Mayor Sylvester Turner visited the site as the vaccines were administered by the Houston Department of Health.
The Houston Department of Health tweeted to remind us that appointments for Monday were full.
Since the mega site doesn’t work, one thing that helps it run smoothly is the large police presence that directs people to where they should park and where to go from there.
“It’s a major operation. There are problems from time to time, but I assure you the vaccines are not sitting on the shelves,” Mayor Turner said.
Despite efforts to vaccinate people, he said the positivity rate of COVID-19 is still much higher than anyone would want.
“I still have disturbing images of people spending time in clubs that have been recategorized as restaurants,” he said. “And let me tell you they’re not restaurants.”
Turner said he will call TABC to crack down on reclassifications. He said he has been in communication with Houston Fire Department Chief Sam Pena. He and his department are expected to review some of these restaurants Saturday night.
“When you look at these pictures, there’s no food on the table,” Turner said. “This is crazy. I call on the state to review its policies.”
He said looping holes like these make it very difficult for the city to get rid of the virus.
“TABC continues to conduct more than 1,000 inspections each week, which includes responding to reports of possible violations,” TABC later said in a statement. “We are aware of the videos that have appeared this weekend and we have already opened our own investigation.”
Downtown Minute Maid Park is one of three mega-sites operating in the Houston area.
SEE: Minute Maid Park draws crowds waiting for COVID-19 vaccine
Memorial Herman plans to administer 13,000 vaccines Thursday through Sunday at NRG, which is estimated at about 3,200 a day. The additional 2,000 slots the hospital added to the NRG clinic this weekend are already full.
The seats were added to the Jan. 16 and 17 schedule, according to a hospital statement. About an hour later, the hospital announced that they had all been taken.
Houston Methodist Hospital will give 4,000 shots. During this event, Hermann Memorial plans to vaccinate people over the age of 65, which is based on the state’s Phase 1B vaccine distribution guidelines.
Many of the surrounding county health departments, including Fort Bend, Montgomery, Waller, Brazoria and Galveston counties, did not receive additional doses this past week.
Many of these leaders have expressed their frustration and want to be able to do for their residents what Houston does today.
The state health department said they plan to receive at least 100,000 more doses this week than last, which they said will allow them to reach more counties.
SEE: Houston city leaders describe plan to expand vaccine availability
You can also check with your primary care provider and local pharmacy or with the U.S. Department of Health Services COVID-19 vaccine availability map.
READ MORE: Track the availability and progress of the COVID-19 vaccine throughout Houston
The video above is from a previous story.
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