The city of Dallas has the "ability to provide thousands of vaccinations each week," Mayor Eric Johnson says.
In a letter to the Texas Division of Emergency Management on Monday, Johnson requested that Dallas receive its own doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to supplement Dallas County's efforts to quickly inoculate as many residents as possible.
Johnson cited the city's "fast and efficient" process to distribute 2,000 doses to Dallas first responders in late December. He added that the city runs its own COVID-19 testing sites, which he said could also be used to vaccinate residents.
"The urgency is palpable," Johnson wrote in the letter. "Dallas is the largest city in the state’s largest metropolitan area, and we have seen a significant demand for COVID-19 vaccines in our region."
The Texas Department of State Health Services this week designated 28 coronavirus vaccine "hub providers" to serve as large-scale distributors, six of which are in North Texas. Dallas County has three, Tarrant County has two and Denton County has one.
This week, Dallas County Health and Human Services was scheduled to receive 6,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, UT Southwestern to receive 10,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and Parkland Hospital to receive 6,825 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Johnson received his first dose of the vaccine on Thursday. He said he qualified for the vaccine and is in group 1B, but didn't divulge his personal medical history.
Click here to read Johnson's full letter to the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
