North Texas Begins Receiving Shipments Of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Shipments of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine started arriving quickly in North Texas on Wednesday, and this time pharmacies, fire departments and clinics are getting the doses.
Almost immediately are receiving shipments of the vaccine, frontline workers began lining up in Arlington to receive their first doses Wednesday morning. The same could be seen in Fort Worth as firefighters, MedStar paramedics and employees with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office got theirs.
They all fall into the category of people who are going to work directly with patients or have a lot of interaction and exposure to the public.
Celina Drug, a nearly 100-year-old pharmacy, received 500 doses. A vaccine was given to Johnny Rothfus, a 96-year-old veteran and retired Dallas firefighter who helps out at Celina Drug.
The first vaccine shipments last week went to hospitals, while Wednesday's ones went in smaller shipments to locations including pharmacies and clinics. This would allow the vaccine to get to local doctors and their staffs and into more areas outside of the major city centers.
"Working out in the community on a daily basis and having a family at home just wanted to be protected, going forward, and felt like this was a great opportunity to be in on the first round of protections, against the virus," James Greif of the Fort Worth Fire Department said.
It'll be up to each individual clinic to decide how to administer the doses they receive.
In Hurst, Midcities Health Mart said it was using an online form to sort through more than a thousand people interested in the 100 doses they were expecting.
With the vaccine now spread out in more places, health officials were strategizing Wednesday on making sure local doctors know where it's available, to make sure no one is left out.
"Now at this point, especially a few days before Christmas, this vaccine is here. And for the folks that have been on the frontlines servicing our community for months and months and months it could not have come at a better time," said Tarrant County commissioner Kelly Allen Gray.
While some places acted fast to get their doses out Wednesday, there will be a much bigger kick off on Saturday, when thousands of doses will be given to first responders.
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