Mayor Eric Johnson’s statement on long delays at the convention center

DALLAS — Mayor Eric Johnson on Sunday issued the following statement on the city’s vaccination efforts:

“I was frustrated by the long delays and confusion Saturday at our COVID-19 vaccination hub at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. It was a different operation than our first two days, which ran fairly smoothly. On Saturday, we had more than 2,700 doses left to give out in a single day, and we continued to have a link-sharing problem that led to people making unauthorized appointments.

“I am proud of our men and women of Dallas Fire-Rescue and the Dallas Office of Emergency Management who are working to get these life-saving vaccines to the people who need them most. The city is not a public health agency — that is why we contract with Dallas County — but we have gone above and beyond to help the state’s vaccine distribution efforts because we know this is critically important to our residents. We also knew we would have some challenges, especially as the very limited supply has created a massive pent-up demand that nobody is able to meet right now. But we are responsible and accountable for our issues, and we are working hard to solve them. I have heard from many of those affected yesterday, and to them I want to say we are sorry, and we will do better.”

The convention center operation is closed Sunday and Monday and will reopen Tuesday to begin distributing 4,875 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. More updates will be provided.