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The city will move away from mega COVID-19 vaccination sites for smaller, more efficient clinics until supply from federal and state governments increases dramatically, Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Monday as local leaders adjust their strategies to get vaccines to residents’ arms as quickly as possible. possible.
Turner visited a new drive-thru site the city set up at Delmar Stadium with United Memorial Medical Center on Monday, where health workers will aim to vaccinate 1,000 people a day. The city was able to immunize some 6,100 people when a mega clinic was last held at Minute Maid Park on January 16, but the operation resulted in long wait times and other logistical hurdles.
The Delmar site allows for shorter wait times and is “a simpler way to do it” when the city only receives about 9,000 doses per week, Turner said.
“Until the supply grows exponentially, we have decided to opt out for now,” Turner said of mega sites. “It was creating more inconvenience to put up this bigger site and get a lot of people through, and then you have these permanent wait times and everything. It’s just a better way to go. “
Meanwhile, Harris County said it will launch a new vaccine waiting list on Tuesday, instead of handing out appointments on a first-come, first-served basis. The change aims to make registration easier and fairer for residents who are not used to reacting quickly on computer or mobile phone when health agencies announce the availability of a limited number of new appointments. vaccination.
Elderly residents will become a priority, and the county system will randomly choose recipients for appointments, health officials said. The county will then only reach those selected people when new appointments become available, avoiding a rush for time slots.
“Let me say it frankly: getting the COVID-19 vaccine shouldn’t be like the ‘Hunger Games’,” County Judge Lina Hidalgo said. “It shouldn’t be about who can turn on refresh the fastest in a browser.”
Registration for the county waiting list will be available Tuesday at readyharris.org; residents can also call (832) 927-8787 to register. Operators will be available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Houston is not adopting a similar enrollment program, although executives have said seniors are also eligible for a waitlist for appointments in the city. Turner said no strategy would be able to offset the limited supply of vaccines.
“The other side of the coin: you could set up a wait list, and you could have 100,000 people on your wait list,” Turner said. “The question people will ask themselves is, ‘When are we going to get it? Let’s say their time might be February or March, but people don’t want to wait that long. It just varies.
How do I register for a COVID-19 vaccine?
Houston: No appointment is currently available. To receive email or text notifications when new appointments are available, sign up for the HoustonRecovers options at houstonemergency.org/alerts. Seniors can also call 832-393-4301 to get on a waiting list.
Harris County: Starting Tuesday, register at readyharris.org or call (832) 927-8787 to get on the waiting list.
The city and county have said they will not turn away non-residents.
No appointments are currently available for clinics in the city. The Department of Health has opened new appointment slots often on Friday afternoons, and they are claimed within minutes. Residents can receive SMS and email notifications of new appointments by registering for the “HoustonRecovers” option at houstonemergency.org/alerts.
Seniors can also call the Harris County Area Agency on Aging at 832-393-4301 to get on the city’s waiting list. When the city opens new appointments, it will reserve a number of locations for these people.
The city and county have said they will not turn away non-residents.
Nominations have been difficult to secure for most, indicating that vaccine supply is paltry compared to overwhelming demand.
City and county clinics represent only a small part of the region’s immunization campaign, with hospitals, pharmacies and medical providers playing a larger role.
Houston gave about 31,000 hits and Harris County 27,000. This represents about 14% of the 408,671 doses administered in Harris County, according to a Chronicle analysis of data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Texas remains in phase 1B of its vaccine distribution plan. This means eligible residents are limited to frontline workers, people 65 years of age and older, and those with certain high-risk medical conditions.
They understand cancer; chronic kidney disease; COPD; heart disease such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies; solid organ transplantation; obesity; pregnancy; sickle cell anemia; and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
As of Monday, the Houston area recorded 452,585 cases of COVID-19 and 5,577 deaths. The city reported its highest number of cases ever in one day on Monday, 3,039, although Turner said this was mainly due to fixes to the system.
Much of Texas still experiences high hospitalization rates; In 21 of the state’s 22 trauma service areas, COVID-19-related hospitalizations represent more than 15 percent of total hospital capacity, the threshold that means “high hospitalizations.” Houston’s service area on Monday exceeded the 15% threshold for the 26th consecutive day.
The statewide positive test rate for COVID-19 infections was 14.75%, up from 16.57% on Friday.
Stephanie Lamm contributed to this report.
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