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Western Tidewater Health District gets vaccines from hospitals to help with distribution

A total of a thousand people got the COVID-19 vaccine in Suffolk.

SUFFOLK, Va. — Areas with larger populations have access to more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, while some smaller cities in Hampton Roads are struggling and need more shots. 

In Suffolk, for example, more than 8,800 doses have been administered to people compared to places like Virginia Beach where more than 51,000 shots have been given.

The Western Tidewater Health District has gotten help from a local hospital to have a vaccination clinic. On Wednesday, health officials administered 1,000 vaccines. 

Registered nurse Niecie Garner is one of those people who got their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I called 133 times to get through to the health department on the 4th and finally got someone to answer without an answering machine and was able to get the appointment for today, so I’m very excited," said Garner. 

Garner said the vaccine will help give her confidence when working with her patients.

“I will feel more comfortable when I’m around my patients. I see high-risk pregnant patients and I’ve been worried I could carry it or transmit it to them, even though we wear the right protective gear," said Garner. 

Patients that fall into the Phase 1b group like Garner made their appointments to get their first shot inside the East End Baptist Church in Suffolk. 

“There’s another 25,000 people who live in the Western Tidewater Health District that just fall in the 65 and older category. We’re able to do a thousand or those people here just today in one shot. So, it’s huge for the community," said Western Tidewater Health District Emergency Manager Will Drewery. 

Drewery said they got help with this round of vaccines from Sentara, after the state stopped its vaccine allocation in January.

“We plan to host large clinics like this as the vaccine becomes available to us. We do have plans in place to do that. We just need the vaccine to do it.”

The people who received their first shot like Garner on Wednesday will come back to the church for their second dose on March 10.

“That was the best shot I had in my life,” she said.

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