HOUSTON — Saturday marked the 24th vaccination site for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, but the crowd there was much smaller than the ones we were seeing months ago.
The congresswoman says that’s the problem; people are still scared to get their shot.
Dr. Joseph Varon with United Memorial Medical Center says they went from doing hundreds of vaccines a day to sometimes less than a dozen. But he says they are seeing a slow increase as news of Delta variant spreads.
For Gregory Comeaux, getting the COVID-19 vaccine wasn’t always something he wanted to do.
“Coming from the Black community, a lot of us are skeptical," Comeaux said.
But after he saw what the virus did to his family and friends, he changed his mind.
“I even know guys that work with me, who got sick and even a couple who passed away from it," Comeaux said.
Comeaux was one of the couple dozen people who got their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine Saturday.
“I am here to sound the alarm in Houston," Congresswoman Jackson Lee said.
Congresswoman Jackson Lee partnered with UMMC to offer shots in the Fifth Ward. They even gave out free pizza to those who got a vaccine.
“Texas is now one of the red hot spots in the nation," Congresswoman Jackson Lee said.
Houston and Harris County health leaders say the supply has caught up, and there’s no longer a reason not to get a shot.
“And yet, it’s sitting here in the freezer, available, and people are reluctant to come, largely due to misinformation," Dr. David Persse said.
And it was misinformation that kept Fredo Asifiwe’s mom, Goreth, from getting her shot all these months.
“She was scared to get it. She thought that it used to cause corona, like you get it, it causes corona. But now people say it’s cool to get it," Fredo said.
But Saturday, she’s got her first dose after some persuasion by her friends.
“She can be able to go without wearing a mask and probably not get sick because she got vaccinated," Fredo said.
With only 54 percent of the city fully vaccinated, doctors say we’re still far from where we should be.
“I would just tell them to get it. In life, we take a lot of chances. Why not take one to live?” Comeaux said.