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COVID-19 vaccine clinics at Leeward Community College, Windward Community Mental Health Center close Thursday

The Hawaii Department of Health today said two major COVID-19 vaccination clinics will shut down on Thursday after five months in operation.

“With the vaccine now available at more sites, however, these PODs (points of dispensing) will be winding down this week,” the department said in a news release.

Residents should make an appointment, or walk in to either location, as soon as possible.

>> The Leeward Community College POD is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, the clinic will only be open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Appointments are available at oneoahu.org/lcc-vaccine.

>> The Windward Community Mental Health Center POD, which administers the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, only has open slots available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday. Register at DOHBHA.as.me/JandJWindwardPOD.

The Leeward POD, a partnership between the state and city, with support from the Hawaii National Guard and others, began administering COVID-19 vaccines on Dec. 22.

On the windward side, a team of 30 Behavioral Health Administration employees volunteered to administer the vaccines, with support from groups including Project Vision Hawai‘i, HARRIETT (Hotel and Restaurant Industry Employment and Training Trust), Unite Here Local 5, and other community volunteers.

Together, the clinics have administered nearly 100,000 COVID-19 vaccinations.

“This has been a rewarding journey,” said Edward Mersereau, deputy director of DOH’s Behavioral Health, in the release. “The behavioral health team and others from the community were on a mission and worked tirelessly to vaccinate as many people as possible. For most of the time period the POD was active, about 1,100 to 1,200 vaccine doses were being administered every day for three to four days a week.”

The Health Department’s Behavioral Health Administration will continue to coordinate pop-up and mobile vaccination clinics to reach the homebound, homeless, and those with behavioral health challenges.

Correction: The Leeward POD is open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday. An earlier version of this story had incorrect hours.
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