On Saturday, February 13, 2021, the county health department gave a record 5,344 COVID-19 vaccine doses at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. It was the largest one-day vaccine event in the county up to that time. The earlier record was 3,870 doses on January 23, 2021.
The clinic ran from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. New first-dose appointments went to people 65 and older who had signed up through the state registration system. People who got a first Pfizer dose from the health department January 18 to 23, or a first Moderna dose the week of January 11 to 16, came for their second dose.
The day started slowly. An overnight update of vaccine records sent to the CDC had not finished, and staff fixed the problem in the morning. Many people also came before their appointment times. Lines of cars and people grew long, and one line went out of the building and up three levels of the parking garage.
After the fix, staff gave about 250 shots an hour, and one hour reached 510 shots. The health officer said the clinic had planned for about 6,000 people and that the problem was timing, not capacity. She asked people to arrive close to their appointment time.
Partners included the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority, the City of Charleston, the Kanawha County Commission, CAMC, Thomas Health, West Virginia Health Right, FamilyCare, the University of Charleston and the West Virginia National Guard. See the clinic announcement for February 13, the earlier 3,870 vaccinated at Saturday clinic and more than 3,000 vaccines given at clinic Saturday.
This information is from February 2021. It is kept here as a record and is not current advice. Check current guidance from the CDC or your doctor.
Sources
- WCHS-TV: Technical glitch, early arrivals cause traffic at Charleston’s largest vaccine event (February 13, 2021)
- WCHS-TV: COVID-19 vaccination clinic scheduled Saturday, Feb. 13, in Charleston (February 9, 2021)
- WCHS-TV: More than 3,800 vaccine doses administered Saturday in Charleston (January 24, 2021)