DALLAS — While tens of thousands in North Texas have found success in their search for a COVID-19 vaccine, tens of thousands more are finding only roadblocks and frustration.
Take for example the story, and the frustration, of Betty Edge.
"Anxiety is high," she said in a conversation on a park bench near where the Katy Trail crosses Knox Street and Henderson Avenue. She is 76 years old, which qualifies her for this round of vaccines. She is also completely blind, losing her sight to retinitis pigmentosa six years ago.
Fiercely independent, Edge relies on her guide dog Nero for her near-daily walks on the Katy Trail. Her anxiety about COVID-19 is heightened because of her vision impairment: that six-foot distance from strangers rule can be difficult. She has to rely on others to give her and Nero adequate room.
"I'm totally concerned every day of my life of what I touch, who I come in contact with, and where I should go," she said while wearing a protective mask during our interview. "But I want to keep living my life."
So last week a friend took her to Fair Park to get her COVID-19 vaccine. The Dallas vaccine hub was taking walkup appointments at the time.
"We got turned away," she said of the traffic officers who told them to turn around and leave before they even reached the parking lot. It was the day last week when the Fair Park vaccine hub ran out of vaccines.
She is also registered with Dallas County after a friend helped her fill out the online form.
“I registered on the first of the month," she said. She received confirmation of the registration via email 10 days later but has not yet received an appointment. So she called her personal physician, called Baylor Scott & White, called her pharmacy, even called the Dallas Mayor's office.
"He said you should call this and get an appointment," Edge said of the phone number she was offered. "And there was no option for an appointment," she said when she made the suggested phone call.
"I feel like I'm anxious and trying to do something about it all the time. Worried about it. Worried. Frustrated," she said.
Emails she has received from Dallas County Health and Human Services tell her that more than 100,000 people have pre-registered to get the vaccine at Fair Park and that the scheduling process will take time.
But Edge's friends tell her they are fighting the same battle, searching unsuccessfully for the vaccine.
"Just stay in touch more," was her suggested plea to county officials coordinating vaccine distribution. "Give us more information" so that those most at risk can navigate their path through this vaccine search too.
As of Monday night, just over 1.7 million doses had been administered in Texas, according to the state dashboard. That includes almost 1.5 million first doses and more than 260,000 second doses.
The City of Dallas opens a new vaccine hub on Thursday hoping it will help with the backlog of vaccine registrations. Dallas received 5,000 more doses this week. Vaccinations at the drive-thru clinic at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center begin at 10 a.m. Thursday. An appointment is necessary. If you are on the Dallas County waitlist, officials say you will be contacted when it is your turn.