From the moment 65-year-old Doyle Ross became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, he and his wife, Nancy made it their mission to register.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing that. We鈥檝e done that since January,鈥� he said.
They spent hours over many days on the phone and online trying to get Doyle an appointment. They filled out a registration form online, but it hasn鈥檛 been easy.
鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult trying to register. Also, they want all this information and then sometimes it won鈥檛 click over and goes to the next page and then it deletes everything it says and then it鈥檚 just confusing when you don鈥檛 really know how to operate your phone in the first place,鈥� said Nancy.
Three months later, the Rosses felt no closer to getting the vaccine.
Although all Texas adults became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in late March, simply being eligible doesn't mean getting an appointment is instantaneous.
There are many potential stumbling blocks. There鈥檚 a lack of information in languages other than English, in poorer neighborhoods, glitchy technology, and a disproportionate access to the internet and transportation.
For folks without a car, getting to and from an appointment isn鈥檛 that simple. For example, the Rosses don鈥檛 drive, so when they heard about an event in Southeast Dallas for people needing transportation, Doyle and his wife knew they had to go.
Event That Offers Transportation To Vaccine Site
One morning last month, outside the Prairie Creek Public Library, volunteers helped a long line of more than 100 mostly Black and brown Dallas residents register for the vaccine.
The event is a one-stop site. People stood in line, came up to a tent, registered and two charter buses were waiting for them to board. The event offered free bus rides to the Fair Park vaccination site.
鈥淥ne of the reasons that this event has this type of demand is because there are a lot of people who have registered with the county who are still waiting for an appointment and with our event, they can register with us. And then they are pretty much guaranteed to show up today, and then get the vaccine today, said Dallas City Council Member Jaime Resendez.
Resendez hosted the event in partnership with Dallas County and local nonprofits. This was in effort to help fill transportation gaps in his district. The event was open to people 50 and older who live in certain southeast Dallas neighborhoods.
Domitila Mendoza, 54, was in line. She found out about the event from a local news segment on Univision.
No, ya me hab铆a registrado. Nomas que no ten铆a como moverme 鈥� No no tengo carro y por eso me vine para ac谩 para que me lleven, Mendoza said in Spanish. 鈥淚 just didn't have a way to move ... No, I don't have a car and that's why I came here.鈥�
Mendoza had been registered for a while now, but couldn鈥檛 find someone to take her to her appointment. She doesn鈥檛 have a car. She walked two blocks to the library to make it to the event.
Next to Mendoza in line was Vilma Morales, 51, who got a ride from a friend to the event.
Morales is an essential worker who cleans offices. She said around this time last year she had lost all hope. Demand for her job went down early pandemic and her husband caught COVID-19 in April 2020.
El trabajito que ten铆amos all铆 nos baj贸 mucho el precio. De $500 bajo $380 鈥� la quincena, por dos semanas. Y eso es la renta, los biles, no es justo y hay que buscarle de otra manera, she said in Spanish. 鈥淭here 's little work. I went from making $500 to $380 bi-weekly. And that needs to pay rent and the bills.鈥�
Morales is relying on this vaccine to get her life back to normal.
North Texas City Leaders And Non-Profits Try Filling Transportation Gaps
In Dallas County, the vaccination site at Fair Park is drive-up only.
Chrisitan Grisales, spokesperson for Dallas County Health and Human Services, said staffers are working hard to come up with solutions for people who don't have access to vehicles.
鈥淭here are multiple options. We have a new program called 鈥楻ide to Vaccinate,鈥� providing a service for people to get picked up and taken to the vaccine location at Fair Park and driven back to their homes,鈥� said Grisales.
According to Grisales, the city of Dallas is hoping to launch mobile clinics soon.
In early April, Dallas鈥� 鈥孧ayor鈥� 鈥孍ric鈥� 鈥孞ohnson鈥� 鈥宎nd鈥� 鈥孶ber鈥� 鈥宼eamed 鈥寀p鈥� 鈥宼o鈥� 鈥宲rovide鈥� 鈥宖ree鈥� 鈥宺ides鈥� 鈥宼o鈥� a 鈥寁accination site at St.鈥� 鈥孡uke鈥� 鈥屸�淐ommunity鈥濃�� 鈥孶nited鈥� 鈥孧ethodist鈥� 鈥孋hurch. These are one-time opportunities, but the city is hoping to do more.
