Houston Department of Health
Houston Department of Health opening new COVID-19 vaccination schedules
January 22, 2021
UPDATE 2 – People who signed up for one of the new appointment slots and received a QR code confirmation without a date and time will be contacted from Saturday to schedule the date and time for the vaccination.
UPDATE – The Houston Department of Health’s 1,600 new COVID-19 vaccination slots filled out approximately five minutes after opening at 4pm.
More appointment opportunities will be announced as supply increases.
HOUSTON – The Houston Department of Health is opening 1,600 new COVID-19 vaccination schedules for the week of January 25, 2021. Consultations are for first doses only.
People who qualify for Phase 1A or 1B of the state’s criteria can visit HoustonEmergency.org/covid19 (or http://bit.ly/HHDvaccine) starting at 4 pm on January 22 to apply. The appointment portal will close when the slots are full.
Appointments are only confirmed after receiving an email or text message and confirmation numbers will be verified on the spot.
The new appointments are for the department’s new drive-thru vaccination site at Delmar Stadium, operated by the United Memorial Medical Center, opening on Monday.
People who show up without confirmed commitments will be rejected.
The health department received an additional 9,000 doses of the vaccine on Friday. In addition to the 1,600 new schedules available, the department will transfer 800 doses to other providers, vaccinate approximately 900 people who left Minute Maid Park last Saturday and fulfill existing commitments at the Bayou City Event Center, its health centers and multi-service centers .
“We are pleased to operate two mass vaccination stations next week, one in the north of the city and one on the south side. These two locations make the vaccine more accessible to everyone, complementing the health department and health department multiservice centers, ”said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “As we get more vaccines, we will expand partnerships with federally qualified pharmacies and health centers to ensure that the vaccine is available in the most vulnerable communities and deploy mobile attack teams as needed.”
The department plans to announce new appointment opportunities weekly, based on the offer.
People can learn about new naming opportunities by email, text message, voice call or mobile app push notification by registering for AlertHouston’s HoustonRecovers subscription at AlertHouston.org.
Appointments are based on vaccine availability and can be adjusted based on the department’s supply.
On January 21, the department administered a total of 29,751 doses of vaccine in locations including Minute Maid Park, Bayou City Event Center, its Northside, La Nueva Casa de Amigos, Sharpstown and Sunnyside health centers, the JW Peavy Senior Center and its Acres Homes, Hiram Clarke and Magnolia multi-service centers.
People who received the first dose of the vaccine through the health department will be contacted about scheduling the second dose before the recommended deadline. Check your voicemail, text messages and emails frequently for information.
The department currently supplies the Modern vaccine. The second dose of Moderna is recommended 28 days after the first dose. The updated CDC guidance states that “the second dose should be administered as close as possible to the recommended interval. However, if it is not feasible to follow the recommended interval, the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines can be programmed for administration within 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose. If the second dose is administered beyond these intervals, there is no need to restart the series. ”
If contact information has changed since a person received their first dose from the health department, alert the COVID-19 call center at 832-393-4220.
“We understand the anxiety about the second dose and we thank everyone for their patience as we continue to work together to achieve the greatest mass vaccination effort ever,” said Stephen L. Williams, director of the health department. “Make sure that if you have been vaccinated by the Houston Department of Health, we will contact you within the appropriate timeframe to schedule your second dose.”
Even when vaccinated, everyone still needs to take care such as masking, practicing social detachment, washing their hands and getting tested to help stop the spread of COVID-19 as people are vaccinated and we learn more about the immunity produced by vaccines .
“Please encourage your family and community to ‘Take Your Best Shot’ as the vaccine becomes more widely available,” said Williams.
Visit the HoustonEmergency.org/covid19 vaccines page for the latest information on COVID-19 vaccinations through the Houston Department of Health.