Hanover vaccination center closes after vaccinating 51,000 people against COVID-19 – 8News

HANOVER COUNTY, Va (WRIC) After serving around 51,000 people with the COVID-19 vaccine, the Hanover County vaccination center at the old Food Lion in Ashland has closed.

In the last few weeks, health leaders have noticed vaccine demand has dropped across the health district, which includes New Kent, Charles City, Goochland and Hanover.

Most of the clinics we were doing were just for second doses, Hanovers deputy county administrator Jim Taylor said.

Taylor told 8News Saturday closing their main vaccination site there in Ashland is bittersweet.

He said health leaders have been able to protect thousands of people against the virus, but at the same time, they know theres still progress to make.

As of Saturday, 83,531 people across New Kent, Charles City, Hanover and Goochland are fully vaccinated.

Taylor said the Chickahominy Health District was one of the first to allow seniors to call-in for appointments and one of the first to offer walk-in appointments.

I think years from now, well look back on this and just smile in terms of what we were able to accomplish in a short period of time, he told 8News.

Now, just under 70% of the adult population in the districts largest county, Hanover, has at least one dose.

In fact, as of Saturday, 90.1% of those between 70 and 79-years-old in all four counties within the health district have gotten at least one dose, according to the Virginia Department of Healths COVID-19 vaccine dashboard.

I think the target was the elderly population, the seniors, who were at most risk to have serious illness or death from the virus, so that was, I think, one of our priorities in the beginning, Taylor said. So, I think its terrific that we were able to make such good progress with our older residents.

Despite the vaccination center closing, Taylor points out that the district will continue holding mobile vaccine clinics and reaching out to those who havent been vaccinated.

Its just been incredible, and I know when we think back months ago how busy it was and how grateful people were, you know, to get through there, its hard to fast-forward to where we are here today and to be actually closing that place up and turning the keys back over to food lion, Taylor said.

Residents across the four counties in the health district will still be able to get vaccines at pharmacies, doctors offices and hospitals where theres still a great availability of the vaccine.

Its pretty easy to find now, not like it was a few months ago, Taylor said about vaccine availability.

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Hanover vaccination center closes after vaccinating 51,000 people against COVID-19 - 8News