Commissioner Dianne Edmondson
Many of us here at Robson are asking about the next phase of COVID-19: Will there be boosters available? Will younger people—such as younger school children—also be able to get vaccinated? When will we know the answers to these questions? And does the county have a plan to deal with these pandemic issues?
Let’s take a look at these questions. First, we know that anyone who is immune-compromised is eligible now for a Pfizer or Moderna booster. And we still are administering Pfizer first and second shots as well. Use our Denton County Health Department (DCHD) portal at bit.ly/3zHW23Q to sign up now for any of these services. You can choose your own date and time as we continue to hold clinics throughout the county each week. The DCHD is also offering free COVID-19 testing; use the blue tests button on their website to schedule.
Meanwhile, we are all waiting to see what the FDA and the CDC will be recommending for boosters—that’s the first and very necessary step. And after that happens, we still have to wait for the next step—approval at the state level, which will then trickle down to the Denton County Health Department. Once the state has accepted the federal recommendations and given direction to the counties, our Denton County Health Department will map out strategies for administering shots to anyone then-eligible who wishes to be vaccinated, which will take about a week.
The decision will come at any time regarding booster shots for vaccinated adults and could affect up to 100,000 in our county. We have plenty of Pfizer vaccines to begin administering once the federal and state departments have rendered their decisions.
When our process begins, Denton County Public Health (DCPH) will send COVID-19 booster dose self-scheduling links to DCPH-vaccinated individuals eligible for a booster dose. Self-scheduled appointments will be available for eligible individuals, six months or more from their second dose of Pfizer vaccines provided by DCPH. Additional appointment times and locations will be added in the following weeks, coinciding with upcoming booster eligibility dates.
Individuals who were vaccinated by DCPH should not rejoin DCPH’s Vaccine Interest Portal Waitlist; this may cause delays in receiving self-scheduling messages for booster doses. Individuals can receive booster doses from primary care providers, pediatricians, and/or pharmacies, as vaccines are currently available at multiple providers and pharmacies throughout Denton County. Eligible individuals who received first and second doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from providers other than DCPH are eligible to receive a booster dose either at their previous provider or join DCPH’s Vaccine Interest Portal waitlist. You can find out more specifics about our COVID-19 vaccine program on the DCPH vaccine website bit.ly/3lWi4er.
Yes, Denton County is COVID-surging. The virus is striking all age groups in Denton County, primarily the unvaccinated, as you can see in the DCPH statistical information at bit.ly/3CFIWpK.
In light of the ongoing surge, we urge each of you to follow the CDC guidelines and remember that this is not a political issue: The invisible enemy is non-partisan.
Contact Commissioner Dianne Edmondson at 972-434-3960 or [email protected]. You can also stop by her office in the Southwest Courthouse at 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Suite 900, in Flower Mound.