PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Help is coming to a local city struggling with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
A community vaccination center opened in Portsmouth on Tuesday. It will operate out of the Sportsplex on Summit Avenue, and is a big boost to a local health department that was already operating at full capacity when WAVY spoke to them earlier this month.
It opened at 8:30 a.m. and could help vaccinate up to 1,000 people a day, with more vaccinations depending on supply.
The city spokesperson tells WAVY.com patients must have an appointment. Those without an appointment will be turned away.
You must also come 15 minutes before your scheduled time. Those with an appointment should bring a photo ID.
Those running the clinic are urging those with appointments to arrive no more than 15 minutes before their appointment time in order to prevent long lines.
“I think it’s a good comeback for this terrible disease we’re going through,” said Chesapeake resident Kenneth Wright who got his shot at the clinic Tuesday afternoon.
William Runyon says this clinic was much closer than the first one he was asked to attend in Suffolk, about 30 miles from his home.
“It’s very difficult online because people keep changing the rules. You register and you think you’re registered, and you have to do it all over again. So, it’s been rather hectic in a way,” explained Runyon.
He says he’d like to see more shot opportunities in Chesapeake.
State and local leaders have high hopes this vaccination clinic will help vaccinate more Black people and other underserved communities.