Texas county axes plan to prioritize vaccinating communities of color after state threat
BY EMMA PLATOFF AND JUAN PABLO GARNHAM, Texas Tribune
Jan. 21, 2021
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FILE PHOTO - Faced with the threat that the state might slash its vaccine allocation, Dallas officials on Wednesday reversed course on a plan that would have prioritized doses for people living in the county’s most vulnerable ZIP codes, primarily in communities of color.Billy Calzada /Staff photographer
Faced with the threat that the state might slash its vaccine allocation, Dallas officials on Wednesday reversed course on a plan that would have prioritized doses for people living in the county’s most vulnerable ZIP codes, primarily in communities of color.
Texas County Cuts Program Prioritizing COVID Vaccines for Minorities After State Intervention
On 1/21/21 at 2:40 PM EST
Officials in Dallas County, Texas, were forced to slash a vaccination effort meant to prioritize doses for people living in high-risk communities of color, after the state health department threatened to end the county s vaccine supply.
Earlier this week, the Dallas County Commissioners Court voted to prioritize vaccines at a distribution center in Fair Park, Dallas, for individuals in mostly Black and Latino neighborhoods, The Texas Tribune reported.
County leaders wanted to focus on vaccinating residents who meet the state s criteria and live in any of the county s 11 most vulnerable ZIP codes. Each of the proposed ZIP code areas are located completely or partially south of Interstate 30, a dividing mark that splits Dallas County along racial and socioeconomic lines, according to
Confused by the vaccine rollout? Good, then you’re right on track. On Tuesday morning the Dallas County Commissioners Court convened for their first meeting of the year and discussed vaccinations, where we are now, how we got here and the path forward.
As usual for the past nine months, the first batter up was Dr. Philip Huang, Dallas County’s director of health and human services. Early on, commissioners wagged their phones at him, asking questions about the distribution map, which raises more questions and serious concerns than answers or peace of mind.
But, before we dive into the map, in the first three weeks of the vaccine rollout, Huang reported, 85,500 doses have been administered locally, that s about 3% of Dallas County s population.