Fertitta, state restaurant group team up to vaccinate workers
Tens of thousands of food service workers in Texas will get the opportunity to be vaccinated this month as part of a vaccination drive by the Texas Restaurant Association, Fertitta Entertainment and other groups.
Memorial Hermann Health System will administer the drive’s first clinic next week at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land. It is scheduled to run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday with support from Fertitta Entertainment and the Houston Rockets, which are kicking in promotional support, according to the Restaurant Association.
Memorial Hermann will have 12,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech to administer at the clinic, or 6,000 per day, the association said in a news release. Appointments should be made in advance via the association’s website and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The vaccination drive will both protect workers and help the restaurant business recover, Fertitta said in the release.
“I have thousands of employees across the Houston area who are serving on the front lines every day and their safety remains a top priority as we continue to navigate through this pandemic,” he said. “This opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot is an important added safety measure that helps all hospitality industry employees feel safe and comfortable as we continue to welcome more and more guests back inside our restaurants.”
Fertitta also plans to provide meals for the clinic’s volunteers, he said.
There will be a subsequent clinic for hospitality workers in San Antonio on April 27 and April 28 at the Wonderland of the Americas shopping center. University Health System will administer 6,000 doses — 3,000 per day — of PfizerBioNTech; the clinic will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.