FORT WORTH, Texas — All adults in Texas are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, but whether due to lack of access, information or hesitancy, many are still not signing up.
Veronica Rojas registered in January and finally got the call Tuesday that it would be her turn to be vaccinated at the site set up by the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth’s Stop Six neighborhood.
“I have a lot of hope,” Rojas said. “I was just ecstatic, really.”
UNTHSC set up the site in the hard-hit neighborhood and is planning more registration events in underserved communities to try to reach areas with poor access to technology and transportation.
“There are groups that have had difficulty accessing them even if they meet the criteria,” said Dr. Teresa Wagner, who leads UNTHSC’s health literacy program.
They’ve registered 174 people at events so far. It’s a small number compared to the 150,000 left on the county’s waitlist, but it’s a start, and more county and UNTHSC events are planned soon.
Starting Wednesday, they’ll have walk-in registration at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church at 1901 Amanda Ave. in Fort Worth every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tarrant County is hosting in-person registration events, too.
“It's helping to alleviate those types of barriers, helping people to navigate the system,” Wagner said.
Tarrant County Health Director Dr. Vinny Tanjea said Tuesday people are signing up slower than before even though all adults are now eligible.
“Overall, I think that interest is starting to wane off,” he said.
Right now, around 389,000 people in Tarrant County have received at least one shot. Combined with the 150,000 people on the waitlist, that adds up to just over a quarter of the county’s population if everyone left on the list is a local resident.
Experts say, though, that it’ll take 75% of the state to be vaccinated before reaching herd immunity.
“We need to make sure our entire community is vaccinated so we can put away COVID for good,” Taneja said.
Rojas’s reason to sign up and line up was family.
“All of us have been struggling,” she said. "We’ve had seven deaths in the family from COVID, and I miss my family so much.”
Still unable to gather to grieve, Rojas has helped the family register for vaccines.
“For me getting this vaccine and everyone else in my family wanting to get this vaccine is just very important,” she said. “I think it’s important to offer in-person walkup registration for those that can’t register online.”
Every shot is another reason for hope, but it’ll take support and education to get everyone signed up and lined up for vaccination.
“To hopefully keep my kids safe, it means the world to me,” Rojas said.