A high through put COVID-19 vaccination site opened onboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana April 9.
The site, organized by Navy leadership, is the second one opened in the Hampton Roads area increasing the opportunity for Sailors to receive the vaccine.
“We have been providing COVID vaccinations for our fleet and tenant commands for some time at our branch health clinic,” said Cmdr. Tymesia Cortez, senior nurse for Naval Medical Readiness and Training Unit Oceana. “Our clinic is very small and our max through put was only 270 Sailors. We really wanted to increase our through put. With the guidance and help of Fleet Forces we were able to put our resources together to increase that.”
The site, located on a base, vaccinated approximately 600 Sailors with the help of a larger space and greater manning.
“The quicker we get the vaccine, the quicker we can get back to normal,” said Chief Aviation Maintenance Administrationman Timothy Roland. “It’s [vaccination site] close and if there are vaccinations available, people can come on over, which makes us more efficient by providing the vaccine near the Sailor.”
Moving forward the Navy plans to open more vaccine sites on local bases and create mobile vaccination teams to increase vaccination opportunities for Sailors stationed onboard ships, squadrons and various other commands.
To learn about the latest COVID-19 policies, leadership messages, and guidance on how to protect yourself, your family, and your shipmates visit
https://www.navy.mil/US-Navy-COVID-19-Updates/.