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.