FEMA-backed Houston vaccine super site in the works, Texas Gov. Abbott says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston is poised to be one of two Texas cities to land a COVID-19 vaccine super site created in coordination with the federal government.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made the announcement Monday, also naming Dallas for the FEMA-supported mass vaccinations.

According to Abbott, initial plans likely call for two sites with 5,000 to 6,000 additional vaccinations per day. The site would be in operation seven days a week for eight weeks.

Abbott said two of the state's largest cities would get the first sites, with possible expansion to other locations.

A start date wasn't immediately stated.

Locations for the first super sites were also not yet announced, though over the weekend, President Biden expressed wanting to use NFL stadiums for vaccine distribution.

Given that both metropolitans hold NFL venues, Houston's NRG Stadium and the Dallas-area's AT&T Stadium could likely fit into the super site plans.

WATCH: President Biden takes virtual tour of Arizona Cardinals stadium as vaccine super sites explored

With the NFL season over, President Biden wants to ramp up vaccine distribution across the country, and one way to do, he says, is through the use of NFL stadiums as vaccination sites. In the video, he is given a walk-through at one.

We reached out to Gov. Abbott's office to elaborate on the super sites. Officials could only say the site are in the planning phase.

ABC13 also reached out to FEMA, which responded with the following on Abbott's announcement:

• The federal government is partnering with state governments to launch a small number of pilot community vaccination centers (CVC) using primarily federal staff to support of state and local governments.
• The goal of establishing these joint federal pilot centers is to continue to expand the rate of vaccinations in an efficient, effective and equitable manner, with an explicit focus on making sure that communities with a high risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection are not left behind.
• Piloting these centers allows FEMA and its federal partners to ensure the success of a small number of sites before preparing additional support as vaccine supplies ramp up in the weeks and months ahead.

The video above is from a previous story on the stadiums as vaccine distribution points.

After Abbott released info on the super sites, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo applauded the news and expressed the eagerness to work with the state and the White House.

"The sooner we increase vaccine supply, the faster we can reach herd immunity," Hidalgo tweeted. "We're ready to support State and Biden Administration efforts to distribute more vaccines. There are 300K people on our waitlist & we're able to distribute more vaccines than we're getting."

SEE ALSO: Biden administration moves to provide COVID-19 vaccine to pharmacies

White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients announces a plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccine doses to pharmacies around the country during a news conference on Tuesday, Fbe. 2.

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