Houston Department of Health Opens First Drive-Through COVID-19 Vaccination Site

HOUSTON – Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Monday that the Houston Department of Health has opened its first drive-through COVID-19 vaccination site.

The permanent clinic, located at Delmar Stadium, is expected to provide 1,000 vaccines against the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine per day by appointment only.

Turner said the drive-through clinic will operate Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., thanks to the city’s partnership with the Houston United Memorial Medical Center.

“Our job is to vaccinate as many people as possible depending on the supply. I know there is a lot of anxiety in the community because people are worried they can’t have a date. We know the demand is greater than the supply of vaccines, ”Turner said.

Disabled people and seniors can make an appointment by phone. Turner said to call 832-393-4301 to be put on the waiting list for the COVID-19 vaccine. The ministry is not currently booking additional appointments at this time, but when the supply increases, they will open the appointment portal. To follow updates on the opening of the portal, click here.

“It is very important that you share the number with people in your network because we know that seniors and people with disabilities have a harder time accessing the dating portal,” Turner said.

The mayor said the clinic was limited by vaccine availability, but planned to meet its daily goal of 1,000 shots. On Monday, the Houston Department of Health said it had administered a total of 31,159 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I will work to vaccinate as many people as possible,” Turner said. “We are limited by the availability of vaccines, but we are doing everything we can to use the resources we have in an accessible and equitable way.

The Houston Department of Health reported its highest number of cases on Monday. HHD reports 3,039 positive COVID-10 cases, bringing the city’s total to 149,515 and 11 new COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the total to 1,719. Turner said the large number of cases is due to some corrections that the system has made in the last three days, which is why the number is so high. The city’s positivity rate is 17%.

Although Monday’s cases are high, Turner said the reproduction rate was low, which means the virus is not spreading as much. He also noted that the rate of hospitalization and the number of intensive care units are decreasing.

Chief medical officer Dr David Persse said the data shows some improvement, which is “very good and welcome.” Persse said the improvements are not due to the vaccine, but people are becoming more diligent in wearing a mask after the holidays. He also spoke about the confusion over getting the second dose of vaccine, saying it was always important to get the second dose and, depending on the vaccine you received, to get the second dose a few days before or after the day. recommended time of 21 or 28 days. span will still be effective.

“We understand the anxiety, but we will contact anyone we vaccinate about the second doses. Please call only if you have not heard from us within 48 hours of the due date. The volume of calls on second doses ahead of time creates long wait times in our call center, ”the Houston Department of Health tweeted on Monday.