Atlanta United, Houston Dynamo FC players get first COVID-19 vaccine dose

Two MLS clubs, Atlanta United and Houston Dynamo FC, announced Monday that they’ve administered initial COVID-19 vaccine doses to players as inoculation campaigns continue nationwide.

All of Atlanta’s players were vaccinated at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium Community Vaccination Center, with eligibility in Georgia currently open to everyone 16 years of age and older. Atlanta’s players will receive their second shots in three weeks, while the Mercedes-Benz Stadium Community Vaccination Center is the largest vaccination site in the southeast and has the ability to distribute more than 11,000 vaccines per day.

Meanwhile, Houston players and coaches received their first dose after Texas announced that all adults are now eligible to receive the vaccine. The club teamed up with Kroger and encourages all Houstonians to sign up for an appointment.

“After the state announced that they were expanding eligibility to all Texans over 18 last week, our partners at Kroger reached out to us to help raise awareness and encourage people to get vaccinated,” Houston president John Walker said in a release. “Getting everyone vaccinated is an important step in the process of returning to normalcy, and hopefully seeing our players get vaccinated will encourage others to follow suit.”

Last week, MLS partnered on the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s latest COVID-19 Vaccine Education PSA. Ahead of the 2021 season, vaccinations can safely help the return of sports moments we all miss in the ongoing pandemic.