HOUSTON — The Houston Health Department said it’s confronting barriers they said are keeping people from getting the COVID-19 vaccine. It includes misinformation about the drug.
However, when it comes to options on where to get the vaccine, the city said it plans to make it as available as possible.
Stephen Williams, director of the Houston Health Department, said efforts to get people the COVID-19 vaccine in the city of Houston have not slowed down since it became widely available earlier this year.
But, the number of people getting the shot has dropped significantly.
“There’s a steady flow, but the flow is much less than what we want it to be,” Williams said.
He said their goal was to have 70% of Houstonians vaccinated by now. He said the city is at about 50%.
“That’s not good enough for us. We need to do a lot more," Williams said.
In March, he said the health department did about 48,000 shots in arms. In April he said 32,000 shots were administered. Last month, Williams said the number dropped to about 12,000 vaccinations.
“And, so far in June, we’re only at 3,000,” he said.
This week, the health department is offering free vaccines at 30 affiliated sites across the city.
The Food Town on Fondren and Braeswood had at least one store employee take advantage of the free vaccine.
Other locations, like the La Michoacana Supermarkets on Gessner and Beechnut, weren’t able to open because the nurse canceled unexpectedly.
Williams said that despite the drop in the number of people getting vaccinated and unforeseen circumstances that may prevent a pop-up site from opening, their goal is to provide as many options as possible for people to get a shot if they choose.
“Access is a key issue for a lot of folks,” Williams said. “It’s not hesitancy. It’s access, and so we really have to go where people are.”
The health department said it plans to work with grassroots organizations and community leaders to help push its mission.