Getting a COVID-19 vaccine ready in less than a year was a scientific triumph, but getting shots into arms hasn’t been quite as successful.
“All I can say is be patient,” Tarrant County Health Director Dr. Vinny Taneja said. “This is going to be a weekly rollout.”
Taneja says the county’s public health clinics have started moving from phase 1A, which includes healthcare workers and first responders, to a partial phase 1B, which includes city and county workers who have preexisting conditions. They haven’t made it to a full version of 1B, which would include anyone 65 and up.
Updated on December 23, 2020 at 9:50 pm
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Thousands of doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine have arrived at Tarrant County Public Health, public health director Vinny Taneja confirmed Wednesday.
Taneja said the 4,200 doses will be distributed amongst their clinics in the county, with 100 doses available Wednesday at the center on Randol Mill Road in Arlington. The clinic primarily vaccinated those including first responders and health care workers.
“I got to tell you, I’m excited and relieved at the same time. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas present,” Taneja told NBC 5 Wednesday. “I know it’s a lot of work for my folks, but we’re all excited. The faster we can get this thing in people’s arms and get people immunized, feeling better about not getting COVID-19, I think the better we are.”
Many Black people say they won t take COVID vaccine. Tarrant County wants to change that
Fort Worth Star-Telegram 12/21/2020 Brian Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Dec. 21 Fort Worth resident Kwame Osei Jr. isn t in a rush to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Historically, Black people have been used as guinea pigs for medical procedures, a big scar that his people have to this day, said Osei, a 37-year-old Black man. There s a track record of distrust in this country that comes from the medical standpoint of things, he said.
Only 42% of Black Americans said they would get the vaccine, according to a Pew Research Center Survey. This is despite Black Americans being 1.4 times as likely as non-Hispanic whites to contract the disease and 2.8 times as likely to die of it.
North Texas COVID hospitalization rate hits pandemic high at 17.92%
The coronavirus hospitalization rate for the North Texas region hit a pandemic high.
DALLAS - The coronavirus hospitalization rate for the North Texas region hit a pandemic high.
The 2,787 COVID-19 patients hospitalized Tuesday in the 19-county region account for 17.92% of all patients in those area hospitals.
We remain above the governor s 15% threshold that triggered some economic rollbacks.
Tarrant, Dallas, Collin and Denton counties total 2,239 COVID-19 patients. That s about 80% of the region s total.
New modeling predicts hospitalization numbers will be much worse by Christmas.
Health officials say this week marks the beginning of the end. But right now, COVID patient levels are surging before the Christmas holiday.