Houston plans to offer auto-scheduling for second vaccine doses soon

HOUSTON – People who are supposed to receive their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine will soon be able to make this appointment themselves.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Monday that the city’s health department received nearly 42,000 initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, of which nearly 34,000 had been administered. He said about 18,600 second doses were received and 2,300 of them were administered. He said nearly 12,000 people were scheduled to receive their second dose this week.

Turner said the Houston Department of Health is currently contacting people directly to schedule their second dose. He said people should give the health department at least 48 hours before their second dose is due before calling the city’s call center to inquire about an appointment.

Stephen Williams, director of the health department, said a link will be announced soon that will allow people to schedule their second dose on their own.

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Dr David Persse, the city’s chief medical officer, reminded people that the recommended 28 days is not a hard and fast rule. However, he said the second dose was needed to get the full benefit from the vaccine.

“This is the goal of the second dose to bring home the immunity within your system and, in fact, to build up those B cells and memory T cells that will give you long term immunity,” said Persse.

Turner said the city is planning more community vaccination clinics to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines.

A partnership with Hope Clinic in Alief allowed 500 people to receive their first dose over the weekend, Turner said. He said another clinic was planned somewhere in the northeast Houston area, but details are still being finalized.

“It’s just closer for people to get there,” Turner said. “We have to recognize that many people face transportation problems.”

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Williams said that while small-scale efforts are important for equity in distribution, mass vaccination clinics are still vital to the overall distribution strategy.

“They are good for seeing a lot of people, and we have to maintain these sites because if we don’t really vaccinate a lot of people, we will lose access to the vaccine,” Williams said. “At the same time, we have to make sure that certain communities are not excluded from this system.”

Persse said the hospitalization rate and positivity rate have stabilized, and there may even be small drops. He said people should always be on guard and follow all coronavirus guidelines recommended by health officials: wash their hands, wear a mask, stay away from others and get tested.

You can watch a replay of Turner’s press conference below: