Nashville COVID-19 test, vaccine site on 28th Ave North closes
Nashville will close one of its two drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites next week, as demand declines, officials said Wednesday.
The site at 350 28th Avenue North is set to close at 6 p.m. 1 p.m., April 29, said a press release from the Nashville Office of Emergency Management.
It is one of two locations operated by Meharry Medical College. The site at 2491 Murfreesboro Pike will continue to operate from 6 p.m. 7 to 13 Monday to Friday, weather permitting.
Both vaccines and tests are free and do not require an agreement or proof of residence in Davidson County. Walk-up traffic is also welcome.
The Metro Nashville Public Health Department will also continue to host pop-up vaccination and testing sites throughout the week. A complete calendar can be found at teamup.com/ks48yq728y9por8a6q.
Further information on COVID-19 can also be found at asafenashville.org. Additional resources are available at covid.gov. Pharmacies, health clinics and medical providers can also offer COVID-19 vaccines and tests, including over-the-counter rapid testing. You can call in advance to find out what is available.
Officials monitor ‘moderate increase’ in COVID-19 cases; demand is falling
The two drive-thru sites together provided 600 COVID-19 tests and 50 vaccinations a day in late January, OEM said. This rate has since dropped to less than 100 tests and about 10 vaccinations a day.
“Offering free testing and vaccination to our community has been an important part of our mission to keep Nashville healthy and safe throughout the pandemic,” said Dr. Gill Wright, Nashville’s health director, in the announcement.
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Wright said MPHD continues to monitor COVID-19 in the community, including a “moderate increase” in infections in recent weeks. He said they do not expect an increase due to the BA2 variant and that expanded testing options are ready if needed.
The 28th Avenue North site opened in September amid the delta wave, OEM said.
“We had to increase our testing and vaccination capacity quickly,” said OEM director and Nashville Fire Chief William Swann. “Meharry Medical College rose to increase their ability to meet this demand.”
The Omicron variant also triggered a record-breaking increase in the winter months in Nashville and across the country.
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Staff at 28th Avenue North have logged nearly 38,000 hours and provided just under 40,000 COVID-19 tests and more than 11,000 vaccinations, OEM said.
Dr. Cherae Farmer-Dixon, dean of the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, said the operation of the drive-thru sites further enables the college’s mission to serve Middle Tennessee.
“Progress toward the pandemic and the closure of the 28th Avenue North site show promise in the Nashville community in moving forward toward the pandemic,” Farmer-Dixon said.
Find reporter Rachel Wegner at [email protected] or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.