Houston to start reaching communities where it may be more difficult to get COVID-19 vaccine

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – As efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine continue, the mayor of Houston and health officials are reminding people to continue to practice prevention protocols to slow the spread of the virus.

On Monday, Mayor Sylvester Turner, along with medical health experts, held a media briefing to take stock of the city’s response to the virus and the vaccine rollout.

According to Turner, the city’s health department has received 41,950 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and has so far administered 33,839 first doses. As for the second doses, the Houston Department of Health has received 18,600 doses and administered 2,300. He added that the Department of Health had 971 appointments scheduled this week for people to receive their. second dose of vaccine.

The briefing comes days after a partnership with the HOPE clinic in Houston helped immunize high-risk, low-income residents. Over the weekend, the clinic planned to deliver 500 doses of the vaccine on Saturday, according to Turner. By noon, 250 of these doses had been distributed.

SEE ALSO: HOPE Clinic in Houston vaccinates those who need it most

Thousands of doses have been administered across town, despite some booking issues recently. Hundreds of people were sent home disappointed earlier this month after the Houston Department of Health announced that there were no more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on the Minute Maid mega public site Park.

During Monday’s briefing, Turner said his strategy will be to continue moving forward with a focus on delivering vaccines to high-risk, low-income communities.

As demand continues to outstrip supply, Houston Department of Health Director Stephen L. Williams said he expects things to improve as more doses of the vaccine. are on their way.

“This week, our health department is distributing over 9.00 first doses to the most vulnerable. We are prioritizing around 5,300 doses for our regional agency on aging, 2,400 for providers in vulnerable communities and 1,300 for those in need. pre-scheduled appointments, “he told me.

SEE ALSO: Action 13: Link your questions about the COVID-19 vaccine to the answers

Williams added that the health department would suspend additions to its waiting list until further notice. The reason behind this is that they are working on setting up a link for people to start scheduling their own dates for the second doses, which could be announced as early as Tuesday.

As more and more people get vaccinated, Turner reminded the public to help stop the virus from spreading.

“The focus on the vaccine doesn’t mean we can stop focusing on prevention and testing,” Turner said. “I want to remind people that the virus is still present in our community.”

Turner announced Monday that the Houston Department of Health had reported 1,089 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases for the city of Houston to 158,751.

According to Dr David Persse of the City of Houston Department of Health, data from Texas Medical Center showed hospitalizations have leveled off and declined slightly. He believes the city may be at the start of the second wave downturn, but he also urged people not to let their guard down.

“Now is not the time to take our foot on the brakes, we need to continue to have our masks socially distanced, wash our hands and get tested frequently,” Persse said.

Persse is also encouraging people who have received their dose of COVID-19 vaccine to continue to be tested for the virus, as studies have not shown whether those vaccinated are still sick.

“The reason is because we know that the studies that have been done on the effectiveness of the vaccine look for people who had clinical illness that they saw their doctor and ended up being diagnosed with COVID-19 because that they were symptomatic and sick “. Persse said. “The studies did not look to see if people who had been vaccinated still contracted the virus, and therefore were able to spread it but had no symptoms. So we don’t know yet. These studies are underway as we speak. You should continue and continue to get tested periodically, even if you do not have symptoms. “

The latest mask mandate, in which the CDC said travelers must wear masks on all modes of public transport, was also discussed at Monday’s conference. According to Turner, violators could face civil penalties if they refuse to follow the warrant.

SEE ALSO: CDC says travelers must wear masks on all forms of public transport to slow the spread of COVID-19

“The mandate is enforced by the Houston airport system. Everyone at our airports over the age of two must wear a face mask that covers your nose and mouth,” said Turner. “The federal mandate is needed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Anyone who refuses to comply with this federal mandate can face civil penalties, including being immediately escorted out of the airport.”