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

HOUSTON – People who should receive their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine can schedule that appointment themselves soon.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Monday that the city’s health department has received nearly 42,000 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, nearly 34,000 of which have been administered. He said about 18,600 second doses have been received, of which 2,300 have been administered. He said nearly 12,000 people have appointments to get their second dose this week.

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

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

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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 is needed to get the full benefits of the vaccine.

“The goal of the second dose is to bring home the immunity within your system and, in effect, to develop those B cells and the T memory cells that will give you long-lasting immunity,” Persse said.

Turner said the city is planning more local vaccination clinics to ensure a fair distribution of shots.

A partnership with Hope Clinic in Alief resulted in 500 people getting their first dose over the weekend, Turner said. He said another clinic is planned somewhere in northeast Houston soon, but details are still being finalized.

“It’s just closer for people to get to it,” Turner said. “We have to recognize that there are many people who are involved with transportation.”

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

“They’re good to see large numbers of people, and we have to maintain those sites because if we don’t really vaccinate large numbers of people, we lose access to vaccine,” Williams said. “At the same time, we must ensure that certain communities are not excluded from that system.”

Persse said both hospital admissions and positivity rates have leveled off, and there may be even a few small declines. He said people still need to stay on their guard and follow all coronavirus guidelines urged by health officials: wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your distance from others, and get tested.

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