Dr. Peter Hotez hopes Houston's vaccination efforts become national model

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Dr. Peter Hotez, the Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said he hopes Harris County's first free public COVID-19 vaccine clinic becomes a national model.

Dr. Hotez congratulated Mayor Sylvester Turner in a tweet Sunday morning on the number of vaccinations the newly opened clinic has administered so far. He said the clinic is one of the largest mass COVID-19 vaccination sites to date.

The clinic opened Saturday, Jan. 2, and appointments for vaccinations have filled up extremely fast.

SEE RELATED: Track COVID-19 vaccine availability and progress across Houston

Just this past Saturday, Minute Maid Park also became a vaccination site, where a little more than 3,800 shots were given.

All 1,000 new appointments at Minute Maid Park were filled shortly after they were added by the Houston Health Department for people who meet Phase 1A or Phase 1B criteria.

SEE RELATED: Houston's Minute Maid Park COVID-19 vaccination clinic appointments filled up in minutes

Mayor Turner thanked the many volunteers, the health department, and other local officials that helped make Saturday's vaccinations a success.

As more rounds of COVID-19 vaccine doses make their way to the Houston area, local county leaders and health officials are working to implement the best plans possible for distribution. A county-by-county breakdown can be found here.