DALLAS — Some Texans have had luck in their search for COVID-19 vaccines by searching online registration portals in more rural counties, where demand is sometimes not as high as in urban areas.
What isn't known is whether that availability will remain as the state opens vaccination eligibility to every adult in the state March 29.
Robyn Thieme-Sklar has been one of those people searching for a vaccine. The furloughed flight attendant returns to work soon and has registered in multiple locations recommended by multiple county leaders.
"Only about three weeks now I guess that I actually thought that I would be eligible," the 57-year-old said of the last eligibility change when anyone over the age of 50 was deemed eligible by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
An option other Texans in her situation have been pursuing is Erath County. For eight weeks, the Bosque River Center in Stephenville, in a space vacated by a furniture store, is where Assistant Fire Chief Chuck Elliott and his 40 volunteers are waiting for residents.
"We were probably not using 500 doses a week," he said in reference to the current allocation of 1,000 first doses and 1,000 second doses they receive on average each week. "As of today we have some reserve that we can distribute."
So, also serving six nearby counties, Erath continues to take registrations on its online registration portal. Vaccinations are offered Monday through Thursday.
But now that everyone over the age of 18 will qualify, Elliott doesn't know how fast his supply of 1,000 new doses a week will last.
"We don't know what to expect right now. We do know what our capacity is and what our supply is. So, we're going to stay within that. And we expect to be very busy in the upcoming weeks," Elliot said.
"I would like to see what next week brings before I invite the whole world to our place here. But as of right now if you sign up, say from Frisco, we are serving."
East of Dallas in Rockwall County, the registration process has been so popular that the waitlist has been closed. Instead, if you need a COVID-19 vaccine, they ask that you text the keyword "VAXROCKWALL" to 888777 and you will receive instructions how to proceed after that.
Rockwall Emergency Management Coordinator Barbara Neville told WFAA that "we haven't wasted a single vaccine and we will continue to vaccinate everyone we can as the state gives us supplies."
As for Thieme-Sklar, she won't need to head to a rural county. She got her place in line at Baylor Scott and White in Frisco. She received her first vaccination.
"I think the vaccine is truly what is getting us all back to work and back to a little bit of normalcy in our lives," she said. "So, I'm super excited about it."
An excitement now almost every Texan can qualify for if they so choose and if, and when, they can find a place in line.
