NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Whether it’s one or 100, the impact holds the same weight for both.
“Even if you only have 100 people here, that’s 100 people less we have to worry about being in an intensive care unit," Stephen Williams said, the team head for vaccine outreach for the Hampton and Peninsula Health Districts.
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine on the Virginia Peninsula becomes a lot easier on Tuesday, with the area's first Community Vaccination Clinic opening at 13785 Warwick Boulevard. Health officials say it's the first CVC to directly serve the Peninsula since the pandemic began.
A building that once housed an office for plumbing company Ferguson has now been converted to a mass-vaccination clinic with the capacity to administer 500 doses per day.
“I think the level of trust has gone up. They’ve talked to friends, neighbors, and realized some of those misconceptions are not true," Williams said.
The clinic is open six days a week, from 10 a.m. to the facility's last appointment slots at 7:30 p.m. Health officials tell 13News Now this is one of nine CVC's across the Commonwealth.
“We’re actually starting this clinic at the same size as Military Circle Mall," Kevin Pearce said, Emergency Management Specialist for the Hampton and Peninsula Health Districts.
Pearce said turnout expectancy is unclear, as the clinic not only offers first doses but booster doses for those who received a Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago and who fall under the following categories:
- 65 years and older
- 18 and above with underlying health conditions
- Live or work in a high-risk setting
While walk-in appointments will be available, clinic officials say people should still make appointments beforehand to reduce time.
Inside, citizens will find the standard look of a mass vaccination clinic: registration lines, a station to accommodate non-English speaking patients, vaccination stations, and waiting areas.
Where Pearce said health officials have made major changes in the rollout of mass clinics, however, is better accommodations for those patients with disabilities.
“We are a little better about supporting individuals with special needs, whether that’s mobility, or they need a quiet space, or they need to disrobe, we can accommodate that," Pearce said, standing in front of a newly implemented "Kid Pods" area of the clinic.