TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — "There's just big news that came out."
The news broke Tuesday morning as Tarrant County commissioners were about to get their weekly COVID-19 briefing.
"The state is deciding March 29, next Monday, no more restrictions," Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said. "The vaccine's going to be open to everybody."
People started to clap.
The announcement that all adults statewide will soon be eligible for a COVID vaccine had officials immediately thinking about logistics.
"We have got sites all over the county," Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said. "We've had a scarcity of vaccines, not a scarcity of people ready to give the vaccines, so I feel like we're ready."
There are just 42,000 currently eligible people left on the county's list who still need vaccines, and they'll get shots shortly, Taneja said. It's perfect timing, he said, to open things up to the 102,000 previously ineligible people who've already registered.
"There have been people that are not eligible that are still waiting," Taneja said. "They signed up in December... they’re going to get called next week."
As of March 17, more than 507,000 doses had been administered in the county. Eight percent of Tarrant County residents are fully vaccinated.
"Things are improving on the vaccine front quite a bit," Taneja said in regards to vaccine supply. "Again, the message is everyone needs to sign up."
Judge Whitley said Tuesday considering there's no longer a reason to screen people for eligibility, they may change how appointments are given out in the county. Those details are still being worked out, as news had just broken.
Whitley suggested perhaps the county's COVID call center could be turned into an appointment-making center, where people could call, find out appointment availability and make one.
For now, people should still register online.
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Tuesday morning, people who'd previously signed up and received appointments arrived at a brand-new vaccine clinic in Fort Worth's long-underserved Stop Six neighborhood. It'll remain open permanently.
"We're just so excited to be able to serve this community," said Reverend Bruce Datcher, who is the pastor at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, the location for the clinic.
Both Whitley and Taneja said vaccine supply in the county is improving, and implored people to sign up online and not to just show up at the county's various clinics.
"We want to get a shot in anybody's arm who is given an appointment and shows up," said Whitley.