Hawaii Pacific Health closing COVID-19 vaccination clinics, testing sites this month

Hawaii Pacific Health today announced it will be closing all of its COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites at the end of this month.

The final day for the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children will be Thursday, March 31. The clinic will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on its last day.

Also, the HPH drive-up, COVID-19 specimen collection sites at Kapiolani and Pali Momi Medical Center will be open for a final day on Wednesday. Appointments are from 8 a.m. to noon, with the last appointment scheduled at 11:50 a.m.

The COVID-19 Vax Squad Bus will offer two more Oahu clinics from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Nanakuli Village Center, and then from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday at Ocean Pointe Community Center.

“We know that COVID-19 isn’t going away completely and that we need to be able to live with the virus,” said Dr. Melinda Ashton, HPH executive vice president and chief quality officer, in a news release. “We are now taking steps to move forward as a community. But at this point in time, many of the services we created in response to the pandemic are not needed on such a large scale.”

HPH opened its first COVID-19 community vaccination centers at Pier 2 on Oahu and Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai in January 2021, offering initial vaccinations to independent health care providers, first responders, essential workers and kupuna.

The Pier 2 clinic was closed in August 2021, and the vaccinations were then offered at Kapiolani Medical Center, Straub Medical Center and mobile vaccine events through the COVID-19 Vax Squad Bus.

HPH continued offering vaccines to residents as eligibility opened up to broader parts of the population, including children ages 5 and older.

Additionally, HPH will continue to require all patients and visitors to wear a face mask during their visits to its medical centers, clinics, and urgent care sites after the statewide indoor mask mandate expires at 11:59 p.m. today.

HPH said the decision to keep current mask guidelines in place is for the protection of those who must be present in those spaces, but who may have vulnerabilities that require an added level of protection.

Signs will be posted throughout HPH facilities as a reminder of the policy.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at Wilcox Medical Center will be open for its final day Wednesday, offering appointments for anyone ages 12 and older from 1 to 3 p.m., and for children ages 5-11 from 4 to 6 p.m. Schedule an appointment at WilcoxHealth.org/Vaccine.

Those who have appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations scheduled for dates after closures will be contacted and offered alternatives.

HPH will continue to offer COVID-19 testing and screening through its clinics by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, visit HawaiiPacificHealth.org/Coronavirus.