Pop-up vaccine, booster events coming to town
COVID-19 shots targeting omicron variants will be available to the public at two Walmart stores in Houston
The Texas Department of State Health Services is hosting pop-up COVID-19 vaccination events at two Walmart stores in Houston on Wednesday and Thursday.
Both the COVID-19 vaccine and the recently approved booster shots targeting the omicron variant and its BA.4 and BA.5 subvariant will be available at the pop-up events. The vaccines will be free, and no insurance or ID is needed. Walkin appointments will be available at the Walmart pharmacies and no appointments are required, according to a state health department release.
The Houston events will take place Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Walmart at 2391 S. Wayside, and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Walmart at 5405 S. Rice, in Houston.
The events will feature costumed luchadores (wrestlers) performing educational skits; arcade-style basketball and spinning wheel games; and a selfie wall for photos. There will also be videos showing local leaders and pediatricians discussing the benefits of the vaccines.
Doctors will also be on hand to answer any questions and provide information about the vaccines, the news release says.
The updated booster shots rolled out last week. One version, made by Pfizer/BioNTech, is available to anyone 12 and older. The other, made by Moderna, is available to those 18 and older.
If you’ve already been vaccinated or boosted, you do not need to stick with the same manufacturer for the new dose, officials said.
The new booster can be given two months after someone received their last booster or completed their initial vaccination series, officials said.
The new boosters, as well as the primary COVID-19 vaccines, are available at hospitals and pharmacies. Harris County Public Health also began offering them on Monday.
The pop-up events are part of a statewide campaign to increase COVID-19 vaccine and booster rates in Texas. The campaign kicked off last week in San Antonio and will continue through Sept. 25 at Walmart stores across the state.
“Vaccination remains our most important tool in the fight against severe illness and death from COVID-19,” DSHS Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt said in a news release. “And the new bivalent vaccines promise an even more effective and safe protection from omicron variants, which continue to be the leading cause of COVID-19 illness in Texas and across the U.S.”