Coronavirus News

New mega COVID-19 vaccination site opens in Dallas' Fair Park

Photo courtesy of Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin

Two new COVID-19 facilities open in Dallas on January 11: One is for vaccinations, the other is for testing.

Vaccinations
The City of Dallas and Dallas County have partnered up to open the first "mega" public COVID-19 vaccination site. It's located at Fair Park and opens on January 11.

According to a release, Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) estimates up to 2,000 people will be vaccinated by appointment each day.

DallasCounty Judge Clay Jenkins says in a statement that there's already a big waiting list.

"We will get thousands of our most vulnerable residents vaccinated at Fair Park this next week with well over 100,000 people on the list, the list growing daily, and the State giving us enough vaccines to vaccinate six to seven thousand people this week," Jenkins says. "We obviously won’t get to everyone, so I appreciate your patience and grace as we work through the task of mass vaccination for North Texas."

Jenkins predicts that January and February will be the toughest months for COVID-19 spread and hospitalizations, and encourages residents to continue to avoid crowds, wash hands, and wear a mask.

"If we are successful in vaccinating a large amount of our population, things will get brighter in March and with its successive months," Jenkins says.

Currently, only residents in north Texas in Phase 1A or Phase 1B, as defined by the Texas Department of State Health Services, can register at this time. As additional supply of the vaccine becomes available, DCHHS will open up the registration form to additional groups, as directed by the state.

Hours will be Monday-Saturday, 8 am-5 pm, pending vaccine availability. Vaccinations will be available by appointment only. Register online at www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination.php. You'll get a confirmation email notifying you that you have successfully pre-registered and what the next steps are.

Those with an appointment should arrive alone, unless you need assistance to walk to the vaccination station, in which case you can bring one additional person. Prepare to wait for a mandatory period of 15-30 minutes after the vaccination in order to be observed for any adverse medical reaction.

Registration is open to Dallas County and non-Dallas County residents in Phase 1A or Phase 1B; residents must provide a photo ID on site, such as a driver’s license, work ID, parish ID, library card, or other form of photo ID.

City of Dallas residents may visit dallascityhall.com/covid19 or call 214.670.INFO (4636) to get current information about COVID-19.

New free testing site
The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and MCI Diagnostic Center will provide free COVID-19 testing beginning January 11 at the MCI Diagnostic Center, at 9728 Greenville Ave.

"We thank the State of Texas and the Texas Division of Emergency Management for opening an additional testing site in Dallas," says Rocky Vaz, Director of the City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management in a statement. "This testing site will give our residents more accessibility to know their COVID-19 status."

Testing is open to all; there is no residency or COVID-19 symptoms requirement to be tested and all screenings are free. Bring proof of address and photo ID in order to receive results; non-state issued IDs accepted. Test results should be received in two to four days.

Hours are Monday-Saturday 8 am-6 pm through January 31.

This testing site is operating separately from the mobile, in-home testing services MCI Diagnostic Center provides for the City of Dallas.

For a list of testing locations and how to request in-home testing services, visit dallascityhall.com/Pages/Coronavirus-Testing-Sites.aspx or call 214-670-INFO.

health

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

politics