HOUSTON — The City of Houston is doing everything it can to get those most vulnerable vaccinated as soon as possible.
On Monday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, along with the Houston Health Department, announced that residents who are 65 and older can call the Area Agency on Aging to be put on a waiting list for the COVID-19 vaccine.
That number is 832-393-4301.
Those who are not 65 and older will have to wait until the city opens the appointment portal to schedule their vaccine.
The city has partnered with the United Memorial Medical Center to launch its first drive-thru COVID vaccination site at Delmar Stadium.
Mayor Turner held a press conference Monday afternoon to give an update on Houston's ongoing vaccination efforts. Watch the full press conference below:
Turner said the site will be open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for those who have appointments. The site is expected to administer 1,000 doses of the vaccine each day it's open.
The health department said it has more than 10,000 appointments scheduled for the COVID vaccine the week of Jan. 25. There are a total of 2,356 residents scheduled to receive their second dose this week.
Houston Health Department's Dr. David Persse said he knows there's a lot of confusion concerning the timeline of receiving the second dose of the vaccine.
During a press conference Monday, he said it is still ideal to get the second dose at either 21 or 28 days of the initial vaccine (it depends on which vaccine you received, Pfizer or Moderna), however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implies that 42 days after the initial dose is an OK window.
"Don’t lose sleep if you’re a couple of days late on the second dose," said Persse.
The health department reiterated on its Twitter account that it's not necessary for those who received the first vaccine to call and make an appointment for the second one.
"Please only call if you haven’t heard from us 48 hours from your due date. The volume of calls about second doses ahead of time is creating long wait times at our call center."
Find the latest from the city of Houston's Health Department and register for a vaccination online here.
You can register to get an alert when more vaccines are available. Information can be shared via email, text message, phone call or push notification.