On Wednesday, 862 people were vaccinated through a pop-up vaccination clinic in Fort Worth.
The Vaccine Clinic at the Handley Meadowbrook Community Center was organized by Fort Worth and MedStar. So far, there have been six pop-up vaccination clinics across the city, but no pre-registration was required for the first Wednesday.
No registration was required was an effort to vaccinate more people, according to MedStar. Michael Potts, emergency management administrator for MedStar, said the 1,000 doses of vaccine offered on Wednesday had reached their allocation.
Texas is becoming the largest state to extend COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all adults, more than a month before President Joe Biden’s goal of making photos available to anyone who wants one by May 1st.
“They are very grateful that we are bringing their vaccines to their community, which is close to their home,” Potts said. “He doesn’t have to drive to Speedway, he doesn’t have to drive to Arlington to get hit.”
Eligibility for the vaccine followed the current guidelines on Wednesday.
Eligible ones include:
- Frontline health workers.
- Residents of long-term care institutions.
- People aged 50 and over.
- People aged 18 and over with at least one chronic condition that puts them at increased risk of serious coronavirus disease.
- School and childcare staff.
The event was not widely promoted until Wednesday morning. Initially, there was no line to the community center when it was opened. However, several people came during the afternoon.
Michael Bui of Mansfield said he learned about the event from his wife, who advised him to go.
“I couldn’t miss the opportunity. I knew it was something I was going to do in the end,” Bui said. “The sooner, the better, because I have small children at home. A brand new baby at home, so the safer I can be, the better I can be for them.”
Keri Weatherd of Fort Worth described the process as “simple and easy.” Weatherd found out through Facebook.
“I’ve literally been trying to get vaccinated for probably two weeks, so everything keeps pushing me away. When I saw this, I went down,” she said.
As Tarrant County prepares for the next phase of the vaccine launch, which includes all Texas adults to be eligible, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said they are ready. From the beginning, Whitley said they would probably continue to request registrations.
“We don’t want 10,000 people to show up for 1,000 photos. That creates a lot of confusion, frustration and a lot of traffic,” Judge Whitley said Wednesday.
However, Whitley said this could change over time.
“I think the only thing I’ve learned in the last year is to never say ‘never.’ It is still important to obtain certain information from the individual and, through the registration process, to obtain this information ahead of time. Maybe it saves a little time, “he said.” What I would say, we will experiment. If we see something that seems to work in one location, there is no reason why we should not do the same thing in one location. So, if the MedStar pop-up works today and we try a few more times and we don’t see a massive line or we don’t see a lot of people showing up and finally not getting the vaccine, then we’ll try it. “
According to Potts, several pop-up sites are in the works. These are usually held on Wednesdays, although the location and allocation are usually only known the previous Friday.
Want to get a waiting list for vaccines?
The county health departments have launched waiting lists for those who want to be inoculated and eligible in phase 1A, 1B, 1C and child care and education staff.
You can register to get vaccinated 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 1-855-IMMUNE9 (1-855-466-8639). In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.