COVID mass vaccination site in Columbus will close soon. Here’s how to get your shot.
The mass vaccination site at the Columbus Civic Center will soon close as demand for COVID-19 vaccine dwindles in Muscogee County.
The Civic Center mass vaccination site in Columbus will close May 21, according to Jason Ritter, Georgia Emergency Management Agency field coordinator and site manager for Columbus. The site was planned to remain open until May 21, when the contract among GEMA and other partners expires.
“We have a mission. The mission’s being completed. If the mission wasn’t completed, there would be cars backed out of here trying to get the vaccine,” Ritter said.
Turnout has dwindled at the Columbus site in the past few weeks, Ritter said. On Wednesday afternoon, the site had just 3 of its 8 lanes open after experiencing a slow morning.
The site has the capacity to vaccinate up to 1,100 people per day. In recent weeks, the daily number of vaccinations at the Civic Center has been a few hundred. The site has administered about 22,000 vaccine doses since opening March 8.
The Civic Center site had expanded its hours into the evening and weekend last week, hoping to see a boost in vaccine numbers. However, turnout for vaccines during extended hours was relatively low. The site moved back to normal hours this week, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If demand increases for after-hours appointments, GEMA may return to expanded hours.
Appointments that have already been scheduled at the Columbus mass vaccination will still be honored.
Columbus is far from reaching herd immunity. As of April 21, 55,867 vaccine doses have been administered in Muscogee County, according to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Immunologists stress that 70-85% of a population needs to have achieved immunity for the community to have herd immunity.
Nearly 33,000 Muscogee residents, or 17% of the county, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to DPH. 25,429, or 13% of the county, are fully vaccinated.
Information is not currently available about how many Georgians are immune after contracting the virus. Some people who get the virus don’t form antibodies or their immunity fades after a few months.
All Georgians ages 16 and up are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. The Columbus mass vaccination site is located at 1 Lumpkin Blvd. Vaccines are free and no insurance is required.
Georgians can register for an appointment at any mass vaccine site by visiting myvaccinegeorgia.com or calling the site-specific phone number. The number for the Columbus site is 844-276-1131. If you require special assistance, call the TTY number at 844-277-2803.