NORFOLK, Va. — There's another push to get more people vaccinated in Hampton Roads. The mass vaccination clinic at Norfolk’s Military Circle Mall is back.
This time, instead of FEMA running the clinic, four cities teamed up to re-open the site which will run through July. But health leaders say there's a chance it could stay open longer than that.
Kathy Johnson was among the first to get a shot today, and she had a good reason why she waited.
"I've been waiting,” Johnson said. “I had to have a mammogram and then a second mammogram. And then I had to have a breast biopsy which came back negative. That's why I have waited this long to get my vaccine done."
She got the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. And she has big plans for the summer.
"I'm going to see my son in Florida and my grandbabies,” she said. “I can't wait!"
Another woman who got the shot, Susan Augustus said she’s doing it to protect herself.
“There's a lot of people that are still getting sick, people are still dying. It needs to be done,” she said.
The site's re-opening comes as vaccine clinics across the state shut down, and as the demand for vaccines, slows down.
Health departments in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake teamed up to re-open this site so people in Hampton Roads have another avenue to get vaccinated.
Each city's health department is taking turns to provide workers.
This week, about 20 volunteers from the Virginia Beach health department are running the show.
The department's emergency coordinator Bob Engle said although he's not expecting the same turnout we saw at the beginning of the mass vaccination campaign, there is still a need in the community and people who want the shot.
“Today we've got almost 100 people pre-registered and we're not sure how many people are going to walk up. The numbers aren't what they used to be but they're what we expect,” Engle said.
“As long as there are people looking to get the vaccine, we'll make sure they have this opportunity here at Military Circle Mall."
The plan is to keep the site open through July.
"With the option of carrying on through August into the beginning of the school year, if the need is still there,” Engle added.
He said they haven't made a final decision just yet, but health departments could agree to extend the clinic if more children become eligible for the shot.
"We do expect that there will be an approval for younger kids, five and above, sometime in August maybe September - we're not sure yet. But if that does come, that will be another group of people that are looking to get vaccinated,” he said.
Although it is recommended you pre-register for the vaccine clinic, walk-ins are welcome.
Clinics will be held weekly: on Tuesdays from 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.