Harris County COVID-19 Vaccinations: Federal Vaccine Mega Site Expected To Open At NRG Park, Serving 6,000 Per Day

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – If you’re one of the 300,000 people signed up and waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine in Harris County, your chances of getting the shot have improved dramatically.

On Monday afternoon, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, FEMA Regional Director Tony Robinson and other local officials released details of the COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic, managed by the state and supported by the federal government.

WATCH: Preview of NRG Park COVID-19 vaccine mega site before soft opening

Since its announcement a few weeks ago, workers have built the temporary mass vaccination center. This will be a drive-thru facility in the Yellow Park at NRG Park.

“People deserve good news, a little bit of hope,” Hidalgo said. “This site marks the biggest effort yet to get our community vaccinated.”

A limited number of doses are expected to be delivered as part of a soft launch on Tuesday, with the site expected to be fully live by Wednesday. The plan is to serve 6,000 people a day, seven days a week. It will then switch to second doses in three weeks.

According to the organizers, at a minimum, the federal site should vaccinate 126,000 people. This is in addition to county, city, hospital and drugstore vaccinations that continue to be ongoing.

According to Hidalgo, they will vaccinate those living in postal codes hit hard by the virus.

“All of us at the national, federal and local levels agree that this site needs to focus on the people who have been left behind so far, who have been hit hardest by COVID-19 Hidalgo mentioned. “We did this by finding the zip codes with the highest incidence of the virus, the highest social vulnerability and the highest social vulnerability index.”

Postal codes are: 77022, 77029, 77032, 77078, 77087, 77093, 77502, 77504, 77506, 77587, 77011, 77012, 77015, 77016, 77020, 77026, 77028, 77033, 77037, 77038, 77039, 77048 77086, 77091, 77503, 77060, 77080, 77099, 77013, 77014, 77036, 77050, 77051, 77076, 77090.

Hidalgo added that people on the waiting list who are from the top 10 city and county zip codes will be given top priority for vaccines on the site.

“Then we will prioritize the following people among the other 25 most affected zip codes before we get off the larger waiting list,” Hidalgo said.

FEMA uses the Harris County and City of Houston waiting lists. People are contacted for appointments.

To join the City of Houston waitlist, visit their website at houstonemergency.org/covid-19-vaccines or call 832-927-8787.

The Harris County waiting list can be reached at vacstrac.hctx.net.

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