As of now, Dallas County officials said Friday it will only be appointments for future COVID-19 vaccinations after two days of confusion and a long wait for current vaccines without an appointment.
That announcement came on the same day that Dallas County reported 2,817 new COVIDovid-19 cases and 24 additional deaths.
The queue of waiting cars stretched a mile from Fair Park on Friday afternoon, and some said it took six hours to get through the queue and get vaccinated.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said people over 75 were invited in tweets to visit Fair Park without appointments Thursday and Friday because the province’s website for making appointments was compromised.
“Calling people here based on age only happened today, but we had to do that because if our scheduling system got hacked, we would or we would be here without appointments,” said Jenkins.
Would you like to get on a vaccine waiting list?
As the state begins to distribute COVID-19 vaccines for those in Phase 1A and 1B, the county’s health departments have begun waiting lists for those seeking to be vaccinated.
You can now register to receive the vaccination in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. Links are below:
Waiting list links: Collin | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
You don’t need to be a county resident to register in that county for a COVID-19 vaccine – registration is open to anyone in Texas. For those without Internet access, Tarrant County also takes phone registrations at 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS vaccine hotline at 469-749-9900. In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.
Jenkins said more than 75 were selected to help protect the most vulnerable population.
“We do what we can do, 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 correspond with existing vaccination groups and with the county needs assessment for livability in South Dallas.
CDC, Parkland and all providers say 65 and over. You don’t get to say, ‘Huh, I’m doing 75,’ ”said Price.
Many people online complained that Jenkins’ invitation via tweets violated the county website’s instructions for appointments.
“The tweets are the personal jurisdiction of the judge. It’s not like the County is tweeting, ”said Price. You send mixed messages. They are complicated. They are confusing. “
Jenkins said the situation is evolving and more populations will be added for vaccinations in the future as supplies arrive, but by appointment only.
“Be patient with us as we improve the process every day,” said Jenkins.
The County Judge said every Dallas County resident, regardless of age, must register for a vaccination on the Dallas County website, even if they are not already included in a current vaccination category.
Everyone gets their turn and if you are on the list you get a place in the queue as the vaccination groups expand.
Jenkins said about 2,800 vaccinations were provided on Thursday and a little more is expected on Friday.
Dallas County will provide vaccinations by appointment in Fair Park on Saturday. No vaccinations are offered on Sundays or Mondays, 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.
** The district totals below include all 32 North Texas counties, not just Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant.
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