San Diego County is extending hours at select vaccination sites to expand vaccine access to the evening crowd.
"Normally I don't get off until 4 p.m., and you don't want to come when it's crowded either, so at least these extended hours help everyone be able to be here,” Dirso Mendoza said.
Mendoza was working in the area when he decided to stop by and take advantage of the of the extended hours at the Live Well Center in Chula Vista site. That site, East Public Health Center in El Cajon and the North Coastal Live Well Center in Oceanside are now offering COVID-19 vaccination doses from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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Appointments and walk-up vaccinations are available at the sites.
Thursday was the first day of the expanded hours. The Chula Vista site maintained a queue of about two dozen people until around 7 p.m.
“The ones that haven't come in now don't have any excuse,” Chula Vista resident Jerry Escalante said. "I got here around 6:30, maybe 7, and just to be able to come here after work, that was very helpful."
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"I work until 5 so it would be really difficult for me to take off work to come here, so it really benefitted me to be able to go to work and then come here to get the vaccine,” fellow Chula Vista resident Adam Ashoor added.
County officials say they're looking to extend hours at more locations in the coming days, and also set up more pop-up vaccination sites in highly visited areas across San Diego.