"We鈥� 鈥宎re鈥� 鈥宖inally鈥� 鈥宯earing鈥� 鈥宼he鈥� 鈥宔nd鈥� 鈥宱f鈥� 鈥宼he鈥� 鈥孋OVID-19鈥� 鈥宲andemic鈥� 鈥寃ith鈥� 鈥宼he鈥� 鈥宧elp鈥� 鈥宱f鈥� 鈥宼hese鈥� 鈥寁accines,"鈥� 鈥孧ayor鈥� 鈥孞ohnson鈥� 鈥宻aid in a statement.鈥�
鈥�"But鈥� 鈥宎s鈥� 鈥宼he鈥� 鈥宻upply鈥� 鈥宨ncreases,鈥� 鈥宨t鈥� 鈥宨s鈥� 鈥宮ore鈥� 鈥宑ritical鈥� 鈥宼han鈥� 鈥宔ver鈥� 鈥宼hat鈥� 鈥寃e鈥� 鈥寃ork鈥� 鈥宼o鈥� 鈥宱vercome鈥� 鈥宐arriers鈥� 鈥宼o鈥� 鈥寁accination鈥� 鈥宻o鈥� 鈥宼hat鈥� 鈥寃e鈥� 鈥宑an鈥� 鈥宨noculate鈥� 鈥宎s鈥� 鈥宮any鈥� 鈥孌allas鈥� 鈥宺esidents鈥� 鈥宎s鈥� 鈥宲ossible鈥� 鈥宎gainst鈥� 鈥宼his鈥� 鈥宼errible鈥� 鈥寁irus.鈥濃�� 鈥� 鈥�
The event was meant for those 鈥寃ho鈥� 鈥宧ave鈥� 鈥宒ifficulty鈥� 鈥宎ccessing鈥� 鈥宼ransportation.鈥� The鈥� 鈥宻ite鈥� was a 鈥寃alk-up鈥� 鈥宻ite鈥� 鈥寃here鈥� 鈥孶ber鈥� 鈥宒rivers鈥� 鈥宲icked 鈥寀p鈥� 鈥宎nd鈥� 鈥宒ropped 鈥宱ff鈥� 鈥宲eople鈥� 鈥宨nstead鈥� 鈥宱f鈥� 鈥寃aiting鈥� 鈥宨n鈥� 鈥宭ine.鈥�
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In Fort Worth, health officials have also launched a series of mobile clinic events to overcome transportation barriers.
In February, the non-profit partnered with Tarrant County Public Health to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to neighborhoods where the majority of residents don鈥檛 have transportation.
鈥淭he way we're rolling out this vaccination isn't the best way for this neighborhood,鈥� said Rankin. 鈥淲ith transportation being such a huge barrier, many people in this neighborhood can walk or are willing to drive a short distance to get their vaccination.鈥�
Rankin points out that a shorter commute to a vaccine site will always be easier on people who don't have access to a car. The nearest vaccine site to Fort Worth is in Arlington.
鈥淎 lot of our population who are hourly jobs don't have that luxury to just drop everything and go get the vaccination,鈥� said Rankin.
Back in Dallas, Doyle and Nancy Ross arrived at the Fair Park vaccination site. They got off the bus and walked slowly, guided by FEMA employees to sit in white chairs that were spread out, complying to social distance rules.
The process was so fast. One pinch and done. Shortly after rolling up his sleeve for his shot, Doyle says he felt a sense of relief.
鈥淕ot us on our knees more... praying harder. And hoping that everybody be safe. And we know close residents who've had it and made it through it,鈥� he said.
Since getting the vaccine themselves, the Rosses feel one step closer to safe. After months of waiting and worrying 鈥� that's a welcome dose of hope.
Got a tip? Alejandra Martinez is a corps member and writes about the impact of COVID-19 on underserved communities for 四虎影院. Email Alejandra at amartinez@kera.org. You can follow Alejandra on Twitter
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