Staffers mix duty with a shot of nostalgia as Fair Park vaccination megasite closes
Caroline Chidozie ended her last day on Fair Park’s COVID-19 vaccination megasite the same way she had for months – as the nurse in charge of administering some of the day’s final vaccines.
But on Saturday, as the sun went down and a small line of cars waited in line as the gates closed at around 4:25 p.m., the finality of the last shot of the day had greater significance – it marked the end of one of the greatest communities Vaccination efforts in the country.
“We fired the last shot,” she said in disbelief as she high-five a medical staff. “It’s history.”
The lines at Fair Park weren’t long on Saturday, marking the end of operations for the Dallas County’s mega-site in South Dallas.
On the right, a single vehicle drives towards the vaccination megasite in Fair Park on Saturday. It was a far cry from the scene on the left (captured by photographer Tom Fox). At its peak, the website was able to distribute 12,000 recordings a day.(Elias Valverde II / staff photographer)
As cars dribbled in all day, there was a sense of nostalgia among the workers, many of whom remembered a not too long time ago when the lines stretched for miles and people waited hours for a syringe.
In addition to delivering hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses, Megasite Fair Park was a flagship among the resources the county mobilized to fight the disease.
Yareli Celis from Dallas was the last person to be shot at the turnstile. The 14-year-old said she picked up on a spontaneous suggestion from her mother, who was sitting next to her in her white Honda Accord, when the teenager was making history.
“It feels great,” said the teenage girl shortly after receiving her first dose of Pfizer. “I’m afraid of being shot [but] it didn’t feel bad. “
Even on its last day, the Fair Park mega vaccination station kept health care workers busy administering vaccinations – although the pace was not comparable to the chaotic scenes at the beginning of the year.(Elias Valverde II / employee photographer)
But while some patients and medical staff praised the last day’s short lines as a sign of Dallas County’s success in vaccinating residents, others shared concerns about the more contagious varieties of the virus that health officials were wary of a new surge.
Monisha Kandala, 35, has been working at the vaccination center since April. She said it was a rewarding experience spreading awareness about the vaccine and educating people about its benefits, and not taking it lightly.
With many people still reluctant to get vaccinated, Kandala believes the mass vaccination site would still benefit the community.
“I think it would be good to keep it open to the public for a while because I think people who don’t want to get vaccinated might change their minds,” she said.
Joyce Sanford, a U.S. Army veteran and retired nurse, said she had returned to work in the healthcare sector to help others during the coronavirus pandemic.
She celebrated her 73rd birthday on Saturday with the other medical staff at the vaccination center, who organized a small party for her.
“I’m looking forward to my birthday, but I wish we could stay open a little longer and give more COVID vaccinations,” said Sanford.
Ashley Douglas, 28, said working at the vaccination site hasn’t always been easy, although traffic through the facility has slowed in recent months.
Christine Atayde, a nurse, and an unknown man help reduce the number of unvaccinated people by one.(Elias Valverde II / employee photographer)
However, one of the lasting memories she will keep are the friendships and networks she has built with other healthcare workers.
“I’m excited to see how it goes because I know there are still many people out there who need the vaccine,” said Douglas. “I know the vaccination site was a great way to give a large number of people the opportunity to get the vaccine.”
The patients shared similar bittersweet feelings as they did on their last day at the center.
Bret Wesolek, 62, received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine on site. He said he had been asked to leave because of growing concerns about the Delta variant, although his decision to come was not an easy one.
After the work is done on the mega-site, the registered nurse Caroline Chidozie (left) and the head of the vaccination center, Ty Ratcliff, hug each other goodbye.(Elias Valverde II / employee photographer)
He hadn’t planned on getting an injection even though he fell into the higher risk categories for COVID-19, he said. But friends and loved ones kept asking him to get it, and he was concerned about putting others in danger.
“I don’t want to be the problem,” said Wesolek. “I don’t want to be the guy who got it and passed it on to 10 other people.”
Christina Flores, 43, brought her 14-year-old son Andrew to get vaccinated. She said she lost her father to COVID-19, which made her family’s vaccination feel of urgency.
She said she works at Fair Park and has seen the megasite evolve from the first days of struggling with long lines and a broken reservation system.
Vaccination stickers with a masked Big Tex were unused on a table on the last day between equipment that had to be packed for removal from the megasite.(Elias Valverde II / employee photographer)
“It was kind of surreal to see all of the people coming here and the changes they were making to every line and advancement just to keep it going,” she said.
“I think it’s just progress,” she added. “Hopefully everyone just got the shot.”
And now, she said, her son doesn’t have to worry about going back to school this fall.
“It feels pretty good,” Andrew said with a smile next to her. “Now I can do anything.”
Packing medical supplies was a big priority for the day.(Elias Valverde II / employee photographer)
Pop-up clinic planned in Fair Park
While Saturday was the last day of operation for the site, which managed 18 vaccination lanes at once, Dallas County is planning smaller “pop-up” vaccination clinics in Fair Park.
Christian Grisales, a Dallas County spokesman, said local health officials are planning a pop-up clinic in Fair Park for the next two Saturdays. The clinic, which operates from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Lot 13, can deliver 500 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines each day of operation.
“Dallas County is redoubling its efforts to get the community vaccinated, so we’re not stopping, we’re moving on and making more efforts,” said Grisales.
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