The number of new cases of COVID-19 is setting records in Dallas County as the pandemic rolls into its first anniversary, but local authorities still can t agree on one vital number: How many intensive-care unit beds are still empty?
Variances in the reporting of ICU bed counts from different sources are creating uncertainty regarding the severity of the situation in hospitals across the area. Mayor Eric Johnson in particular continues to tweet numbers for available ICU beds that are significantly higher than other sources.
“Does anyone there have an explanation for why @Johnson4Dallas s hospital stats say there are over 100 icu beds available, but @JudgeClayJ says it s like 20? This is very confusing and readers might like to know why,” Jeff Helfrich tweeted on Jan. 3.
“Someone’s father who qualified for the shot but had already gotten it at another hospital, put that link on social media and put it on a newsletter that went out to a neighborhood and people signed up through that live link,” said Jenkins. “We’ve had hundreds, maybe 1,000, who signed up on that link who did not get an invitation directly from the county.”
Initially the county allowed those who signed up through the forwarded links to receive a vaccine, while they sorted through the confusion.
On Wednesday, the county said people who schedule an appointment off the forwarded link and did not receive it directly from DCHHS, do not have valid appointments and will be turned away at the gate. An official also said the problem has been fixed and should no longer be an issue.
Dallas County is reporting another 1,867 new cases of COVID-19 Monday along with four deaths. Meanwhile, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says a large-scale.
‘It’s a blessing’: Dallas opens ‘mega’ COVID vaccination site to eager North Texans ready to see their families
Logistical hiccups left elderly North Texans standing in the cold at Fair Park in South Dallas during the early morning
Georgette McGarrad, 99, receives the COVID-19 vaccine at Fair Park on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, in Dallas. Dallas County launched its first “mega” public COVID-19 vaccination site Monday at Fair Park. McGarrad was a civil servant during World War II, working in Bletchley Park with code breakers. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
A World War II-era civil servant, a retired commercial airline pilot and a hotel housekeeping manager were among the first to receive a vaccine on Monday as Dallas County debuted its new “mega” site for COVID-19 shots.