This good news even comes as it is confirmed that COVID-19 variants found in South Africa and the UK are found in the Greater Houston region.
The Houston Department of Health said the two cases of the UK variant were 50-year-old men. One of them traveled abroad in late December and through January, while travel information for the other case was not immediately disclosed. One of the men is in the hospital.
Meanwhile, Houstonians who have scoured the Internet for vaccine appointments received good news Monday.
Buzz Bellmont, 65, was able to register him and her husband on Sam’s Club’s pharmacy website after days of trying.
“I’ve been (looking) online like every day,” Bellmont said. “(Monday) was the first day I was able to get through and I had an appointment with my husband and I for Friday.”
Sam’s Club information was quickly posted by Laurie DesAutels, who created an open Vaccinate Houston Facebook page as a sort of information center for the various links out there for dating.
“A lot of members are like me, I have a mom, a grandmother and they want to sign them up,” said DesAutels, who has computer experience and focuses on the project as a kind of community. service. “I’ve enjoyed being a computer nerd for many years. So for me, I became Texas Strong and Houston Strong again, helping each other.”
In addition to Sam’s Club, other pharmacies in our region are expected to offer appointments starting this week. CVS, for example, is expected to begin open enrollment on Thursday through Friday based on vaccination appointments.
Those who currently qualify for a vaccine are also advised to check availability at Kroger, Walgreens, HEB, Walmart, and Randalls.
Enrollment in vaccines among qualified people is important because health officials say the UK variant is likely to spread to our community.
“We have to assume that the UK variant is spreading to our city,” a health department tweet tweeted, recalling that the variant doesn’t necessarily make people get sicker. “Vaccines appear to be effective against the UK variant, but it will be months before enough people are vaccinated to make a difference.”
Last month, Harris County, of which Houston is a part, identified its first case of the UK variant.
As for the South African variant, general information about the coronavirus in the city of Houston was visited by Fort Bend County Health Director Dr. Jacqueline Minter, who confirmed that a resident of his county was confirmed by the strain. The sick male of the variant has recovered.
And in a bit of a mishap in the city’s effort to vaccinate as many people as possible now, officials don’t expect to offer additional appointments for vaccines.
As for vaccines, there is still not enough supply to meet demand. He @HoustonHealth continues to prioritize the supply of vaccines to people most likely to die if they receive COVID-19 and underserved communities.
– Houston Mayor’s Office (@houmayor) February 8, 2021
Turner initially planned to use his briefing on coronavirus on Monday to ask local hospitals to share the state’s supply of vaccines with local health departments and the Harris health system, so that more minorities would have the opportunity to receive the vaccines. shots.
SEE: Houston identifies early COVID-19 cases with UK variant
He said right now, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians are not getting vaccinated at almost the same rate as white residents, and said he wants that to change, especially after noticing minority mortality rates.
The Houston City Department of Health said Hispanics accounted for 55 percent of COVID-19 deaths, compared to 21 percent of blacks, 18 percent of whites and 5.5 percent of Asians.
Nationwide, CDC data show that, compared to whites, Hispanics are 1.7 times more likely to get COVID-19, four times more likely to end up in hospital, and nearly three times more likely to get it. to die.
A University of Houston study found that one-third of Texans are likely to reject a COVID-19 vaccine and that reluctance is especially true among color communities.
SEE RELATED HISTORY: New issues show low-vaccinated black Hispanic communities
Turner said more than 88% of vaccines received by Harris Health currently go to people of color, so he will go to private hospitals to share his doses.
RELATED VIEW: How access combined with distrust affects Hispanic communities receiving the COVID-19 vaccine
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