According to TCPH Director Vinny Taneja, of all registrations received by the county on its vaccine registration portal, 21.8% have come from out-of-county residents. However, only 8.2% of all COVID-19 vaccination appointments have gone to non-Tarrant County residents.
"Interest remains high in our community, and from a public health standpoint, we're loving this," Taneja said at a Jan. 26 Commissioners Court meeting.
Taneja emphasized that many of the people who have registered or gotten an appointment in Tarrant County are county or city government staff and those who work in hospitals or clinics who qualify as health care workers.
Currently, registration for a vaccine dose in Tarrant County remains open to neighboring counties. As of Jan. 26, 417,000 people have registered with the county, and 80% of those registered are eligible under Phases 1A and 1B of the state's vaccine rollout plan.
Tarrant County officials are continuing to ramp up efforts to ensure doses reach the hardest-hit places in the county, Taneja said. COVID-19 hot spots within the county include ZIP code 76177 in the Alliance and Fort Worth area and ZIP code 76182, which borders Keller and Colleyville.
Once an individual is vaccinated, it takes two to three weeks for the body to build immunity to the virus, Taneja said.
According to data from TCPH and the Texas Department of State Health Services, the cities of Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake and Keller rank among the top 10 for number of vaccinations in Tarrant County. As of Jan. 26, only 5% of the entire county has received vaccines, Taneja said.
The county also announced the release of a webpage that allows individuals to check their vaccine registration status. Once registered, a registration number will be sent, which can be entered on the site to check your registration status or even cancel an appointment.
As of Jan. 26, Tarrant County has reported 1,524 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. There have been 209,849 total cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Tarrant County since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, including 2,101 deaths.
