Dallas Vaccine Hubs Prepare as Texas Opens up for Group 1C

Anyone 50 years old and up is now eligible for Covid-19 Vaccination.

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The Texas Department of State Health Services opened up Covid-19 vaccine eligibility to those over 50 years old on March 15. This group, categorized as IC, now joins healthcare workers, essential workers, people over 65, and people over 16 with medical conditions to the growing list of people who qualify for life-saving vaccines.

Dallas County health officials report an increase of more than 200,000 people adding their name to the waitlist. Vaccine hubs at Fair Park are giving out over 1000 doses per hour.

Now that the North Texas vaccine supply is improving, Dallas County officials can safely expand the eligibility pool. Those over 50 are considered high-risk for hospitalization and death from a Covid-19 infection. Data shows they account for more than 93% of Texas Covid fatalities.

Texas Department of State Health Services reports 5 million 5 million Texans between the ages of 50 and 64 now qualify for vaccination. Approximately 1 million in this age group have already been vaccinated. Increasing the vaccination rate in those at the most risk will save lives and reduce the number of hospitalizations in the Dallas Forth Worth Metroplex. A DSHS press release reports that More than half of Texas seniors have had at least one vaccine dose, and 30 percent have completed the series. As a result, Texas hospitals have seen a two-thirds reduction in Covid hospitalizations from the mid-January peak.

Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner stated, "We’ve seen a remarkable decrease in the number of hospitalizations and deaths since people 65 and older started becoming fully vaccinated in January. Expanding to ages 50 to 64 will continue the state’s priorities of protecting those at the greatest risk of severe outcomes and preserving the state’s health care system."

Image CC DSHSH

More than half of all Texas seniors have gotten at least one vaccine dose, and 30 percent are now fully vaccinated. The number of COVID-19 positive patients in Texas hospitals has fallen by two-thirds from its peak in mid-January.

As of March 15, Dallas County has administered more than 670,000 COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccination is the key to getting our lives back to normal, especially as new dangerous Covid variants arrive in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The B.1.1.7 variant is expected to become the dominant variant soon. It is more contagious due to a mutation in the receptor on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. While this variant is more contagious, it is uncertain at this time if it is more lethal.

A new March report from the UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) warns “evidence suggests the B.1.1.7 variant may be associated with an increased risk of death compared with other variants.”

The current FDA-approved vaccines from Moderna, Phizer, and Johnson and Johnson are highly effective even against the surging B.1.1.7 variant. The Moderna and Phizer vaccines offer 95% protection against Covid-19. Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccine provides 72% protection against infection and 86% against severe disease.

All three are highly effective in preventing death. To date, 3,275 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19.

Image CC Dallas County Health Department

To get your vaccine, you must register. Follow the links below to get started:

For Dallas County, click here. For Tarrant County, click here.

Texas provides an interactive map to help residents find available vaccines here.

No vaccine is 100% effective, and according to the current data, 5% of those getting a Covid-19 mRNA vaccine may still be at risk. Vaccine recipients should continue to wash their hands, wear a face mask in public, and practice social distancing.

At your vaccination appointment, you will receive a copy of your vaccination record. Apps and digital documents are coming, but for now, your safest move is to keep the vaccine record in a safe place where it won’t get lost. I recommend taking a picture for storage on your phone.