HOUSTON — UPDATE 7:10 P.M. FRIDAY: Vaccine appointments are full.
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UPDATE 6:30 P.M. FRIDAY: Memorial Hermann is proud to announce that we have opened up an additional 2,000 appointments at our COVID-19 Vaccine Drive-Thru Clinic at NRG Park. The spots have been added to the schedule for Jan. 16 and Jan. 17.
Those who are 65 years of age or older can CLICK THIS LINK to complete a vaccination verification form that will confirm their eligibility for vaccination at this Clinic. If your eligibility is confirmed, a single-use, personalized scheduling link will be emailed to you. This Clinic will be available only to pre-registered individuals 65 years of age and older, consistent with the State’s Phase 1B guidance. Vaccine supply is limited and appointments will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis until all available appointments are full.
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Memorial Hermann is teaming up with NRG Park to offer a COVID-19 vaccine drive-thru clinic at NRG Park this week.
The clinic will be available only to pre-registered individuals and will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14 to Sunday, Jan. 17.
Vaccination is by appointment only. Walk-ins will not be accommodated.
During this four-day event, Memorial Hermann plans to vaccinate approximately 13,000 individuals who are 65 years of age or older, consistent with the state’s vaccination distribution Phase 1B guidelines.
“We’ve never done this before. They were inspired by the stuff they saw at the Houston Food Bank,” Dr. James McCarthy, chief physician executive for the Memorial Hermann Health System, said.
Because of the limited number of vaccines, individuals who do not have an appointment confirmation, or a photo ID that matches the name and date of birth on the appointment confirmation, will not be vaccinated.
Individuals who have been invited to participate in this event include: active, established Memorial Hermann Medical Group patients 65 years of age and older; individuals who have a relationship with Memorial Hermann and are 65 years of age and older; and members of the general community who are 65 years of age or older.
“That's a mixture of patients that we know are part of our medical group,” Dr. McCarthy said. “They're from some of our affiliated physicians and also some of the general public that had reached out to us directly and we had their email, so we reached back out to them."
“That's a mixture of patients that we know are part of our medical group,” Dr. McCarthy said. “They're from some of our affiliated physicians and also some of the general public that had reached out to us directly and we had their email, so we reached back out to them."
The hospital group also opened a public link Wednesday for people age 65-plus. They all qualify under state guidelines.
“10,000 spots, and they were gone in a little over three hours,” he said.
Once patients get vaccinated, they will spend 15 minutes in this observation area. Volunteers will keep an eye on them for reactions, with medical staff standing by.
Then those patients will leave and come back 28 days later for their second and final dose.
“We remain committed to expanding our vaccination capacity by adding more locations and more appointments as quickly as possible,” the hospital stated in a press release. “We also hope to host more events like this in the near future as we continue to make vaccination available to all those who are eligible, and eventually to all patients and members of the community.”
New information will continue to be shared on Memorial Hermann’s website and social media channels, so please be sure to check back often for the latest updates.