No line, walk-ins welcome at Thursday’s Public Health COVID vaccine clinic

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

There were plenty of vaccines and no lines Thursday afternoon for a coronavirus vaccination clinic at the Dayton Convention Center.

Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County opened the clinic to walk-ins, but was experiencing a lull.

“We have a lot of availability, come on down” said Dan Suffoletto, public information supervisor. “If you are looking to get a vaccine and you are having trouble scheduling, this is a great weekend to go ahead and do it because we have lots of openings.”

COVID-19 vaccine clinics on Friday and Saturday will be administering the Pfizer shot, authorized for those 16 and older, at no charge. To schedule an appointment, call 937-225-6217 or visit https://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov/ or visit Public Health’s website at www.phdmc.org.

  • 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Minority Outreach Clinic at Bethesda Temple, 3701 Salem Ave., Harrison Twp. Registration by phone only.
  • 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St in downtown Dayton. Free parking at the Dayton Transportation Center.

It goes quicker when people registered. However, Suffoletto said if there are still many available spots the clinics on Friday and Saturday also may be opened to walk-ins.

The reason there were so many empty chairs at Thursday’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic is twofold, Suffoletto said.

First, there is a lot more vaccine available with ramped up production, and there are more providers as well, he said.

“Also there was that initial rush of people who were really anxious to get it. And that was a large amount of people. … But during that process that did cause a little bit of a backlog where it was hard for people to get through and register,” he said.

Some people who had trouble registering may have decided to wait until later.

“Well, if you’re waiting until later, now is later. We have plenty of availability,” Suffoletto said.

In Ohio, 36% of people have at least started the vaccine, and in Montgomery County that number is close to the state level at 35.5%, according to Ohio Department of Health statistics.

For more information, go to https://www.phdmc.org/coronavirus-updates/439-covid-19-vaccination-information.

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