After more than three months of operation, the mass vaccination site at Grand Junction Convention Center is closing down and relocating.

It was late January when we reported the Grand Junction Convention Center would be a mass vaccination site to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to western Colorado residents. Now, some 90,000-plus vaccine doses later, the site will shut down and vaccination operations will shift to the Mesa County Public Health building at 510 29 Road beginning May 19.

Vaccinations Continue At New Location

Mesa County Public Health says the community's vaccination needs will be met at the site where vaccine administration first started. Next-day appointments will be available for those wanting to be vaccinated, as MCPH works to make it as easy and convenient as possible for people to get the vaccine. They are even scheduling evening and weekend appointments. Currently, they are administering about 500 vaccine doses per day, but they have enough to do 1,500 doses per day.

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Vaccine Resistance

While they may not say it publicly, MCPH has to be disappointed by the way the vaccine has been received in Mesa County. Only about 36% of the eligible population in Mesa County has been fully vaccinated. The good news is nearly 70% of the county's age 70+ population has been fully vaccinated.

COVID Update

There is no question Mesa County residents are experiencing a great amount of freedom right now with group gatherings, socializing, and calendar events. However, COVID-19 remains a threat. On Wednesday, 47 more cases were reported in the county bringing the two-week total to 497, with 20 hospitalizations.

For those that have questions about the COVID vaccines or about being tested, there is a lot of good information on the Mesa County Public Health website. The mobile vaccination clinic will be in Grand Junction through May 14. For those wanting to take advantage of the opportunity, no appointment is necessary and it requires no I.D. or insurance.There is also a vaccine hotline you can call 24 hours a day at 1-877- CO-VAX-CO. (1-877-268-2926).

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

 

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