Registration to receive the COVID-19 vaccine closed about five hours after opening on Wednesday when all available doses were allocated.
Hopefully, about 450 residents will receive the first of two shots Monday, according to Denton County public health spokeswoman Jennifer Rainey.
“Demand will obviously exceed the amount of supply available,” he said.
The group of people with Texas Phase 1B eligible for vaccination includes people over the age of 65 and people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have one or more chronic health conditions.
Rainey said most of the people registered on Wednesday were part of group 1B, but that doesn’t mean all people in 1A have been vaccinated. He said the state leadership told them not to prioritize one group over the other.
He said DCPH was aware that there were still health workers in the county who had not yet been vaccinated.
Rainey said the county health department had seven people answering the phone to accept records Wednesday with room for 30 more people to call while waiting.
“We have registered the vaccine we have available to everyone,” he said Thursday afternoon. “Right now, we’re not making a waiting list.”
Denton County Commissioners will need to consider allocating funds to purchase a vaccine management system during a Friday morning meeting.
The system is the product of a partnership between Microsoft and Mazik Global. It would cost $ 271,000 in the first year of operation and $ 186,000 each subsequent year, depending on the agenda item for county commissioners.
Rainey said county officials hope the system will allow county to place residents on a waiting list for the vaccine.
It would also allow them to notify people by text message and / or email when they can be vaccinated and would automatically remind them to schedule an appointment to receive the second dose of the vaccine.
The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. Friday. Those wishing to follow can do so online at dentoncounty.gov/remote or by calling 346-248-7799 or toll-free 1-888-475-4499 (for meeting ID, press 764 412 814 #).
Rainey said DCPH recommends people “also check with their primary care provider or local pharmacy to determine when they will start vaccinating their clients.”
Rainey arrived by phone Thursday, saying the county has no prior notice to the general public about vaccine dispersal schedules.
The Texas State Department of Health Services had been updating next week’s distribution schedules every Friday, but it was not immediately known on Thursday if and how New Year’s Day could affect that release.
MARSHALL REID can be reached at 940-566-6862 and via Twitter at @MarshallKReid.