San Juan Diego Catholic Church in northwest Dallas will serve as a walk-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The clinic is part of an ongoing effort to reach North Texas Latinos where many may feel safe and at a time that is more convenient for workers.
“They’re concerned about not being able to use an arm. They’re concerned about not being able to go to work,” said Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia of the reasons some Hispanics have not yet been vaccinated.
According to Texas Health and Human Services data, 46% of Texans who have died of COVID-19 are Hispanic.
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Officials are hopeful because the number of vaccinated Hispanics is increasing.
Dallas County reports 43% of people vaccinated are Latino.
Meanwhile, Tarrant County reports only 13% of Latinos have been vaccinated. However, 42% of people did not report their ethnicity at the county’s vaccination sites.
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“We’ve got plenty of vaccines available,” said Lt. Richard Fegan of the Arlington Fire Department.
There were no lines Tuesday morning at the Arlington Fire Department’s walk-up vaccination clinic along South Cooper Street.
The department has been promoting its vaccination clinic on social media, issuing an invitation in Spanish to bridge possible language barriers.
“We can give people who are exclusively Spanish speakers information to see that there’s vaccines available here in Arlington. We encourage they come out and get it,” he said.
Garcia feels hopeful the drop in COVID-deaths and hospitalizations will persuade those misinformed about the safety of the vaccine.
“People have different motives for waiting but I also see the travel industry is coming alive again and people want to travel,” she said. “It’s a sense of: Let’s get back to normal.”
The vaccination clinic at San Juan Diego Catholic Church located at 10919 Royal Haven Lane in Dallas will continue on Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The vaccination clinic at the Arlington Fire Department located at 2920 South Cooper Street in Arlington will continue Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
