Texas – Residents of the Lone Star State will soon have three more sites to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in larger numbers — with major vaccination centers coming to Dallas, Arlington and Houston.
And football played a hand in deciding where these centers are going to go.
Through a partnership with FEMA, the state of Texas will build Community Vaccination Centers at Dallas’ Fair Park near the Cotton Bowl, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and NRG Stadium in Houston. These three centers together will be able to administer 10,000 shots per day, the White House says.
Several criteria went into where the sites will be located, including:
- Communities that have been hard-hit by the coronavirus
- Accessibility for vulnerable populations — minority status, socioeconomic status and housing type were taking into account
- Football — The White House says these three sites are central gathering points where football is “much more than a sport — it’s a part of the culture”
In a statement on Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the sites are expected to open to eligible residents starting Feb. 24, with registration details expected in the next few days.
“These mass community sites will allow us to expand access to COVID-19 vaccinations in underserved communities and help us mitigate the spread of the virus,” said Abbott. “Thank you to our partners at FEMA for working with the State of Texas to establish these vaccination sites and help us protect our most vulnerable.”
Currently, there are 39,857 confirmed cases in Harris County, 27,384 in Dallas County, and 37,909 in Tarrant County, where Arlington is located. There are currently 322,999 active COVID-19 cases in Texas.
Several other large sporting venues around the country have become mass vaccination sites. Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles is vaccinating thousands of people a week. Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth is expected to have 22,000 vaccines available for distribution this week, according to NBCDFW.
