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Small clinics to play key role in Virginia's path toward herd immunity, health leaders say

Virginia collectively moves into Phase 2 of its vaccine rollout starting on Sunday, April 18.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Just hours ahead of an April weekend in Hampton Roads, 200 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine sat at the East End Physicians location in Newport News for a small, neighborhood vaccination clinic.

While the supply was plentiful between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., demand on this particular Friday was not.

Of the 200 available doses, just about 50 took advantage of the supply, according to CEO of Southeastern Virginia Health System Angela Futrell.

“We’re seeing they’re coming in less numbers to our smaller clinics, but that’s okay because if we get one person, it’s worth it," Futrell told 13News Now Friday following the clinic's end.

She says overall, there's been a noticeable decline in patients seeking out their doses of the vaccines, and attributes it to both the increased accessibility as the state moves to Phase 2 of its vaccine rollout, plus vaccine hesitancy.

Dr. Danny Avula, the state's COVID-19 vaccine coordinator, echoed that sentiment in an interview with 13News Now this week and said that the road toward herd immunity for Virginia will rely on small-scale and mobile vaccination clinics within the coming weeks and months.

“Where I see much of the effort shifting over the next month, two months, more community-based, small-scale vaccinations," Dr. Avula said.

As of Friday, Virginia surpassed its 5-million mark for vaccine doses administered in the state, averaging roughly 75,000 doses per day. On Sunday, the state moves into a collective Phase 2, making all Virginians eligible over the age of 16.

Small-scale neighborhood vaccination clinics like the one in Newport News will play a key role for access and vaccine hesitancy, regardless of the numbers whether they're big or small from one day to the next.

"For our clients that live in the community, you can walk here. They may not be able to get to the larger areas or convention center," Futrell said.

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