DALLAS — At a news conference Monday morning, Dallas County Health and Human Services announced two mass vaccination clinics at two different locations, in an effort to reach residents across the county.
The first is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, 7750 South Hampton Road in Oak Cliff.
The second clinic will be on Dec. 5 at Barnabas Presbyterian Church, 1220 West Belt Line Road in Richardson. Both clinics will be by appointment only.
"And the reason why we're doing that is because with the weather changing, we don't want people camping out. We don't think it's a situation where people have to stand in a long line," said Zachary Thompson with Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services. "We think that it's a very smooth process when you do appointments."
Dallas County is only taking appointments for this Saturday's clinic in Oak Cliff. The phone number to call is 214-819-6001. You will not get to choose your appointment time.
Dallas County is still working out details to share 16,000 doses of swine flu vaccine with area pharmacies.
News 8 has learned Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger and Tom Thumb are part of that deal. Health authorites hope pharmacies will help county residents who have insurance but haven't been able to find vaccinations.
Dallas County, by the way, expects to get another 19,000 doses of swine flu vaccine by week's end.
Tarrant County has some 14,000 doses they will start distributing this Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Resource Connection gymnasium at 1200 Circle Drive in Fort Worth.
Tarrant County Public Health also announced today that beginning Friday, Nov. 20, the H1N1 influenza vaccine will be available, as long as supplies last, at its seven public health centers:
· Arlington Public Health Center, 536 W. Randol Mill Road, Arlington
· Bagsby-Williams Public Health Center, 3212 Miller Avenue, Fort Worth
· Northeast Public Health Center, 813 Brown Trail, Bedford
· Northwest Public Health Center, 3800 Adam Grubb Road, Lake Worth
· Southwest Public Health Center, 6551 Granbury Road, Fort Worth
· La Gran Plaza Mall, 4200 S. Freeway, Fort Worth
· Watauga Public Health Center, 6601 Watauga Road, Suite 122, Watauga
Additionally, Tarrant County will hold its third one-day vaccination event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at the Arlington Convention Center, 1200 Ballpark Way.
The vaccine will be available in the public health centers and at the Arlington event for people in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's target groups: pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age, health-care and emergency medical services personnel, all people from 6 months through 24 years of age and people 25 through 64 years of age who have health conditions associated with a higher risk of medical complications from influenza.
Collin County recently received 6,500 doses. Once first responders receive their vaccinations, the rest will go to nine low-income clinics across the county.
In Denton County, 5,100 doses were delivered on Friday. Officials are still working on plans to get them administered.
E-mail jstjames@wfaa.com
