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Six agencies in Dallas-Fort Worth will serve as COVID-19 vaccination hubs as Texas shifts toward a centralized approach to distributing the shots, the state announced Sunday.
In Dallas County, the county health department, UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health and Hospital System were designated as hubs by the Department of State Health Services.
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In Tarrant County, the county health department and Texas Health Resources were designated by the state as hubs. And the sixth is the Denton County health department.
Collin, Rockwall and Ellis counties are not on the state’s list. Providers won’t exclusively vaccinate people who live in their respective counties.
Why is Texas creating vaccination hubs?
State officials have said their goal is to send most of the vaccines Texas is allocated to large hubs to streamline immunizations.
This week, the 28 hubs will receive 158,825 doses of the vaccine, and 38,300 doses will go to other providers across the state, according to a news release.
“The idea is to concentrate much of the vaccine at a smaller number of locations so there will be a more centralized opportunity to vaccinate people,” state health department spokesman Chris Van Deusen.
Van Deusen added Sunday that the state has asked the chosen providers to vaccinate people in surrounding areas, too.
The vaccines were allocated based on the number of people each provider estimated it could serve in a week.
Who is eligible to get a vaccine at one of the hubs now?
Anyone in the first two tiers — phase 1A and 1B — of the state’s vaccination priority list is eligible to get immunized at any of the hubs, regardless of where they live, according to the state health department.
Phase 1A includes front-line health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities, and phase 1B includes anyone 65 or older or anyone with a chronic medical condition that puts them at higher risk if they contract COVID-19.
Do people need appointments?
The state urged anyone who is seeking a vaccine at one of the 28 hubs not to just show up. “Find out first if walk-ups are accepted,” the health department advises on its website.
In North Texas, several providers have set up registration sites where people can indicate they are eligible and want a vaccine. The state health department has provided links to each vaccination hub provider’s website.
What are Dallas County’s plans to distribute the vaccine?
Dallas County announced last week it planned to launch a “mega” vaccination site at Fair Park, where the county hopes to vaccinate thousands of people a day.
Shots will be available only by appointment to people who have registered online.
Are these the only places to get vaccines?
People who are eligible for shots have been able to get vaccines through other providers, but there is no comprehensive list of those providers or of the number of available doses.
The state says most of the doses allotted to Texas are going to start going to the 28 hubs announced Sunday.
How many doses will each hub get this week?
Here is the vaccine allocation breakdown for the 28 hubs, according to the state health department:
Dallas County
- Dallas County Health and Human Services, 6,000 doses
- Parkland Hospital, 6,825 doses
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, 10,000 doses
Tarrant County
- Tarrant County Public Health, 9,000 doses
- Texas Health Resources, 10,050 doses
Denton County
- Denton County Public Health, 3,500 doses
Bell County
- Bell County Public Health District, 3,900 doses
Bexar County
- San Antonio Metro Health District, 9,000 doses
- University Health System, 10,725 doses
Brazos County
- CHI St. Joseph College Station Hospital, 1,200 doses
Cameron County
- Cameron County Public Health, 6,000 doses
El Paso County
- El Paso Fire Department, 5,000 doses
- University Medical Center of El Paso, 5,000 doses
Harris County
- Harris County Public Health, 8,000 doses
- Houston Health Department, 8,000 doses
- Houston Methodist Hospital, 10,725 doses
Hidalgo County
- Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, 6,500 doses
- Hidalgo County Health and Human Services, 5,000 doses
Lubbock County
- City of Lubbock Health Department, 5,000 doses
Maverick County
- Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, 1200 doses
McLennan County
- Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, 1,500 doses
- Ascension Providence Hospital, 1,500 doses
Nueces County
- Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District, 4,000 doses
Potter County
- Amarillo Public Health Department, 5,000 doses
Smith County
- Northeast Texas Public Health District, 1,500 doses
- UT Health Science Center Tyler, 1,500 doses
Travis County
- Austin Public Health, 12,000 doses
Webb County
- City of Laredo Health Department, 1,200 doses