DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- Dallas County says 400,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have now been given at the hub at Fair Park. The county celebrated with the 400,000th recipient Thursday.
"I know this is a serious thing," the recipient, who only identified himself as Philip, said. "I've been watching what was going on. I've been trying to get here sooner."
"How long did you have to wait?" Dallas County Health Director Phil Huang asked him.
"30 seconds," he replied. "It took me longer to drive in."
"Come down here right now. You can get right through in 30 seconds," Huang said.
Dallas County announced the 250,000th dose March 31. Jenkins says the hub at Fair Park could vaccinate 500 people a day when the site first opened and can now vaccinate 12,000 people a day.
"That's more than anybody else in Texas, any site in Texas. It's more than any other site other than Dodger Stadium, second most in the country," he says. "Things were not always smooth. We had to overcome obstacles."
Next week, Huang says FEMA and the Coast Guard will be leaving Fair Park. He says Kroger Pharmacy will still be operating several lanes, and the ambulance provider, AMR, will fill in the difference left by the other organizations.
"It truly has been a joint effort, collaborative," Huang says. "You think back to where we were when 500 a day seemed like a lot of shots. Now, we've gotten to 12,000 in a single day."
People at Fair Park can get vaccinated without registering. Jenkins encourages people to register ahead of time, but if they do not, they will be directed to a parking lot to fill out the form.
Huang and Jenkins say, with severe weather a possibility Friday, people who want to be vaccinated should come to Fair Park between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. They say they cannot guarantee the site will be open in the afternoon because lightning in the vicinity would force the hub to close.
Saturday, Fair Park will be closed. Vaccination sites will be open at Ellis Davis Fieldhouse and Eastfield College. Parkland Hospital will be open Saturday and Sunday. Appointments are not required at those locations, either.
Next week, Fair Park will change its hours on Thursday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. to reach people who may not be able to get to a vaccination site during the current hours.
