Garland

Garland Planning to Open Drive-Thru Vaccine Hub

No opening date has been set as city leaders await vaccine supply from state

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The city of Garland received approval from the state of Texas to become a vaccine hub, though it's not clear when the vaccine clinic will open.

Garland City Council Member Deborah Morris said the city and Mayor Scott LeMay had been "relentless" in pursuing a state hub and learned their request was approved on Saturday.

Still, Morris said a vaccine hub may be weeks away as the city waits on the state to send them thousands of vaccines.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the city of Garland is set to receive 1,000 vaccines during the week of Jan. 18.

"We will announce it loudly everywhere the minute we have a go date," Morris said.

Preliminary plans include opening a drive-thru vaccine clinic at Homer B. Johnson Stadium on Centerville Road as soon as supply is available, Morris said.

"Our goal here in Garland once we are able to start operating as a hub will be to be as transparent and efficient and as fair as humanly possible," Morris said. "We are working hard to make this a good roll-out for our city."

Earlier this week, Morris sent an open letter to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and the president of Parkland Hospital, expressing disappointment about how vaccines had been distributed thus far in Dallas County.

Morris said on Sunday Garland's future hub would allow the city to better answer resident's questions about the vaccine process.

"This gives us a way to more directly walk the city through the coming months," she said. "We know our people and want to be able to answer their questions that we haven't been able to answer for other government entities."

The city is encouraging residents to sign up on the Garland vaccine waitlist and the waitlist of other providers. Anyone unable to complete the online form can call the city's COVID-19 hotline at 972-205-3900 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. seven days a week.

The city's waitlist initially allowed only Garland residents to register, but Morris said they will be working to revise that process to allow any Texan to register.

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