The City of Dallas' vaccination hub at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center reopens Wednesday. The City of Dallas received almost 5,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week and has started a partnership with Methodist Health for distribution.
Of the City of Dallas' 4,875 doses of the vaccine, 1,875 will be administered at the convention center. The remaining 3,000 will be given at Methodist Hospital in Oak Cliff starting Thursday.
Dallas Fire Rescue will administer vaccines at the convention center Wednesday. The convention center has been operating as a "drive-thru" clinic. People with reservations have their information verified in a parking lot outside. They are then directed to a parking garage where members of the public are vaccinated on one level; Dallas police and firefighters are vaccinated on another level.
"The administration of the vaccine is probably the easiest part of this entire operation," says Marshal Isaacs, medical director of Dallas Fire Rescue. "We have expert paramedics who know how to give injections. We could do it through the window, but it's so much easier to simply open the door, sterilize the area with an alcohol prep and then administer the vaccine."
People then pull into another area of the garage for observation before being dismissed.
Isaacs says Dallas Fire Rescue has used the convention center during emergencies before.
"We actually had a major city and county operation here after Hurricane Harvey," he says. "This is the location of the mega-shelter medical clinic."
About 3,500 people from the Gulf coast stayed at the convention center during the hurricane in 2017.
Methodist Health is taking most of the City of Dallas' supply and will start vaccinations Thursday.
"Our partnership with Methodist is looking into the future when we know, it might not be next week, but we know the vaccine supply will get better," Rocky Vaz, director of emergency management for the City of Dallas, said earlier this week.
Another vaccination location in Dallas County is also opening Wednesday. The Cities of Grand Prairie and Irving have partnered to vaccinate about 500 people a day at the Theatre at Grand Prairie, near Lone Star Park.
Reservations at all of those sites are required and made through Dallas County. People can register at
DallasCountyCovid.org or by calling (469) 749-9900 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
