Nearly 2.5 million Texans have received at least one dose of the vaccine in the first nine weeks of the rollout.
From long lines at regional hub sites to navigating websites and short supply, it can take a lot of effort just to secure an appointment.
"Fast Fingers Game"
Armed with a laptop, iPad and cell phone, Mallory Young and fellow church members at First United Methodist Church The Colony spend their nights online trying to secure appointments for those who can not.
"Saturday evening we got two ladies in their 90s vaccines," said Mallory Young
of Frisco.
Last week they helped 31 people find vaccines.
"It's a fast fingers game. You get on the website and [hit] refresh, refresh,
refresh. It's a game that elderly people can't play," Young said.
Young said she hoped others would offer their tech-savvy skills to help elderly neighbors navigate the confusing appointment process.
Because of the need, First United Methodist Church The Colony will hold an outdoor registration drive on Feb, 21 from 1-3 p.m. to help people get registered.
"Worth the Drive"
Jane Cull and her husband received their first dose of the vaccine on Dec. 30.
But when it came time for their second dose, the provider had none.
So after calling dozens of places in North Texas and striking out, she and her husband drove 275 miles from Mansfield to Big Spring to get the vaccine.
"Really for people who’ve been shut in for a year, the idea that we could get a second dose and be able to get on our way to having antibodies and access to our grandchildren again was such a motivator that the eight-hour drive meant absolutely nothing," Cull said.
She said she knows most are not capable of making that kind of drive and has been trying to help others locate vaccines through a local Facebook page.
Every Vaccine "a Victory"
At MidCities Pharmacy in Hurst, pharmacist Aemad Aslam said he often finds himself online answering people's questions in multiple COVID-19 vaccine Facebook groups.
He's been helping people find the shot elsewhere while he waits on more supply.
"We received 100 doses and my waitlist is 15 to 16 thousand," Aslam said.
It's an overwhelming need that can lead to emotional moments like when he vaccinated a 96-year-old World War II veteran.
"You're making a difference in other people's lives," Aslam said.
And it's why he said every shot deserves to be celebrated.
"Every single person we administered the vaccine to was a victory," Aslam said.
