Houston opens waitlist specifically for Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Health Department announced Wednesday morning that a new waitlist specifically for the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is now open for eligible Houston residents.

The department already had a vaccine waitlist for the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, but opted to open an additional waitlist for the J&J shot, which was approved by the FDA for emergency-use authorization over the weekend.

Both waitlists are available at houstonemergency.org/covid-19-vaccines.

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The vaccine waitlists are available for anyone in groups 1A and 1B under Texas Department of State Health Services criteria, including front-line health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, individuals 65 years old and older and individuals 16 years old and older with certain medical conditions.

According to the Houston Health Department, the waitlists are used to schedule the department's allotment of appointments at the FEMA community vaccination center at NRG Park and its other vaccination sites.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not being provided at NRG Park, and will instead be administered at Bayou City Event Center and its other vaccination sites starting Thursday, according to the health department.

Residents age 60 and over can also register by phone through the Area Agency on Aging at 832-393-4301. People with disabilities can call the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 832-393-5500. Anyone else needing registration assistance can contact the COVID-19 call center at 832-393-4220.