Houston plans to offer its own vaccine dose schedule soon

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

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

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

Stephen Williams, director of the Department of Health, said a link will be announced soon that will allow people to schedule their second dose themselves.

Announcements

Dr. David Persse, the city’s chief physician, reminded people that the recommended 28 days are not a hard and fast rule. However, he said the second dose is needed to get the full benefits of the vaccine.

“The purpose of the second dose is to get your system’s immunity and in fact develop the B cells and T memory cells that will give you long-term immunity,” Persse said.

Turner said the city plans more community-based vaccine clinics in order to ensure an equitable distribution of shots.

A partnership with Hope Clinic in Alief caused 500 people to receive the first dose over the weekend, Turner said. He said another clinic is soon planned somewhere in the northeastern part of Houston, but details are still being finalized.

“It’s closer to getting people there,” Turner said. “We have to acknowledge that there are a lot of people with transportation issues.”

Announcements

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

“They’re good for seeing a lot of people and we have to keep those places up to date because if we don’t really vaccinate a lot of people, we’ll lose access to the vaccine,” Williams said. “At the same time, we need to make sure that certain communities are not blocked from this system.”

Persse said both the hospitalization rate and the positivity rate have been declining and there may even be some slight decreases. He said people should keep an alert and follow all coronavirus guidelines urged by health officials: wash their hands, wear a mask, keep their distance from others and get tested.

Below is a replay of Turner’s press conference: