Coronavirus News

Collin County eagerly awaits supplies for COVID-19 vaccine mega center

Just a little prick.

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Collin County is ready and waiting to set up a COVID-19 vaccine mega-site, all they need now are some supplies.

According to a release, the Collin County Commissioners court voted unanimously on January 11 to contract with a private company, Curative Medical Associates to set up vaccination mega-sites — "as soon as the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) provides COVID-19 vaccine supplies in larger volumes to the county."

Curative will be responsible for the mega-site locations and mobile clinics. The company has already been running large-scale COVID-19 testing operations since spring 2020, and is totally set up to administer publicly allotted doses of the vaccine under the guidelines set by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) and vaccine manufacturers.

During the meeting, Curative representatives told court members that they were capable of delivering up to 6,000 doses per day for each mega-site. They're capable of administering both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

In late December, Collin County received an initial shipment of 1,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine from DSHS, which they have already administered.

According to DSHS, during the week of January 11, Texas will direct most COVID-19 vaccines received to large sites or hubs around the state to vaccinate more than 100,000 people. But they still have a limited supply of the vaccine.

In partnership with cities and towns across Collin County, the county set up a vaccine wait list on January 8 that grew to more than 83,000 by January 11.

Cities and towns currently partnering with Collin County for vaccine registration and distribution, include: Allen, Anna, Blue Ridge, Celina, Fairview, Farmersville, Frisco, Josephine, Lavon, Lowry Crossing, Lucas, McKinney, Melissa, Murphy, Nevada, New Hope, Parker, Plano, Princeton, Prosper, Richardson, Sachse, Saint Paul, Weston, Wylie, and Collin College.

Curative will utilize that countywide vaccine wait list to notify residents of mega-site or mobile clinic locations and times — just as soon as the state makes supplies available.

Dallas County set up a mega-site in Fair Park on January 11, where they'll eventually vaccinate about 2,000 people per day.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

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Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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