Health officials working to make it as easy as possible for North Texans to get COVID-19 vaccine

FORT WORTH, TX – It’s gotten much easier to get a vaccine across North Texas.

Dallas County is allowing people to set up their own appointments, while in Tarrant County, there’s still a wait, but it’s only one or two days.

With additional doses on the way and a new site opening next week, Tarrant County Public Health is encouraging everyone to register ASAP, with health officials saying there’s just a one or two-day wait for appointments.

But some are still hesitant.

“I want to see a little bit more testing done before I put myself in there,” one man said.

“You don’t know when you’re able to get it, how long it’s going to take,” Tina Chavolla said.

According to the state, nearly 35% of Tarrant County residents 16 and older have at least one dose, with a quarter of that population fully vaccinated.

That trends a little lower than the state overall.

Amanda Sasser, from Fort Worth, got her shots as soon as she was eligible, and tells everyone she knows to follow suit.

“I think they’re just scared of side effects. They don’t want the side effects. I didn’t want to deal with it, but I knew that if I got it, I could end up dead. And I didn’t want to end up dead,” she said.

UNT Health Science Center has been heading Tarrant County’s efforts to open more sites, with the newest location set to open Wednesday at Ridgmar Mall.

“We have to meet people where they are and that means small boutique locations around Tarrant County,” said Laken Rapier, with the UNT Health Science Center.

Rapier also said that a huge task right now is easing vaccine concerns.

Student volunteers have been out in the community for several weeks educating and helping people register.

On Wednesday, UNTHSC launched its own registration portal, allowing residents to choose when and where they’d like to be vaccinated.

“And there might be some same day appointments. We are not at the point to where we can do walk-ins yet, but check back and see if there is a same day appointment, you may be able to get in,” Rapier explained.

Tarrant County Public Health said that while everyone on its waitlist has been scheduled for an appointment, roughly 2,000 additional people are signing up daily.

“As soon as I can find babysitters to watch the babes and I can get going, yeah that’d be great,” Chavolla said.