Free COVID-19 vaccination clinic being held next week in Newport News – WAVY.com

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) Around 700 residents living on the Virginia Peninsula will get a free COVID-19 vaccine shot next week.

The Southeastern Virginia Health System, which says its the second-largest federally-qualified health system in the state, is working with Five Medicine and UnitedHealthcare to host the nearly weeklong event.

We have demonstrated today that when we put our heads together, we can do good things for the community, said Tameeka Smith, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan for Virginia.

Smith was joined by other healthcare provider representatives as well as Congressman Bobby Scott (D-Newport News).

Scott talked about the importance of funding that organizations, like the Southeastern Virginia Health System, received from the American Rescue Plan and why having local clinics is needed for vaccine distributions.

You can have all the vaccines you want, but if you dont have places like this providing vaccinations, you dont have anything, he said.

The clinic, which is free, will be held March 29 through April 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Scott says Congress worked to make sure there was a policy that allowed for people to receive the vaccine for free.

That people wouldnt have to worry about I cant get a vaccine because they have to get groceries tomorrow, rents due next week. No. Everyone can get the vaccine and we want to make sure its available to the community and thats why its here, he said.

Dr. Natasha Dwamena, who is the health district director for Hampton/Peninsula Healthcare, says that vaccination rates on their health district are seeing the same rates as Virginia, with about 25% getting a least one vaccine shot and 13% fully vaccinated.

Health officials expect the fully vaccinated number to increase as more people are administered the Johnson & Johnson shot.

We are aggressively pursuing the vaccine and making sure it comes into the health district. We welcome this collaboration, Dwamena said.

Although vaccination spots are booked for the clinic, health officials say people might be able to still get their vaccines because sometimes people do not show up for appointments and they dont want to waste shots.

If someone shows up and theres no vaccine available, they will be pre-registered on-site through the system, so no one leaves saying they came and got nothing, said Mohamed Ally, who is the chief medical officer for Unitedhealthcare.

Ally and other officials stressed the importance of getting the vaccination especially for those in Black and brown communities, which they say are five times more likely to be hospitalized by COVID-19.

The quicker we get everyone immunized, the quicker we eradicate the virus from just having a pool of us where its sitting and multiplying, infecting others, Ally said.

The event will be held at 48th Street Physicians at 4714 Marshall Avenue.

Health officials say once people get their vaccines, the data will be cross-referenced with the information on the statewide pre-registration list.

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Free COVID-19 vaccination clinic being held next week in Newport News - WAVY.com