COVID-19 Vaccine Waitlist in Dallas Is Empty, Appointments Available

Appointments are still required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine from the City of Dallas, but effective immediately, first-dose appointments at The Potter’s House can be scheduled online or over the phone without an invitation or even needing to be registered on Dallas County’s wait list. That means people will be able to make same-day or next-day appointments for the vaccine at either the Fair Park or The Potter’s House hubs.

In addition, people who are age 55 and older may now receive a COVID-19 vaccination without an appointment by going to Fair Park Gate 10 or Gate 2 with a photo ID during operating hours.

“With the vaccine supply increasing and the demand no longer keeping pace, we are entering the critical next phase of our efforts,” Mayor Eric Johnson said. “If you are 16 or older and you have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine dose, the wait is over. It is your turn. These vaccines have proven to be remarkably effective against this awful virus, which has killed thousands of people in our region alone, and each dose will help put the pandemic behind us so we can fully return to normalcy. I encourage our residents to make an appointment and get vaccinated as quickly as possible.”

The City had previously only vaccinated people who had registered on Dallas County’s wait list because of the high demand for the vaccine, the limited supply of vaccine doses, and the need for prioritization based on state-determined eligibility.

25% of Dallas County Population Over 16 Has Been Vaccinated

Now, the City, the county, and other providers in the county had administered more than 1.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of April 14, according to the latest available data. More than 515,000 people in Dallas County are fully vaccinated, which makes up about 25% of the population that is age 16 or older, according to the state. And more than 70% of the 65+ population has received at least one vaccine dose.

Anyone who previously registered for the wait list and has not yet been contacted to make an appointment should visit Dallas County’s vaccination page to make an appointment at either site or call 1-855-IMMUNE9. However, there are no changes to the process for receiving second doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

The City has been working to eliminate barriers to receiving the vaccine in recent weeks. Mayor Johnson recently partnered with The Caring Foundation of Texas and other organizations to vaccinate more than 300 people at South Oak Cliff High School. The mayor also partnered with Uber Technologies to provide free rides to vaccine sites.

And next week, the City of Dallas and the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas (VNA) will launch an in-home vaccinations for home-bound and transportation-challenged Dallas residents.

Since January, the City has operated, or partnered to operate, the mass vaccination hubs at Fair Park, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, and The Potter’s House. American Medical Response, Inc. (AMR), a City-contracted vendor, currently runs The Potter’s House site.

“The City of Dallas is not a public health provider, but we have done our part to vaccinate tens of thousands of people in recent months,” said Rocky Vaz, the Director of the City’s Office of Emergency Management and the mayor’s appointed emergency management coordinator. “We will adjust our strategies as necessary to better serve our residents as we work to end this public health crisis, and we look forward to continuing to distribute vaccines as quickly and efficiently as possible.”