Coronavirus Texas: Pharmacies in the Houston area begin to offer locations for COVID-19 vaccines

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – Houstonians actively seeking appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine were surprised to see some availability at local pharmacies.

This good news comes even as the COVID-19 variants found in South Africa and the UK are now confirmed in the Greater Houston area.

The Houston Department of Health said the two cases of the British variant were both men in their 50s. One of them traveled abroad in late December and into January, while travel information for the other case was not immediately disclosed. One of the men is in the hospital.

Meanwhile, Houstonians who scoured the internet for vaccine appointments received good news on Monday.

Buzz Bellmont, 65, was able to enroll himself and his husband on the Sam’s Club pharmacy website after days of trying.

“I have been (looking) online like everyday,” said Bellmont. “(Monday) was the first day I was able to spend and I had my husband and I meet for Friday.”

This information from the Sam’s Club was quickly posted by Laurie DesAutels, who set up an open Vaccinate Houston Facebook page as a kind of clearinghouse for the various links available for dating.

“A lot of the members are like me, who have a mother, a grandmother, and they want to sign them up,” said DesAutels, who has a background in computer science and is focused on the project as a kind of community service. “I have enjoyed being a computer nerd for many years. So for me, it’s back to being Texas Strong and Houston Strong, helping each other.”

Besides Sam’s Club, a number of other pharmacies in our region are expected to offer appointments starting this week. CVS, for example, is expected to begin open registrations on Thursday, with vaccination appointments starting on Friday.

Those currently eligible for a vaccine are also encouraged to check availability at Kroger, Walgreens, HEB, Walmart, and Randalls.

Vaccine enrollment among qualified people is important as health officials say the UK variant is likely spreading in our community.

“We have to assume that the UK variant is spreading in our city,” the health department tweeted, recalling that the variant doesn’t necessarily make people sicker. “The vaccines appear to be effective against the UK variant, but it will be months before enough people are vaccinated to make a difference.”

Last month, Harris County, of which Houston is a part, identified its first case of the British variant.

As for the South African variant, the regular City of Houston coronavirus briefing was visited by Fort Bend County Health Director Dr Jacqueline Minter, who confirmed that a resident of his county was confirmed for the strain. The male sickened by the variant recovered.

And amid a bit of misfortune in the city’s efforts to immunize as many people as possible now, authorities aren’t expected to offer additional vaccine appointments.

Turner had originally planned to use his coronavirus briefing on Monday to ask local hospitals to share their state vaccine supply with local health departments and the Harris Health System so that more minorities have a chance to get the vaccines.

WATCH: Houston identifies first cases of COVID-19 with UK variant

He said that currently African Americans, Hispanics and Asians are not vaccinated at about the same rate as white residents, and he said he wanted that to change, especially after noticing the death rates of minorities.

The Houston City Health Department said Hispanics were responsible for 55% of deaths from COVID-19, compared to 21% of blacks, 18% of whites and 5.5% of Asians.

Nationwide, CDC data shows that, compared to whites, Hispanics are 1.7 times more likely to contract COVID-19, four times more likely to end up in hospital, and almost three times more likely to die.

A University of Houston study found that a third of Texans are likely to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine, and that reluctance is especially true among communities of color.

SEE RELATED STORY: New Figures Show Black and Hispanic Communities Undervaccinated

Turner said more than 88% of the vaccines Harris Health receives are currently for people of color, so he goes to private hospitals to share their doses.

SEE RELATED: How Access Associated With Distrust Impacts Hispanic Communities Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine

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