Mayor Johnson, state officials partner to offer COVID-19 vaccines at Mayor’s Back to School Fair

DALLAS — The Texas Military Department, in partnership with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, will offer COVID-19 vaccinations Friday at the 25th annual Mayor’s Back to School Fair.

The vaccines will be available during the drive-thru portion of the event at Fair Park between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. In addition, Walmart will offer vaccines at the walk-up portion of the Mayor’s Back to School Fair between 4 and 6 p.m.

“I am incredibly grateful for our latest partnership with the state as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mayor Eric Johnson said. “The highly contagious Delta variant is spreading rapidly, and vaccines remain the single best tool we have in our fight against this deadly virus. I hope the Mayor’s Back to School Fair will allow us to vaccinate hundreds of people and help us better protect parents, educators, and students during our upcoming school year.”

Mayor Johnson, as the city’s Emergency Management Director, has encouraged residents for months to get the vaccine. He recently organized the Mayor’s Vaccine Raffle in partnership with The Dallas Foundation to incentivize people to receive the vaccine.

Since January, the city has distributed tens of thousands of vaccines and supplemented the efforts of Dallas County, the city’s contracted public health authority, to vaccinate hundreds of thousands more people.

As of Monday, about 62% of the eligible population (age 12 and older) in Dallas County had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state. In Collin County, more than 70% of the eligible population had at least one dose.

“Thank you to Mayor Johnson and local leaders throughout the DFW Metroplex for their continued partnership as we work together to battle COVID-19,” said Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd. “I encourage anyone looking to be vaccinated to visit vaccines.gov to find a free vaccination location nearest them or to call the state’s mobile vaccine team hotline at 844-90-TEXAS to set up a vaccination event at the time and place of their choosing.”

The Mayor’s Back to School Fair will provide supplies for about 10,000 families this year — more than in any previous year of the event. The fair only provides supplies for families who meet federal poverty guidelines and either live in the city of Dallas or attend a Dallas ISD school.

Registration for the event closed Thursday after all slots were filled.

Students may also receive a COVID-19 vaccine if they are eligible. All three vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson — will be available during the drive-thru portion of the event.

This year’s fair — a collaborative effort between the City of Dallas, Dallas ISD, nonprofits, corporations, and community volunteers — was made possible by generous sponsors, including Walmart, Amazon, Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, the Dallas Mavericks, Oncor, SIIA Cosmetics, and TXU Energy.

More information on the fair is available at MayorsBackToSchoolFair.com.