Hundreds vaccinated at Dotch Community Center during community-based clinic
Hundreds of area residents received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from USA Health at the community-based clinic held in partnership with the City of Mobile and area leaders.
By Casandra Andrews
candrews@health.southalabama.edu
As sunlight beamed through his truck windows, John Gray, 69, eased his silver Toyota Tundra to a stop in the parking lot at the Joseph C. Dotch Community Center on Thursday, March 18. Minutes earlier, and just a few feet away, he received the first of two doses of vaccine to protect him against COVID-19.
“Everybody should get it,” he said, holding up his new vaccination card. “This pandemic has killed more than 500,000 people. I’m glad to get the shot.”
In the United States, more than 539,000 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19. Worldwide, the novel coronavirus first detected at the end of 2019 has claimed approximately 2.7 million lives.
A retired construction worker, Gray said he had been on the fence about whether to get vaccinated. The convenience of a drive-through clinic so close to home made the decision easier. “Since it was right here I decided I should go ahead and get it.” Now, he will worry less when his children and grandchildren visit his home less than a block away from the community center.
Gray was among hundreds of area residents who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from USA Health at the community-based clinic held in partnership with the City of Mobile and area leaders. So far, nearly 1,500 people have been vaccinated at this and other community outreach events.
Since Dec. 15, 2020, USA Health has provided approximately 45,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to those deemed eligible through the Alabama Department of Public Health. Up to 1,000 doses of vaccine are given each day, Monday through Friday, at the Mobile Civic Center Arena in downtown Mobile.
USA Health’s online registry is a fast and efficient way for eligible people to arrange for appointments to be vaccinated at the Mobile Civic Center.
People who want to receive a vaccination can register at https://c19vaccine.southalabama.edu/.
In three weeks, when those vaccinated at Joseph C. Dotch Community Center need their second dose, USA Health staff members will return to the Trinity Gardens area to provide the follow-up injections, and more protection for the community.
