COVID-19 Vaccinations Available Through Walk-In Clinics In SLC
Apr 29, 2021, 8:26 PM | Updated: Apr 30, 2021, 5:28 am
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – There are now plenty of appointments available in Salt Lake County for people to get their COVID-19 vaccination, and a walk-in clinic opens Monday. The county received 20,000 extra doses for next week, and vaccine supply is growing.
When the campaign started, vaccine doses were very limited. But supply is catching up with demand.
“This is really big news for our community. You can walk in to get a vaccine next week, and I’m thrilled about that,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson.
She stopped by the Maverik Center drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic today to thank volunteers. Wilson is visiting each of the county’s vaccination sites this week.
With extra doses, the county will add appointments at that drive-thru clinic, and start walk-in vaccinations at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy. Those walk-ins are available next week 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
”It gives some more flexibility,” she said. “I know this was an important appointment for us all. When we got our slot, we showed up. But not everyone has that possibility.”
Until now, appointments in Salt Lake County have been filling quickly.
“Initially, it rolled out in very small quantities,” said Dr. Audrey Stevenson, Salt Lake County’s co-director of the vaccination campaign. “Unfortunately, there was much more demand than we had doses that we were able to fill.”
But, availability is up, and with less than a third of the county fully vaccinated.
“We still need to be very diligent in ensuring that everyone gets vaccinated so that we can reach that herd immunity of 70%,” Stevenson said. “We are falling well below that across the nation and here in Utah.”
The mayor thinks it is too early to say whether demand is dropping.
“I think if we’re seeing, after a lot of promotion, maybe not hitting the 20,000 next week, I might be a little concerned. But, it’s important to know that we are going to you now,” Wilson said.
Shots are available at community-based clinics, and neighborhood pharmacies.
“This is our shot at getting back to normal,” Stevenson emphasized.
The mayor hopes that the walk-in clinic in Sandy is the kind of opportunity some people have been waiting for. They expect to be able to extend the hours on the walk-in clinic in the future.
