Summit County Health Department is closing its mass vaccination site next week after three months of inoculating residents. But people can still get vaccines throughout the county.
With more than 55 clinics under their belt, the health department is wrapping up mass vaccinations later this month.
Summit County Health Department Director Rich Bullough said that’s because there isn’t as much demand, but the site met the needs of the county.
"As I compare our facility and what was offered to us, at the Utah Film Studio, there was nothing else like it in the state," Bullough said. "It was just perfect And the timing was perfect. The volunteers were incredible. And we couldn't be happier that our vaccine rates are through the roof, by far the highest in the state of Utah, and among the highest in the country."
While the health department is moving out of the Utah Film Studio, they’ll still offer vaccines at a more localized level at the Park City, Coalville and Kamas Health Departments.
And the department will host mobile clinics. Bullough said their goal is to vaccinate more targeted groups of people.
"We're not going to get hundreds of people showing up in these pop up clinics," he said. "But we're hoping that we can start to tick off 10 here and 20 there, and pretty soon, those numbers will continue to increase."
Plus, with availability at pharmacies like Walmart, Walgreens and Fresh Market, Bullough hopes getting a COVID-19 vaccine can be more casual.
"The way I'm visualizing it, I stopped by Fresh Market a little bit ago and dawned on me, I hadn't had my shingles vaccine," he said. "And so I just asked them if they had a dose and they said, yeah. And I got my shot. I didn't make an appointment. It was easy. And it was spontaneous. And I think that's more and more the way this needs to be."
As of Wednesday, 85% of Summit County’s eligible population has received their first dose, and 64% has gotten both shots.
