Dallas County’s first ‘mega’ public COVID vaccination site will be at Fair Park

This is an evolving story and will be updated.

Dallas officials will begin its first ‘mega’ public COVID-19 vaccination site at Fair Park next week, where thousands of people could be vaccinated daily against the deadly virus that is fueling the pandemic.

If the province receives the doses in time from the state, the aim is to vaccinate those who do not have regular access to a doctor. Monday begins. Shots will only be fired by appointment at the Tower Building and an adjoining facility.

Parkland Health & Hospital System is also expected to deliver vaccinations next week on its campus in the city’s medical district, as well as at two public sites for coronavirus testing: Ellis Davis Field House and Dallas College Eastfield Campus.

Vaccinations will only take place at all four places by appointment.

People can sign up online to get the COVID-19 vaccine on all the websites. Younger family members and those with internet access can help those who need help registering, officials said. More than 50,000 people registered in the first 48 hours after Dallas County launched the site.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Fair Park was finally chosen as the province’s first “mega” vaccination site because of its location and ample indoor space that allows those who are vaccinated to be at a safe distance from their lap. to monitor. The city of Dallas also works with the country.

The province’s attempt to start vaccinating thousands of people comes as frustrations over a slower-than-expected and confusing implementation. The state said Thursday it is also moving to larger providers across smaller pharmacies to offer the public ‘identifiable places where vaccination takes place and a simpler way to sign up for an appointment with each provider’. ‘

Although the vaccines will be available to anyone in Dallas County, the site is planned in part in southern Dallas to increase access to residents who find it difficult to find it elsewhere.

South Dallas is home to many of the most vulnerable communities in the country. Residents living under Interstate 30 are more likely to be Black and Latino, work that cannot be done from home and coexist with multiple generations, a powerful combination that makes them ripe for the worst cases of COVID.

Many neighborhoods in southern Dallas do not have a large grocery and pharmacy chain, which will play an extraordinary role in the distribution of the vaccine among most healthy people later this year. Residents of southern Dallas County face a long list of other vaccination barriers, such as insufficient technology to register for the shot and transportation to the vaccination sites. There is also a historically deep mistrust between black and healthcare communities.

This is not the first time Fair Park has been used during the pandemic. It was the place for several important food distributions.

The sprawling fair was chosen after provincial officials reviewed several locations in south Dallas, including the University of North Texas Dallas and Forester Athletic Complex.

The federal government approved the COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in December. According to the Texas Department of Health, the Lone Star State sent approximately 1.3 million doses.

Given the limited amount of vaccines, the federal and state governments have created a tiger system to vaccinate different populations, prioritizing health workers and the elderly from long-term care functions.

Texans older than 65 and who have serious medical problems, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, can also receive the vaccine according to state guidelines.

Most healthy Texans should be eligible for the vaccine later this year.

Jenkins said earlier this week that he expects the state to provide 2,000 shots a day to the country. He hopes to dramatically increase the number of vaccines – and plots – during the winter.

“We’re going to get more and more vaccines,” he said. “We’re going to need more and more locations.”