Registration for the COVID-19 vaccination closed about five hours after it opened on Wednesday when all available doses were awarded.
About 450 residents will hopefully receive their first of two shots on Monday, according to Jennifer Rainey, spokeswoman for public health in Denton County.
“The demand is obviously going to be more than the available supply,” she said.
Phase 1B group of people eligible for vaccinations in Texas include people over 65, and people over 16 who are either pregnant or have one or more chronic health conditions.
Rainey said most of the people registered on Wednesday were in the 1B group, but that doesn’t mean everyone was vaccinated in 1A. She said the state’s mandate instructed them not to prioritize one group over the other.
She said DCPH is aware that there are still health workers in the country who have not yet been vaccinated.
Rainey said the county health department answered seven people on the phone to accept registrations Wednesday, with room for another 30 callers to wait.
“We have all registered for the vaccine that is available,” she said Thursday afternoon. “At the moment we are not doing a waiting list.”
Denton County commissioners will consider allocating funds to purchase a vaccine management system during a Friday morning meeting.
The system is the product of a partnership between Microsoft and Mazik Global. It would cost $ 271,000 for the first year of operation and $ 186,000 each subsequent year, according to the Land Commissioners’ agenda item.
Rainey said state officials hope the system will enable the province to put residents on a waiting list for the vaccine.
It will also allow them to notify people by SMS and / or email when they are able to vaccinate, and will automatically remind them to make an appointment to receive their second dose of vaccination. .
The meeting begins Friday at 11 p.m. Those wishing to follow it can do so online by going to dentoncounty.gov/remote or by calling 346-248-7799 or calling 1-888-475-4499 (for ID ID 764 412 814 #).
Rainey said DCPH advises people to “also check with your primary care provider or local pharmacy when they are going to vaccinate their clients.”
Rainey, who was reached by telephone Thursday, said the province has no more prior knowledge than the general public about the distribution of vaccines.
The Texas Department of Health Services updated the distribution schedules for the coming week every Friday, but it was not immediately clear on Thursday whether and how New Year’s Day could affect the release.
MARSHALL REID can be reached at 940-566-6862 and via Twitter at @MarshallKReid.