FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MEGA SITES TO BEAT BACK AND FIGHT COVID-19 IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COVID-19 DELIVERY ACT OF 2021
“Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and Chair of the Coronavirus Task Force further acknowledges the hard work of local elected officials, our Mayor, our County Judge, other members of Congress, and other local officials for the continued fight to vaccinate vulnerable communities. Thank God we are now going to be able to independently reach thousands of people a day with a six thousand dose allotment from FEMA. After this pilot, FEMA will look at smaller mega sites in minority and vulnerable communities in the surrounding areas. This follows the framework of Congresswoman Jackson Lee’s legislation, the COVID-19 Delivery Act of 2021.”
HOUSTON, TX – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat representing the 18th Congressional District of Texas, is a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security, the Budget, and Chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Coronavirus Task Force makes the following announcement:
FEMA is establishing mass community vaccination sites in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Houston. These federal pilot sites (AT&T Stadium, Fair Park, and NRG Stadium) are part of a joint effort to support vaccination efforts in underserved areas. The sites will be operated by FEMA in partnership with the state of Texas through the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and local officials.
Preparations and buildout of these three locations is now underway, and the sites are expected to be open to eligible members of the public beginning February 24. Registration for vaccine appointments at these three sites will be available through each of the local jurisdiction’s vaccination scheduling systems in the coming days.
The goal of establishing these joint federal pilot sites is to continue to vaccinate more Texans 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. The state will closely monitor vaccination uptake at each of these sites and will work with local and federal partners to make real-time decisions to ensure the best utilization of the additional vaccines that have been made available.
“It is time to get fully operable in fighting COVID-19 across the nation with an effective distribution protocol for getting vaccinations to millions of people as fast as possible. I am very pleased that Houston and Dallas were on the President’s radar to receive these pilot mega sites. Getting vaccinated will help stop the community spread and save lives!” said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
Read the full bill text of the COVID-19 Delivery Act of 2021 here.
