City of Houston working to set up COVID-19 vaccination supersite – KHOU.com

City councilmembers are hoping the site is ready to go this weekend.

HOUSTON Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said members of the citys health department, police department and special events office were working to set up another public COVID-19 vaccination site.

Its my hope that we can set up a supersite on this coming Saturday, Turner said.

Turner also told council members hes hoping to eventually use mobile clinics and even vaccinate some people at their homes. However, he said those ideas all depend on more vaccine doses arriving from the state.

The Texas Department of State Health Services COVID-19 vaccine map shows the hospitals, doctor's offices and pharmacies where vaccines have been delivered. As of Wednesday afternoon, it showed the east side of Houston mostly empty.

That area is largely home to African-Americans and Hispanics, two of the communities hardest hit by COVID-19.

Councilmember Robert Gallegos District I includes large sections of the east side.

During the testing for COVID-19, we ran into the same issue, Gallegos said.

Gallegos said his office is watching the issue closely. He said he understands its early in the process and finalizing plans takes time.

We need to make sure we get locations that are in our neighborhoods to provide these vaccines so that way those that dont have transportation, it would be easier to go to, for example, like a Krogers or a CVS or a Walgreens in the neighborhood, he said.

Councilmember Carolyn Evans-Shabazzs District D also includes many neighborhoods in southeast Houston.

I havent gotten a lot of pushback or concerns about the vaccine because I think (constituents) know that it takes time, Evans-Shabazz said. Access, basically, is based on the supply. We dont have a lot coming.

Evans-Shabazz has already received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

I wanted to be a leader because I know that there is a lot of apprehension that people have about taking a vaccine in view of some historical things, Evans-Shabazz said.

At The Luke Church in Humble, Senior Pastor Dr. Timothy W. Sloan is hoping to boost the African-American communitys confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine through a conversation with the nations top infectious disease expert.

Sloan recorded a virtual interview Wednesday afternoon with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Ive come to a point where I feel comfortable (with the vaccine), Sloan, whose wife is a physician, said. I admit that I struggled in the beginning based on the historical lens that Im looking at it through.

During the roughly 15-minute interview, Fauci acknowledged the African-American communitys concerns and hesitations over slights and past mistreatment by the government medical establishment.

We have to recognize that it occurred, and we have to emphasize that situations have been put in place, safeguards have been put in place that this could never happen again, he said.

Fauci also addressed concerns over the speed of vaccine development and methods of safety evaluation.

Were saying this vaccine is safe and that its highly efficacious, Fauci said. The entire process was transparent and independent.

The Luke Church will air the interview with Fauci on Sunday morning during virtual services and on Jan. 13 during a virtual town hall.

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City of Houston working to set up COVID-19 vaccination supersite - KHOU.com