Long lines for COVID-19 vaccine expected as Tarrant County looks for bigger location
Tarrant County officials are encouraging eligible residents to get the coronavirus vaccine despite long wait times in the past weeks.
More than 8,300 people — including first responders and health care workers — have received the vaccine in Tarrant County. Some people have waited hours outdoors amid cold temperatures.
County Judge Glen Whitley demanded shorter lines and wait times during Tuesday’s county commissioners meeting. At one point he threatened to close the site at the Tarrant County Conference and Recreation Center if the problems weren’t addressed.
Now, the site will offer large tents, heaters and chairs for those in line until the county completes a deal with Hurst officials to provide vaccinations at the Hurst Conference Center.
Whitley said the county needs to “vaccinate our folks as quickly as we can.”
The county opened registration last week for those who are 65 or older and those over 16 with an underlying health condition. The county has about 3,700 vaccines remaining, said Vinny Taneja, the county’s public health director. The state is expected to allocate more doses of the vaccine to the county next week.
About 76% of the doses have gone to people between 18 and 64 with the rest going to those 65 years and older, according to the county’s data. More than 160,000 people have registered. Those eligible are encouraged to register at https://tcph.quickbase.com/db/bq3q4uet8. Those who don’t have access to a computer or the internet can call 817-248-6299.
But as mass vaccinations ramp up, Whitley and the commissioners are concerned about the wait times. The county judge said he’s received calls and seen on social media that people are being forced to wait outside in the cold for hours.
The conference center will allow people to wait indoors and the larger space means county health officials can vaccinate more people.
County officials expect to start vaccinating in Hurst sometime next week. Fort Worth will also provide the county with a space to vaccinate first responders and health workers.
For now though, Whitley said he hopes lines will be shorter this week once officials make it clear that no one should show up without an appointment and that people should show up only during their appointment time.
Taneja said any mass vaccination effort will produce long lines. The lines and wait times have also been exacerbated because of the little time the county had to prepare when the Texas Department of State Health Services told public health and medical institutions on Dec. 29 to start vaccinating people in the group of people over 65 and those with health conditions.
Taneja said the county’s plan all along was to first finish vaccinating first responders and health care workers before moving on to the next phases.
“We went from plan A to plan B in a matter of a couple of days,” Whitley said.
