
Protect yourself from covid variants | va houston health care | veterans affairs
- Select a language for the TTS:
- UK English Female
- UK English Male
- US English Female
- US English Male
- Australian Female
- Australian Male
- Language selected: (auto detect) - EN
Play all audios:

Protecting Veterans, our staff, and those in the community, remains Houston VA’s top priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of that commitment, we are currently following many
COVID-19 variants, and we expect to see more variants arise. What is of critical importance is having as many people vaccinated as possible. Time is of the essence! Research tells us that
the Delta variant, which has caused many hospitalizations and deaths in India, spreads more easily and quickly than other variants. According to the CDC, there is additional concern that the
medical treatments we are using to treat COVID-19 patients may be less effective against this variant. Over the past month, the Delta variant has rapidly spread and expanded in the Houston
area. Research also shows that COVID-19 vaccines offer good protection against the variants we know most about, and widespread vaccination can prevent unnecessary deaths and
hospitalizations. We believe that the newer types of vaccines we have now are true “pandemic fighters” and, by design, are well suited to adding new “targets” to fight these variants. Have
you gotten your first dose and don’t think you need your second? Consider this: The Delta variant most severely impacts those who are either unvaccinated or only received their first of
two-dose vaccine series, such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. If someone is late for their second dose, they should still get it. VA will provide the second doses to employees, Veterans or
anyone who qualifies under the Save Lives Act such as spouses and caregivers, no matter where they received their first dose, if that is more convenient. You can walk in without an
appointment to get the vaccine at our main Houston VA Medical Center Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. You can also walk in to our outpatient clinics in Beaumont,
Conroe, Katy, Lake Jackson, Lufkin, Richmond, Texas City, and Tomball to get the vaccine. If you are undecided about getting the vaccine and need more information to make a decision, check
out our Vaccine Questions page, which includes videos, downloadable information and frequently asked question. Time is of the essence.