Northam to visit mass vaccination clinic at former Macy's in Norfolk Wednesday

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) -- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam will visit the new community vaccination center in Norfolk as it opens at full capacity for appointments this week.

Northam will visit the clinic, located in the former Macy's store at 880 North Military Highway, Wednesday morning.

During his visit, Northam will tour the site and hold a media availability.

Northam's visit is not open to the public. The clinic is also vaccinating people by appointment only.

The vaccine site is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through a partnership with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health and Human Services (HHS), Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), Virginia Department of Health, (VDH) and the City of Norfolk.

The city had already been using the mall as a vaccination site since early February, but that was run by the local health department and not federal partners.

Now, Volunteer Hampton Roads and FEMA are expected to administer about 3,000 doses per day at full capacity.

The Macy's site is one of several similar sites in Virginia, with others in Portsmouth, Petersburg, etc. The federal government has said the spot was selected due to its central location and other criteria such as socioeconomic status, minority status, languages, etc.

If you want to get the vaccine, you must register at https://vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 1-877-VAX-IN VA (1-877-829-4682), 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. If you’re eligible, you’ll be contacted for an appointment.

from WAVY.com https://ift.tt/2QJ1oen