Houston Department of Health
Houston Department of Health expands COVID-19 vaccination waiting list
March 1, 2021
HOUSTON The Houston Department of Health today extended its COVID-19 vaccination waiting list to all age groups eligible under the Texas Department of State Health Service criteria. The waiting list is used to plan the allocation of appointments at the FEMA Community Vaccination Center at NRG Park and its other vaccination sites.
Phase 1A of the state’s criteria focuses on leading health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Phase 1B focuses on people 65 years and older and people 16 years and older with medical conditions that increase the risk of serious diseases due to COVID-19.
Those who meet the criteria can register online for the waiting list at HoustonEmergency.org/covid19. Registrations are also available telephonically for people 60 years and older via the Area Agency on Aging at 832-393-4301. People with disabilities can call the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 832-393-5500. Anyone else in need of registration assistance can contact the COVID-19 call center at 832-393-4220.
The department’s waiting list was previously open to people aged 65 and over and people aged 60 and over with chronic health conditions. Expanding the waiting list ensures that more members of the community who are eligible for the vaccine have access.
The NRG Park vaccination site for the community was fully launched on February 24th. It will vaccinate approximately 126,000 people completely by serving 6,000 seven days a week for three weeks a day before transferring it three weeks after the second dose. The Houston Department of Health schedules 3,000 people a day for vaccination at the site using its waiting list.
Harris County Public Health also plans 3,000 appointments a day at the NRG Park site. Criteria and registration for the Harris County waiting list are available at https://vacstrac.hctx.net/landing or by calling 832-927-8787.
The Department of Health will continue to prioritize people from its high-risk zip codes when planning appointments. Houston’s high-risk zip codes are geographic areas with people who are more vulnerable to serious COVID-19 diseases, as identified by positivity rate, underlying health condition, economic and social data.