Get your motors running: Texas Motor Speedway is hosting clinics to vaccinate 1,000 people per hour and 10,000 per day starting Tuesday at what will be the largest COVID-19 vaccine mega site in the state, if not the country, Denton County officials said.
TMS — which sports a 131-acre parking footprint — and Denton County officials have been in talks since late last week to host the three-day event, which will have 16 drive-through lanes to dispense to people with appointments around 32,000 Moderna and Pfizer vaccine doses the county is set to receive this week.
“This is the largest drive-through clinic we know of in the state and, possibly, the U.S.,” Denton County Judge Andy Eads said in a news release. “It is an ambitious undertaking but one the Denton County Commissioners Court feels good about with the help of more than 400 county staff, volunteers, fire and police personnel from our surrounding communities, CoServ and Texas Motor Speedway.”
The clinics will be open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 7:30 a.m. As of Sunday, 160,233 people were on the Denton County Vaccine Interest Portal waitlist for an appointment. Anyone who is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine under phases 1A or 1B of the rollout can register.
Dawn Cobb, director of community relations for Denton County, said officials decided to skip Wednesday to have enough time to make course corrections after the first day.
“We wanted to try the first day and try to make modifications and improve the process, since we are ramping up so quickly,” she said. “We just want to streamline the delivery process and make it as smooth as possible.”
The 400 people expected to staff the event include medical personnel from Denton County Public Health, the county’s Medical Reserve Corps and area fire departments.
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“The ability to vaccinate 10,000 individuals in one day is a monumental task,” Dr. Matt Richardson, director of Denton County Public Health, said in the news release. “We are thankful for the support from Texas Motor Speedway, various cities generously providing additional staffing, and staff from multiple Denton County departments working in unison to provide mass vaccination to our community.”
The county’s undertaking comes as other efforts to vaccinate North Texans sputter. Dallas County’s Fair Park vaccination center in South Dallas was closed Friday and Saturday, a spokesman said, after it distributed 9,000 doses over four days and ran out of appointments.
As of Sunday, the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas had distributed nearly 1,200 of the 5,000 doses it was initially allocated when it opened Thursday and is continuing vaccinations by appointment only, said Catherine Cuellar, a city spokeswoman.
The Garland Health Department distributed 1,000 doses at a drive-through event last week and had to call people on its waitlist when there were no shows.
Cobb said Denton County expects to find out Wednesday or Thursday how many doses it will receive from the state next week to determine whether it can host more clinics at TMS.
David Hart, vice president of communications for the speedway, said the venue can do so as more vaccines become available.
Denton County is seeking volunteers for future clinics through the Medical Reserve Corps. Each will receive a one-hour online training course and undergo a background check.
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Officials stressed that only individuals with appointments and the proper identification will be allowed onsite for the clinics at 2401 Petty Place this week. They should arrive within their time slot and wear masks, remaining in their vehicles while proceeding through a series of tents. Staff will verify their pre-registration, and health care providers will need to bring proof of employment, according to the news release.
Then, the medical staff will complete a pre-screening and administer the vaccine if the individuals do not have any contraindications. After being vaccinated, people will park and remain onsite for observation before being provided with proof of vaccination and information about their second shot.
“Texas Motor Speedway is honored to be working again with Judge Eads and his staff to provide Denton County residents with a safe, efficient and convenient location for these vital COVID-19 vaccinations,” Eddie Gossage, TMS president and general manager, said in a news release. “The goal for the incredible scale of these clinics is to get as many North Texans vaccinated as quickly as possible which, in turn, will eventually allow everyone to safely open back up as soon as possible.”
Staff writer Catherine Marfin contributed to this report.
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