DCH To Close Mobile Vaccine Site In August, Citing Lack Of Demand

TUSCALOOSA, AL — DCH Health System says dwindling demand for doses of the widely available coronavirus vaccine have prompted hospital officials to begin moving forward on winding down its drive-up vaccination service on Dr. Edward Hilliard Drive.

DCH said on Wednesday that the last day individuals will be able to schedule a first vaccine at the mobile site adjacent to the hospital is next Friday, July 16. The final day vaccines will be administered at the site is Friday, Aug. 6.

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Paid for by $1 million in federal CARES Act funding, the 3,750-square-foot facility modular facility was initially used for coronavirus testing before the shift was made for it to become a drive-up vaccination hub. The first local dose in Tuscaloosa was administered to Dr. Blake Lovely in December 2020.

The hospital system did point out the efficacy of the vaccine and said DCH will evaluate and respond as needed if the community demand for the vaccine increases.

According to the latest numbers from the Alabama Department of Public Health, 73,397 Tuscaloosa County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which falls well short of half the county's population. In total, 133,323 doses have been administered in Tuscaloosa County, with 63,591 people completing their vaccine series.

While the hospital has not yet expressed future plans for the modular facility on Dr. Edward Hilliard Drive, its mobility was cited in the past as lending itself to a range of uses on the hospital's campus.

As of Tuesday, DCH reported a total of nine inpatients testing positive for the coronavirus, with five or fewer patients currently in the ICU.

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