Thousands of Houston residents were thankful they got the COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday at Minute Maid Park, even though they had to park for parking and wait an hour and a half in the stands to get their shot in the arm.
The city has increased the capacity that Mayor Sylvester Turner calls his ‘mega’ vaccination site at the home of the Astros, after receiving 8,200 doses from the state on Thursday. Health workers handed over appointments originally scheduled at the Bayou City Event Center, moved up some future slots and booked 2,600 new people – which were demanded within 16 minutes on Friday.
Health workers gave more than 6,100 shots at the end of the day, a score that exceeds the city’s goal of 5,000, and which, according to officials, is more than other sites in the region. Memorial Hermann hopes to vaccinate about 13,000 people over its four-day event at NRG Stadium.
The city did about 3,600 vaccinations last week during a test run at Minute Maid, which was also made possible by the Moderna vaccine by late week.
“We try to give the vaccine to as many people as possible,” Turner said after visiting the site. “I think most people are very happy with what is happening today, and by all indications, I think people realize that things are going smoothly.”
Most recipients spoke glowingly about the operation, although there were logistical brackets. There were long queues to park in the mornings, clogging streets around the stadium, and also some long waiting times in the stadium. Some people who booked appointments reported that they did not receive any confirmation emails. And the city said it could not reach everyone who had appointments in Bayou City to notify them of the change of location. Health workers said they would accommodate the people if they eventually missed their appointment.
For most, however, the occasion was a bit of optimism about the pandemic that has been raising lives here for 11 months.
Claudia Stevens said she was ‘very impressed’ with the site. Herbert Yuan said it “went pretty well, considering the number of people.” And Kris McNeil, who was tied up for the cold weather, said the shot was worth the hour-and-a-half wait.
“There are things happening, and we’re just thankful that everyone is here and willing to work with us and get us these vaccines,” McNeil said, opening her jacket to reveal a Dolly Parton shirt. . “It’s well managed. I really have no complaint after waiting all the time. ”
The city received 30,000 doses of the vaccine and administered more than 21,000. Of the recipients, according to persons, 52 per cent were men and 47 per cent women preliminary data from the health department. White people are responsible for 41 percent of the shots, compared to 22 percent for Hispanics, 19 percent for black residents and 16 percent for Asians.
The city of Houston is 57 percent white, 45 percent Spanish, 22.6 percent black and 6.8 percent Asian, according to Census Bureau data.
For some, the frustration of waiting boiled over. While Turner was on his way to the bleachers where people were waiting, one man stood up and said he needed to fix the long wait.
“Fix it, sir,” the man told the mayor. “If you sit down and be patient, we’ll fix it,” Turner replied. “I’m tired of being patient,” the man said.
Houston resident Sara Cress, a former Chronicle reporter, gave a live report of her experience on Twitter. She said she is being led in circles to find parking space.
“The most frustrating part was the traffic,” Cress said. “I was in my car downtown for about an hour and a half.”
The wait inside was easier, about half an hour, although she said when she entered the building, it was difficult to keep distance from other people waiting. They were then escorted to the bleachers where they could space, and messages on the public announcement system encouraged social distance.
“I was not that close to people for a year,” Cress said, adding that the workers were very kind and excited. “I know they do their best.”
Turner asked for patience and said the city is doing its best to iron out the logistical barriers. He said he was generally very impressed with the operation and said the wide reach of 5,000 people was commendable.
“If you try to offer vaccines on such a large scale, it takes a lot of logistics, a lot of hard work, but we get it done,” Turner said. ‘The task is to remove these vaccines as soon as possible so that they do not sit on the boards. I can assure you that they are not sitting on the shelves. It’s a heavy lift, it’s a big operation. You may make mistakes every now and then. ‘
He said the unequal nature of federal government vaccine disbursements complicates matters, forcing city officials to get to work quickly. U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, who was also present, said she was campaigning for the incoming Biden government to award the vaccine directly to cities.
“If you do not know what you are getting, and you do not know when you are going to get it, it is difficult to plan accordingly,” Turner said.
The city reoriented the layout within Minute Maid last week to make it more efficient. People were screened outside and then allowed to enter the hall on the first floor near the Love Street bar that would normally sell beer to baseball fans. After that, they were taken to the stalls to wait, and finally back to the hall to get their shots outside Jackson Street BBQ and other eateries on the first floor.
One health worker helping to lead people along said late in the morning, “We’re just getting things done.”
The premises closed Saturday night, and health department officials said they could not accommodate the number of people waiting in line. They have taken names from those still waiting to reschedule appointments, officials said in a news release.
Other cities have experienced similar or worse barriers to setting up their websites. Austinites were frustrated when the portal launched by the city’s public health agency collapsed as people tried to register, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Residents in Dallas had problems with confirmation notices, and when they received them, according to the Dallas Morning News, they were not told where to go.
The shots go to people who meet each other
The city will announce new appointments when they become available. Residents can monitor or register for the department’s Twitter account for push notifications by signing up for the HoustonRecovers option from AlertHouston.org.