Houston COVID-19 vaccine appointments full for rest of month
HOUSTON - Just two days after the Houston Health Department opened its first public COVID-19 vaccination site, the city announced appointments are full for the rest of the month.
During a press conference on Monday, in which Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner received the Moderna vaccine, he announced that the vaccines were completely booked for January.
The city saw an overwhelming response at the vaccine location on Saturday when it first opened off Knight Road in South Houston.
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Houston's first public COVID-19 vaccine location officially opens
On Saturday, Houston’s first public COVID-19 vaccine location opened on the city’s Southside.
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The free COVID-19 shots were originally planned to be given to people who made appointments over the phone. However, the Houston Health Department quickly had to change its plan after being overwhelmed with calls and moved to include on-site registration.
"Call-in centers across the board received about 250,000 calls today," said Mayor Turner at the time. "The system was literally overwhelmed, so we went to Plan B. Plan B was on-site registration."
Then on Monday morning, the city announced a new online registration tool for appointments.
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Online registration opens for COVID-19 vaccination appointments in Houston
Healthcare workers, people age 65 and older and people age 18 and older with at least one chronic medical condition putting them at increased risk of severe illness and death can sign up for an appointment to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine in Houston.
But the response to the vaccination clinic was massive, with people quickly filling the appointment slots for the Houston Health Department’s current vaccine allotment by Monday afternoon.
"Appointments are based on vaccine availability and current appointments may be adjusted based on the department’s allotment," the department announced in a press release.
The department says it will announce when additional vaccine opportunities are available.