NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia Department of Health announced Saturday that the Community Vaccination Center (CVC) at the Military Circle Mall will open Monday.
The CVC, located at 880 N. Military Highway in Norfolk, will offer monkeypox vaccines Mondays and Wednesdays from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m., and COVID-19 vaccines will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, VDH said.
All COVID-19 vaccines, including the new bivalent boosters, will be offered on Saturdays.
Appointments for monkeypox vaccines must be made at https://vase.vdh.virginia.gov, while COVID-19 vaccines will be walk-in only, VDH said.
VDH recommends a two dose vaccine series against monkeypox for anyone who falls into the following groups.
Those groups are:
- Anybody who has had anonymous or multiple sexual partners in the last two weeks.
- All sex workers.
- All staff who work in places where sexual activity happens (bathhouses, sex clubs).
VDH said monkeypox can spread through:
- Sexual or intimate contact.
- Hugging, kissing, cuddling and massaging.
- Sharing a bed, towel or clothes that have not been washed.
The first local Monkeypox vaccination clinic was held at The Wave nightclub in Norfolk on August 28.
VBDPH Emergency Coordinator Bob Engle said they had more than 300 to give out on site.
"What we're trying to do is reach out into the community and identify those that are eligible to receive this vaccine, encourage them to get it so that we can help reduce the spread and hopefully eliminate it from the community here in a short term," VBDPH Emergency Coordinator Bob Engle said at the event.
“We welcome this joint effort by the City of Norfolk, Virginia Beach Health Department and the Norfolk Health Department,” Norfolk and Portsmouth Acting Health Director, Dr. Sulola Adekoya said of the new clinic hours.
“We encourage those in need of a monkeypox or COVID-19 vaccination, to take advantage of this free opportunity.”
