KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — TUESDAY UPDATE: Starting Monday, June 28, the Knox County Health Department will shift its main COVID-19 vaccination efforts back to its headquarters on Dameron Avenue from an ad hoc clinic it has been operating on Broadway.
The department announced the change Tuesday.
KCHD had said this week it was reevaluating use of the temporary clinic in the old Food City on Broadway. Public interest and use of the location, which began in March, has been waning, reflecting a general falloff in virus vaccinations.
The Health Department opened the Broadway location as an increasing number of population groups became eligible to get the vaccine.
The department had a lease for the building through the end of June and was paying $5,700 a month for use of the building, records show. KCHD said they provided a 30-day notice so there will be no penalty for ending the lease.
The department's main headquarters is at 140 Dameron Ave.
"In addition to offering vaccine at its main clinics, KCHD has developed go-teams who will hold special vaccination clinics in the community. The teams will target areas and populations with less access and greater need," KCHD said Tuesday in its announcement.
if you want a free COVID-19 shot, you can make an appointment by calling the Travel and Immunizations Clinic 865-215-5070 or the COVID-19 Phonebank 865-215-5555. Also, according to the department, walk-ins will be accepted 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays at the main location.
KCHD Clinical Services Director Dena Mashburn said in Tuesday's release that slowing demand is not a surprise.
“My hope is that as more providers incorporate COVID-19 vaccination into their standard operating procedures, more will continue to get vaccinated. This would represent albeit slower but steady progress nonetheless," Mashburn said in the release.
PREVIOUS STORY: This week, the Knox County Health Department is expected to announce more of its plans to change how it distributes COVID-19 vaccines.
It's currently running a vaccination site out of the former Food City on North Broadway.
The goal was to vaccinate as many as 1,000 people a day.
But, right now, the health department said it's administering around 35 first doses a day.
Now it's re-evaluating the vaccine distribution to try and reach more people.
The lease the Knox County Health Department has at the former Food City lasts through the end of June.