This good news comes even when the COVID-19 variants found in South Africa and the United Kingdom are now confirmed to be in the Greater Houston region.
The Houston Department of Health said the two cases of the UK variant were men in their fifties. One traveled abroad in late December and January, while the travel information for the other case was not immediately released. One of the men is in the hospital.
Meanwhile, Houstonians who searched the Internet for vaccines received good news on Monday.
Buzz Bellmont, 65, managed to sign up with her husband on the Sam’s Club pharmacy website after days of trying.
“I’ve been (looking) online every day,” said Bellmont. “(Monday) was the first day that I managed to spend and booked with my husband and me for Friday.”
Sam’s Club information was quickly posted by Laurie DesAutels, who created an open Vaccinate Houston page on Facebook as a sort of clearinghouse for the various links that are available to get appointments.
“Many members are like me, who have a mother, grandmother and want to enroll them,” said DesAutels, who has experience working with computers and is focusing on the project as a kind of community service. “I’ve been enjoying being a computer geek for many years. So, for me, it’s back to being Texas Strong and Houston Strong, helping each other.”
In addition to Sam’s Club, several other pharmacies in our region are expected to offer consultations starting this week. CVS, for example, is expected to start registration open on Thursday, with vaccination appointments starting on Friday.
Those who qualify to receive a vaccine today are also encouraged to check availability at Kroger, Walgreens, HEB, Walmart and Randalls.
Vaccine enrollment among qualified individuals is important because health officials say the UK variant is likely to be spreading in our community.
“We must assume that the UK variant is spreading in our city,” tweeted the health department, adding a reminder that the variant does not necessarily make people 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, the regular coronavirus briefing in the city of Houston was visited by Fort Bend County Health Director, Dr. Jacqueline Minter, who confirmed that a resident of her county was confirmed for the strain. The male sick with the variant recovered.
And in a bit of misfortune in the city’s effort to vaccinate as many people as possible now, officials do not expect to offer additional vaccine consultations.
In terms of vaccines, there is still not enough supply to meet demand. The @HoustonHealth continues to prioritize the provision of vaccine to those most likely to die if they receive COVID-19 and underserved communities.
– Houston Mayor’s Office (@houmayor) February 8, 2021
Turner originally planned to use his coronavirus briefing on Monday to ask local hospitals to share their state’s vaccine supply with local health departments and the Harris Health System so that more minorities have a chance to get the vaccines.
WATCH: Houston identifies the first COVID-19 cases with the UK variant
He said now, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians are not being vaccinated at nearly the same rate as white residents, and he said he wants this to change, especially after noting minority mortality rates.
The Houston City Department of Health said Hispanics were responsible for 55% of COVID-19 deaths, compared to 21% of blacks, 18% of whites and 5.5% of Asians.
Across the country, CDC data shows that, compared to whites, Hispanics are 1.7 times more likely to acquire COVID-19, four times more likely to end up in hospital and almost three times more likely to die.
A University of Houston study found that a third of Texans are likely to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine, and that the reluctance is especially true among communities of color.
SEE RELATED HISTORY: New figures show sub-vaccinated black Hispanic communities
Turner said that more than 88% of vaccines received by Harris Health currently go to people of color, so he goes to private hospitals to share their doses.
SEE THE RELATED: How Access Allied to Mistrust is Affecting Hispanic Communities That Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine
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