County Judge Clay Jenkins said during a Jan. 28 news conference that the request is currently with the state and should be submitted to the Biden administration within the next few days. Federal law requires that the request be routed through the state, he said.
If approved, the megasite would supplement the thousands of vaccines already being distributed at the Fair Park megasite and other sites throughout Dallas County.
According to Jenkins, 43,000 residents were vaccinated by the county last week. The megasite would vaccinate 72,000 residents over a similar six-day period, he said.
“We are hopeful that we can add this force multiplier,” Jenkins said.
Health officials estimate that it will be 2022 before all Texans are vaccinated. This estimate is based on current supply but does include some modeling that takes into consideration additional vaccines in the process of being approved, Jenkins said.
“A federal megasite serving 12,000 North Texans per day would dramatically decrease that timeline,” he said, adding that the 7.7 million residents across DFW make up more than a quarter of the state’s population.
The next stockpile of vaccines that would supply the federally approved megasites could be available by the second week of February, Jenkins said.
If Dallas County is chosen as a site, military personnel would decide the location. A preliminary site has been identified; however, Jenkins did not disclose its location.
For more information on how to register for the vaccine in Dallas County, visit this link.
Jenkins encouraged all residents to register regardless of their eligibility status.
“We want to get as many registered as we can so that when we get to your group, you’re already on there,” he said.
