A loophole that allows people to register on other people’s COVID-19 vaccine appointment links has led to long-running pitfalls and frustrations outside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, as many have been rejected without valid programming.
City officials said they expect to deliver about 2,300 vaccines on Saturday as the city works to vaccinate people on Dallas County’s waiting list.
Several people said they waited up to six hours in line only to be returned after arriving at the entrance to the convention center.
Kathy Vickers said she and her mother were rejected after being told their appointment was invalid.
Problems with people who receive a meeting link and then send it to friends and family have affected Dallas County and now the city of Dallas, the vaccination process.
Vickers said he didn’t realize he was wrong.
“Even though I filled out a form and received an email saying I was okay, I had everything they asked of me and yet they said we weren’t in the system and they returned me,” Vickers said. . “They put a thick zero on my window here.”
In a written statement on Sunday, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson acknowledged the issue of link exchanges and said he was “frustrated by the delays and confusion” at the vaccination center on Saturday.
“I also knew we were going to have some challenges, especially since the very limited supply created a massive retained demand that no one can meet right now,” Johnson said in a statement. “But we are responsible and accountable for our problems and we are working hard to solve them. I heard from many of those affected yesterday, and for them I want to say that we are sorry and we will do better.”
In his statement, Johnson said Saturday’s trial was a “different operation” from the first two days, which he said worked “fairly easily.”
Tristan Hallman, the mayor’s chief of policy and communications, said they began hearing about long hours of waiting later in the afternoon. Johnson visited the vaccination center on Saturday morning with Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.
“While I was there, I could see that the hub was more packed than in previous days, but they also tried to get twice the number of people,” Hallman said.
To try to solve some of the problems, Hallman said the city will begin the vaccination process on Tuesday, two days earlier than this week. The city has been allocated another 4,875 doses of vaccine for next week.
He said the city is also working with Dallas County on the issue of link sharing, which the county has encountered. County Judge Clay Jenkins on Thursday announced a new QR code system to help resolve the appointment issue.
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 now register to receive vaccinations in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. The links are below:
Waiting list links: Collin – Waiting list search | 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.
City spokeswoman Roxana Rubio said 30% of people who arrived at the vehicle’s headquarters on Saturday were rejected either because they registered from a redirected link, they found the connection in a different way, rather than by direct communication from the city, or the eligibility criteria for vaccination have not been met.
Rubio pointed out that once people register on Dallas County’s waiting list, they will be notified directly by the city if they have an appointment to get vaccinated.
If they set up an appointment otherwise, they will not be allowed to receive a vaccine, Rubio said.
Rubio said a small number of people with valid appointments were rejected late Saturday night after the city ran out of vaccines. A final number for those affected will not be available until Sunday, she said.
The city said people with valid appointments that have been rejected will be contacted to receive a priority appointment with the next allocation.
Just before 8pm on Saturday, Janice Wagner waited outside the center in her vehicle, not knowing if she would be vaccinated.
“I don’t know how long we’ll be here,” Wagner said. “It’s very confusing.”
Martha Pickett shared photos from the start of her trip around 1:30 p.m., until she finally received a vaccine at 7:00 p.m. He said the lack of information outside the center is frustrating.
She encouraged anyone with an appointment at the convention center to fill their vehicle with a full tank of gas.
Pickett said that once the unit arrived, the vaccination process went smoothly and praised the efforts of the first responders to help people get vaccinated.
The city said there was more traffic around the center on Saturday, due to increased demand for weekend meeting times, with people showing up early or those without an appointment.
Distribution of Texas COVID-19 vaccine
Data from the Texas State Department of Health shows where COVID-19 vaccines have been shipped statewide. Click a marker to find out information about each location. Use the “plus” and “minus” signs below to zoom in and out on the map.