Dallas City Council members say people confused about rollout of COVID-19 vaccines

Dallas officials say residents are confused by the COVID-19 vaccination process, and a city official says that frustration will likely continue as long as the demand for shots is greater than the supply.

During a special meeting on Monday that ended after midnight the next day, several Dallas City Council members expressed irritation over public and internal communication about the vaccine rollout, including learning about developments via news releases from Mayor Eric Johnson.

“Quite frankly, I don’t think we’re all on the same page, and it’s pretty obvious we’re not,” said council member David Blewett.

“I just don’t think we’re doing a very good job.”

Rocky Vaz, Dallas’ emergency management director, noted that the city plans to vaccinate eligible members of the public — those in the 1A and 1B categories ― starting Thursday. He vowed there would be clear communication on how people are selected to receive the 5,000 doses, when they need to come in for an appointment and when they need to return for their second shot.

Vaz also said there would be a frequently asked questions section on the city’s website and a staff member dedicated to answering the questions of council members. He said he believes the best city can do at this point is to communicate as clearly as possible.

“Some people will be waiting for months unless the supply increases,” Vaz said. “You’ve got 400,000 people, and you’re getting 5,000 doses. You do the math. People are going to be getting more frustrated.”

Council member Casey Thomas said the lack of clear communication to the public will likely exacerbate concerns about the vaccine. He cited the county deciding to prioritize mass vaccinations to people who are 75 and older at Fair Park. But for at least two days, no one was formally notifying the public or City Council members, who were under the impression people 65 and older and adults with serious medical conditions were being prioritized.

“If we, as duly elected city leaders, don’t know the criteria, then how can we expect our constituents to know it?” Thomas asked.

Monday’s meeting was called by council members Chad West, Adam Bazaldua and Paula Blackmon, who said they wanted to discuss the vaccine distribution process, how council members communicate with each other and Johnson allowing City Manager T.C. Broadnax to have more authority amid a state of emergency declaration.

The council voted 10-5 in favor of allowing Broadnax to authorize the use of city staff, laptops, personal protection equipment and other city resources to help set up vaccine registration sites where people can sign up to get an appointment.

They voted down 10-4 a proposal that would have called on Johnson to provide public updates to the City Council every two weeks on the city’s emergency response. Council member Adam Bazaldua didn’t cast a vote.

A proposal to make Johnson designate Broadnax as Dallas’ coordinator of the city’s emergency response amid the pandemic was formally withdrawn before it was voted on. Johnson gave no indication during the meeting that he would change how he communicates with City Council members.