Mecklenburg mass vaccination site to stay open past Saturday. Here’s the new plan.
The county’s mass vaccination site at Bojangles Coliseum will remain open for drive-thru appointments through June, instead of closing Saturday, the county announced Friday.
In late April, the county announced it would wind down operations at Bojangles Coliseum due to slumping demand. The goal, according to Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris, was to redirect efforts for reaching marginalized communities, including among Black and Hispanic residents who lag far behind white residents in getting vaccine shots.
Now, vaccinations will continue in a drive-thru basis in the Bojangles parking lot through the end of June due to “ongoing demand,” according to the county. That is happening even though as recently as Tuesday, Deputy Public Health Director Raynard Washington said some clinics are not getting a “large turnout.”
The Bojangles clinic will be open for appointments and walk-ins on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The vaccination clinic will be closed on May 26 and June 1 through 5.
Other vaccine options around Charlotte
Mecklenburg County Public Health is also offering COVID-19 vaccines to walk-ins and appointments at its northwest and southeast Charlotte locations beginning the week of May 24.
The northwest location at 2845 Beatties Ford Road will be open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the southeast site at 249 Billingsley Road will be open Thursdays 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
As of late Thursday, 38.2% of Mecklenburg residents are fully vaccinated, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
COVID trends
The announcement came just hours after Mecklenburg health officials released the latest COVID-19 metrics, which underscored the county’s significant progressing in slowing virus spread.
▪ The average positivity rate for COVID-19 tests fell to 3.8% in the past week, county officials said Friday. That’s a nearly 36% drop over the last 14 days — and the lowest number recorded since the start of the pandemic, according to a Charlotte Observer analysis of public health data.
Meanwhile, the average volume of COVID-19 tests administered daily has only dropped by 13% over the last 14 days.
▪ The average number of people hospitalized dropped to 121 in the past week, a 28% decrease over the last 14 days.
▪ On average, Mecklenburg is adding around 90 new cases each day — the lowest volume since last September. Since the start of the pandemic, Mecklenburg has logged more than 112,700 cases, according to N.C. DHHS.
▪ Officials say 968 residents have died of coronavirus-related complications, with nearly 40% linked to outbreaks at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 11:32 AM.
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