Commissioner Dianne Edmondson
Thank you to the dozens of Robson Ranch residents who volunteered to help with the wildly successful COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). As a part of our Denton County Medical Reserve Corps, you all checked people in, directed traffic, helped with paperwork, observed recipients for possible side effects, helped serve coffee and lunches to the Denton County Public Health and county staff, and the hundreds of volunteers who were needed daily for the clinic to work at a myriad of tasks needed to make our TMS clinic the model for drive-through clinics worldwide!
As a result of these truly selfless efforts, our Denton County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) was selected as a 2021 MRC Program National Recognition Awardee! Thanks so much to each of you who helped to make TMS the model for drive-through clinic success.
And if you got your shot(s) at TMS, then you know the upbeat and friendly environment that was created every day since the TMS clinics first rolled out. On April 14, your DCPH clinic provided an amazing 14,947 vaccinations at Texas Motor Speedway! This was a record at this hub, and we believe it’s also the largest number given in one location anywhere in the country! We recently celebrated giving more than 340,000 vaccinations.
TMS Clinic Phasing Out; Homebound Shots Are Next
With more than 502,000 ultimately registered on the Vaccine Interest Portal, only about 304 people on our portal have not yet been contacted for first dose appointments at the time of article submission. So, if you have not yet registered, please visit www.Dentoncounty.gov. You likely will receive an appointment notification within just a few days!
In the meantime, we are moving into another phase of the vaccination efforts—the homebound residents. Denton County Emergency Services District No. 1 will be administering this portion of our vaccine plan, and those who indicate that they are homebound on the registration portal will be visited and vaccinated at their homes.
We also anticipate a series of “popup” smaller clinics throughout the county. We will publicize these so that everyone who wants a vaccine will get a shot.
Numbers Down as Vaccinations Increase
The COVID-19 numbers here in Denton County have continued to trend downward, according to Dr. Matt Richardson, Medical Director of the DCPHD. He points out that on Jan. 10, our hospitals peaked with 27% of their beds occupied by COVID victims. As I write this, we are down to only about 2.5%. And tragically, while deaths still occur, it is with less frequency. To see the trends both in cases and in hospitalizations, go to www.dentoncounty.gov/COVIDstats.
These successes however, do not mean that we can let up on our safety guidelines, including masking and practicing social distancing in large groups, getting the vaccine and lots of hand washing!
You may phone Precinct 4 Commissioner Dianne Edmondson at 972-434-3960. Her office is located in the Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Suite 900, in Flower Mound.