All 1,000 new appointments at Minute Maid Park were fulfilled shortly after being added by the Houston Health Department for people meeting the Phase 1A or Phase 1B criteria.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said a new shipment of the Moderna vaccine arrived at the Houston Health Department earlier than this week. Because of the delivery, 3,600 vaccinations were administered on Saturday, three times as many as last Saturday at the clinic of the Bayou City Event Center.
“There is still a lot of hesitation about vaccines in our city,” said Turner. “I want to let people know that it’s important for them to take advantage of the vaccine. We’ve had a lot of conversations about this new variant out there, or variants, there could be more than one and so it really is. now it’s important that people get this vaccine, and that we get it out as soon as possible. “
WATCH: Houston city leaders outline a plan to increase vaccine availability
The department worked with the Astros Foundation to operate the monument as a COVID-19 vaccination site, but it is only accessible to people who have already scheduled their appointments.
“This could not happen without the efforts of volunteers,” said Twila Carter of the Astros Foundation. “It’s just great to be here at Minute Maid Park today to hear people’s buzz, you know. We’re ready to get baseball back into action here, and the only way we can do that is to give everyone the vaccines. ‘
The health department’s Bayou City Event Center clinic has closed due to an unrelated weekend event. Appointments originally scheduled for that facility are being fulfilled at Minute Maid Park.
READ MORE: Track the availability and progress of the COVID-19 vaccine in Houston
“The City of Houston is working around the clock to get the COVID-19 vaccine to the public based on available supply. Unfortunately, we have no control over the vaccine supply and have to schedule local vaccines based on vaccine release,” said Turner.
He took to Twitter on Friday to make it clear that the clinic in Minute Maid Park is not a “vaccine mega site.”
This weekend we work together with the @Astros Foundation to Operate Minute Maid Park as a #COVID-19 vaccination site on Saturday.
It will NOT be a mega site.
– Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) January 7, 2021
The health department will contact people in the queue with appointments to notify them of the new location and will provide instructions on what to do when you arrive. Appointments will be fulfilled until the end of January based on the department’s current vaccination allocation, and no additional appointments are being made, according to the city.
Appointments are based on the availability of vaccines, and current appointments are subject to change based on ward allocation.
As of Thursday, January 7, the health department received a total of 13,800 doses of vaccines and 8,169 doses were administered at sites including the Bayou City Event Center along with the Northside, La Nueva Casa de Amigos, Sharpstown and Sunnyside health centers.
The department has also transferred 1,900 doses to other providers. The health department will announce additional vaccination options at its health centers, multi-service centers, community locations and through mobile units as the offerings grow.
You can also contact your primary care provider and local pharmacy, or the Texas Department of State Health Services COVID-19 vaccine availability chart.
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