On Wednesday, 862 people were vaccinated at a vaccination clinic offered in Fort Worth.
The vaccine clinic at the Handley Meadowbrook Community Center was organized by the city of Fort Worth and MedStar. There have been six instant vaccination clinics across the city so far, but for the first Wednesday, pre-registration was not necessary.
Not requiring registration was an effort to vaccinate more people, according to MedStar. Michael Potts, MedStar’s emergency management administrator, said the 1,000 doses of vaccine offered on Wednesday had reached their limit.
Texas is becoming the biggest state to expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for all adults, more than a month ahead of President Joe Biden’s goal of making vaccines available to anyone who wants by May 1.
“They are very grateful that we are bringing vaccines to them within their community, which is close to their home,” said Potts. “They don’t have to drive to the race track, they don’t have to drive to Arlington to get a chance.”
Eligibility for the vaccine on Wednesday followed current state guidelines.
Eligibles include:
- Frontline health professionals.
- Residents of long-term institutions.
- People aged 50 or over.
- People 18 years or older with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk of serious illnesses caused by the coronavirus.
- School and childcare staff.
The event was not widely announced until Wednesday morning. Initially, there was no line at the community center when it opened. However, more people attended during the afternoon.
Michael Bui, from Mansfield, said he heard about the event from his wife, who advised him to go.
“I couldn’t miss the opportunity. I knew it was something I would do eventually,” said Bui. “The sooner, the better, because I have small children at home. A new baby at home, so the safer I could stay, the better I can be for them.”
Keri Weatherd of Fort Worth described the process as “simple and easy”. Weatherd found out via Facebook.
“I’ve literally been looking to get vaccinated for probably two weeks, so everything keeps rejecting me. When I saw that, I gave up,” she said.
As Tarrant County prepares for the next phase of the vaccine launch, which includes all adults in Texas being eligible, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said they are ready. At first, Whitley said he will likely continue to demand records.
“We don’t want 10,000 people to show up for 1,000 photos. This creates a lot of confusion, frustration and a lot of traffic,” said Judge Whitley on Wednesday.
However, Whitley said that this could change over time.
“I think the only thing I learned last year is to never say ‘never’. It is still important that we get certain information from the individual himself and, with the registration process, get this information in advance. Maybe it will save a little time, ”he said. “What I would say is that we are going to experiment. If we see something that appears to be working in one location, there is no reason why we should not do the same in one location. So if the MedStar pop-up works today and we try a few more times and we don’t see a huge queue or we don’t see many people showing up and finally not getting the vaccine, so let’s try. ”
According to Potts, more pop-up sites are underway. They are usually held on Wednesday, although the location and distribution are generally not known until the previous Friday.
Want to get on a vaccine waiting list?
County health departments have launched waiting lists for those who wish to be vaccinated and qualified in Phase 1A, 1B, 1C and for daycare and education staff.
You can register to receive vaccinations in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. The links are below:
Waiting list links: Collin – Research Waiting List | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
You don’t 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 access to the Internet, Tarrant County is also accepting applications by calling 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS vaccine hotline at 1-855-IMMUNE9 (1-855-466-8639). In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.