Demand is high for COVID-19 vaccine in Denton County

Denton County is working to help residents get the information they need to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Denton County Public Health Director Dr. Matt Richardson updated the Commissioners Court on Tuesday on the state of the pandemic in the county, and much of the emphasis was on the high demand for the few vaccines that have been allocated to the area. He said local private providers will be receiving vaccines soon, and they will be inundated with tons of requests from the public, a process he said will be “confusing and frustrating.”

“That’s going to create some mayhem on the providers’ side,” he said. “I don’t know that local doctor’s offices are all geared up to take that kind of call intensity.”

Richardson said the county is doing its best to help providers handle the demand and the public to be well-informed. He said his department is working on providing a list of vaccine providers in the county. The state is in charge of allocating vaccine doses, and Denton County has requested more vaccines but Richardson said it’s not something that they can simply order because of the limited supply and high demand.

There are currently 12,763 active COVID-19 cases in the county.

Click here for more information about COVID-19 vaccines in Denton County. They are currently only available to people in Phases 1A and 1B, and Richardson said as many as 100,000 Denton County residents could be eligible under Phase 1B, but there isn’t nearly enough vaccine doses available for all of them yet.

Richardson also said he wanted to clarify, again, that DCPH investigates each coronavirus-related death and makes sure that the person died of COVID-19, not just with it. The countywide death toll is 218.

DCPH is providing a free drive-thru COVID-19 testing center in Denton on Friday at North Central Texas College’s exchange parking garage, 319 East Sycamore St., beginning at 8 a.m. Eligible community members must reside in Denton County, pre-register by calling 940-349-2585, and have not previously tested positive for COVID-19.

To minimize spread of COVID-19, DCPH urges all community members to:

• Maintain at least six feet of physical distance in public settings and when around individuals outside of the household
• Wear masks or face coverings, which should cover both the nose and mouth, in public settings and when around individuals outside of the household
• Wash and/or sanitize hands frequently
• Stay home if you are symptomatic, have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19, or have pending COVID-19 lab results

For additional COVID-19 data including active case information by municipality, hospital capacity, and ventilator utilization, visit dentoncounty.gov/COVIDstats. For information regarding DCPH’s upcoming testing centers, visit dentoncounty.gov/COVID19testing. For additional COVID-19 health and safety recommendations, visit dentoncounty.gov/COVID19.