The hub has given more than 35,000 shots to the community since it opened in late December, according to a city news release. Operations at the stadium will be phased out, and inoculations will be transferred to private health providers.
“We created the vaccine hub to assist the most vulnerable in our community, and we have had a major impact jump-starting the vaccination process in Collin County,” Mayor George Fuller said in a city news release. “We stood up the vaccination program until the private sector could stand up. Now it’s time to let employees return to their normal duties, give our volunteers a much-deserved break, and let private health care providers like physicians, hospitals, and pharmacies take over the public vaccination efforts.”
The city will continue to provide information related to COVID-19 and will help people find where they can get vaccines, Fuller said.
“The health and wellbeing of our community remain our highest concern as we continue to navigate this pandemic.”
The McKinney Fire Department will complete all second doses for those who received their first dose from the hub, the news release said. The fire department will also continue to provide vaccines to senior living centers and other vulnerable populations.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to fight back against COVID-19 by vaccinating the public, not only for the members of the McKinney Fire Department and city employees but the many organizations and volunteers that have come together to make the vaccination hub a successful operation,” McKinney Fire Chief Danny Kistner said in the news release.
The city of McKinney partnered with the county, McKinney ISD, local hospitals, Collin College and Grayson College to operate the vaccine hub, and multiple volunteers in the community and in city departments provided support for the hub and McKinney’s COVID-19 hotline.
Residents looking for vaccine providers can visit the Collin County Health Care Services website and the Department of State Health Services vaccines website. The latter lists vaccination hubs, a vaccine availability map and a list of all providers.
McKinney currently has limited first-dose Moderna appointments available for those in Phase 1A, 1B or 1C. This includes frontline health care workers, anyone over the age of 50, those 18 and older with a health condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19 illness, and school and child care personnel. Appointments for the vaccines must be made in advance online, and walk-ins will not be accepted.
“I encourage everyone to get vaccinated when their turn comes. Science has proven vaccines to be safe and effective,” Kistner said in the release. “After becoming fully vaccinated, it is still essential to follow all recommended public safety measures, including mask-wearing, maintaining social distancing, and routinely washing your hands. Please stay the course with these protective measures to best protect yourself, your family, and your community.”
