Fort Worth

Hundreds Wait for Hours to Get COVID-19 Vaccine at Fort Worth Church

Community clinic run by MedStar vaccinates 757 people

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A community vaccination clinic run by MedStar ambulance service on Wednesday drew a crowd to a Fort Worth church where hundreds showed up and waited for hours to get a shot.

The line at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church stretched around the corner.

"I just want to go ahead and get the vaccination,” one man said.

MedStar had to turn some people at the back of the line away.

There just weren't enough shots for everyone.

"The attendance has just been phenomenal," said MedStar paramedic Michael Potts who helped organize the event.

Instead of mega-sites that serve thousands in a day, Medstar is going into the community weekly for smaller "pop-up" vaccination sites.

Some experts say people in neighborhoods of color are less likely to get the shot, even though they're at higher risk.

But if the lines at Mt. Olive on Evans Avenue are any indication, the demand is high.

"For this, I don't mind standing in a long line,” Curtis Waits said. “This is very important. It didn't matter how long it was, I was going to stand out here."

The church itself hasn't had in-person services for the last year.

The shots could get them together again.

"We look forward to opening our sanctuary again sometime in April with vaccinated members,” said Rev. Louis Stewart. "We've had a grand day. We got a lot done. The MedStar people have done a magnificent job."

By the end of the day, MedStar put 757 vaccines in arms.

The ambulance provider plans more weekly vaccination clinics but is reluctant to publicize them too much for fear of being overwhelmed.

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