MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County health officials announced they are considering closing the Pipkin Building as a mass vaccination site at the end of the summer.
There are only three mass vaccination sites left in Shelby County: the Pipkin Building, the Whitehaven location and the site in Germantown. The Germantown site will close on June 24 with the Whitehaven site following suit the next day.
City officials will keep the Pipkin site open for the summer, but based on the trends, they are anticipating closing it by July 31, COO Doug McGowen said.
The focus will now pivot to encouraging residents to get the vaccine from the more than 100 private providers, like doctor’s offices and pharmacies, across Shelby County. McGowen said they will also be opening a clinic that will begin operations in August or September.
Community events with neighborhood businesses will also continue, and there are a number of those coming up. For the full list, click here.
As always, rides are available to those who need them. You can call 901-Ride901 or visit 901ridechoice.com.
In the ongoing fight against the coronavirus, Shelby County health experts used a sports analogy to say we’re inching closer to crossing the goal line.
“All of the metrics are going in the right direction. Things are shrinking in terms of the future epidemic, and we need to celebrate this,” said David Sweat with the health department.
More than 70 percent of adults in Shelby County now have an immunity to COVID-19, but for children, that number is far less.
“Probably about 85 percent of children in Shelby County remain vulnerable to Covid 19,” Sweat said.
As for COVID vaccines and spoilage because of low demand for shots, City of Memphis Chief Operating Officer Doug McGowen says that’s not a problem for Memphis.
“We will work with the state and other agencies to make sure that we offer that up for other people to use. As of today, there’s not risk of broad ranging spoilage because of demand,” McGowen said.
| Shelby County health order lifts nearly all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses →
A new health directive will go into effect Saturday. It’ll mean lifting many restrictions in public places, but a few will remain.
