Organizations in Tarrant County are launching more community clinics to try to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate. The Texas Department of State Health Services says 30.8% of Tarrant County residents are fully vaccinated. Statewide, 31.1% of residents are fully vaccinated.
MedStar is hosting a vaccination clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at the Tri-Ethnic Community Center:
2950 Roosevelt Ave
Fort Worth, TX 76106
Registration is encouraged HERE.
MedStar will have up to 1,000 doses available for people due for their first or second shot.
"We know there are a lot of people on the fence or just not willing to get vaccinated," says MedStar's Matt Zavadsky. "As more science is revealed, as more people have longer times after they've been vaccinated with no adverse effects, we really hope people will follow the science, agree to get vaccinated and help our country and local community become a 'community of immunity.'"
Zavadsky says they hope smaller clinics in more locations can reach more people unable or unwilling to go to a hub.
"We can get the folks who are thinking about it to realize, 'It's pretty convenient. I might as well stop by on my way home from work or after school,'" he says. "It's often much easier for people to go if it's a local, neighborhood center."
UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth has been working with Tarrant County and OptumServe to run mobile clinics in areas of the county with lower vaccination rates. UNT Health Science Center and Tarrant County are now encouraging businesses and organizations to register to host "pop-up" vaccination clinics at their workplaces or meeting spots.
"As demand for the vaccine has decreased, data suggests that the larger static vaccine sites are no longer as effective as they were early in the vaccine rollout. This next phase of vaccinations will require more one-on-one interactions and more mobile sites that operate for shorter times at locations and events where people live and work. It is essential to partner with businesses and organizations to make that happen," says Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams, UNT Health Science Center's chief strategy officer.
Businesses and non-profits can register to host vaccination clinics HERE.
Across North Texas, the Department of State Health Services says 30.9% of Dallas County residents are fully vaccinated, 37.3% of Denton County residents are fully vaccinated and 41.4% of Collin County residents are fully vaccinated.
Thursday, hospitals across the 19 county area had 482 COVID-19 patients using about three percent of capacity.
