Rice Stadium will serve as the site of a COVID-19 vaccine clinic run by Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. The facility has already begun vaccinating some Rice students, faculty and staff — by appointment only — as part of a “soft launch” before ramping up full operations next week.
Kevin Kirby, Rice’s vice president for administration, announced details about the clinic as well other news about vaccinations for the campus community in a message released Monday afternoon that included the following information.
Rice Stadium is about to become a community vaccination site serving the entire Houston area.
The clinic, one of several operated by Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, will heavily emphasize vaccinating underserved populations in Houston who meet the state’s criteria for distribution. Baylor St. Luke's will also assist us in getting our remaining priority 1A and 1B active faculty, staff and students vaccinated in the coming weeks.
This week, Baylor St. Luke’s is conducting a “soft launch” of the facility by administering vaccines to high-risk individuals, including Rice faculty, staff and students who have previously indicated in campus surveys that they fall in the 1A and 1B categories. The soft launch will inoculate just a couple hundred people a day to ensure that the logistical processes are in good working order. Baylor St. Luke’s then plans to ramp up its vaccination program March 15 and fully open the site to eligible community members throughout the Houston area.
Vaccinations through the site will be administered by appointment only and scheduled directly through Baylor St. Luke’s. Members of the community who qualify for the current distribution phases and are interested in receiving the vaccine must fill out an online form to be placed on the waitlist for future appointments. No vaccines will be available to anyone who appears without an appointment.
The vaccine site at Rice Stadium is not a drive-thru clinic. People coming to get the vaccine at this site will be directed to enter through the South stadium entrance at 2200 University Blvd.