated in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. The links are below:
Waiting list links: Collin | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
You do not have to be a county resident to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in that county – registration is open to anyone in Texas. For those without internet access, Tarrant County also makes registrations by phone at 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS Vaccine Helpline at 469-749-9900. In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.
Jenkins said more than 75 people were selected to help protect the most vulnerable populations.
“We are doing what we can, based on science, to save as many lives as possible,” Jenkins said.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price said people 65 and older should have been invited to meet with permanent immunization groups and assess the county’s needs for viability in southern Dallas.
“CDC, Parkland and all the suppliers say they are over 65 years old. You don’t have a chance to say, “Huh, I’ll do 75,” Price said.
Online, many people have complained that Jenkins sent an invitation on Twitter contrary to the instructions of the county’s website that prescribes meetings.
“The tweets are the personal competence of the judge. It’s not like the county is tweeting, “said Price. “Send mixed messages. They are complicated. They are confused. ”
Jenkins said the situation is evolving and that in the future more population groups will be added for vaccinations as supplies arrive, but only on a scheduled basis.
“You just have to be patient with us as we improve the process every day,” Jenkins said.
The county judge said every Dallas County resident, regardless of age, should register for a vaccination on the Dallas County website, even if they are not yet included in a current vaccination category.
Everyone will take their turn and being on the list will give you a place in line when the vaccination groups expand.
Jenkins said about 2,800 vaccinations were provided on Thursday and that a few more were expected on Friday.
Dallas County will offer scheduled vaccinations at Fair Park on Saturday. There will be no vaccinations offered on Sunday or Monday, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
* Map locations are approximate, central locations for the city and are not intended to indicate where infected people actually live.
** County totals below include all 32 counties in North Texas, not just Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant.
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