DALLAS — Community organizers in the City of Dallas are working hard to make sure as many people as possible are registering to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
A line of people stretched outside Jerry’s Supermarket on Jefferson Boulevard on Friday afternoon.
Volunteers set up tents with computer stations. More than 150 people showed up to get help registering through the Dallas County portal.
Organizers said they registered about 140 people the previous night.
"I live here in Oak Cliff and we do not have enough of our community members that are signing up for the vaccination,” said Leslie Cannon, a community organizer.
The vaccine registration event was sponsored by a grassroots community group, and was supported by Dallas City Councilman Chad West and Dallas County Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia.
"We had no idea that we were going to have this kind of turnout today,” said West.
Volunteers took temperatures and provided personal protective equipment like masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.
Organizers said they know the vaccine registration process has not been convenient for everyone, especially for those residents living on some of the county’s most vulnerable communities.
"We know a lot of people do not have computers, do not have hot spots, and they are here because they want to register,” said Garcia.
There are business owners and community members volunteering to open vaccine registration hubs, like this, across the City of Dallas. Among them, a vaccine registration event is scheduled outside Bishop Barbers on Jefferson Boulevard from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23.
Another registration hub is expected to open at Village Bridge Center in South Dallas on Monday, Jan. 25.
So far, details about some of the grassroots registration events have been spreading by word of mouth and across social media.
"I think this is a real great example of how the city and county can work together. We can roll up our sleeves, put the politics aside, and we just come out here and work,” said West.
The number for the Dallas County Health and Human Services Vaccine Registration Hotline is 469-749-9900. The hotline hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration assistance is available in English and Spanish.
Registration may also be submitted online through: https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination.php.
