NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The operating hours at Nashville's three community assessment centers for COVID-19 testing will change next week.
Starting Monday, April 12, the hours for testing at Nissan Stadium and Meharry Medical College will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Additionally, COVID-19 vaccines will soon be administered at the former Kmart location in Antioch. This assessment center, which is located at 2491 Murfreesboro Road, will be closed on Friday, April 9 as Metro health officials work to restructure the site to become a drive-thru vaccination clinic.
Vaccinations will begin at the former Kmart on Monday, April 12 and will be offered by appointment only from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine will be administered at the site. Registration for appointments will open on April 8 at 10 a.m. and future appointments will be made available each Thursday for the upcoming week.
Metro-Nashville Coronavirus Taskforce Chairman Dr. Alex Jahangir says they chose Antioch because it was seeing the least testing traffic, and also because the area was so hard hit during the worst of the pandemic. "It was not coincidental that we did choose to be in an area where there are new Americans, more people of Hispanic ethnicity, so we can give access to those populations," he said.
According to numbers from Metro Public Health, 41% of Hispanics over the age of 55 have been vaccinated in Nashville. While Dr. Jahangir believes those numbers are good, they still hope to reach people where they are. "Whether it’s through mosques to community centers, those are helping. I think it’s going fairly well. We obviously want to give access to everyone," said Jahangir.
Fifty appointments will be open each hour for a total of 1,500 slots each week.
The Metro Public Health Department will continue to operate the clinic at the Music City Center, where the two-dose Pfizer vaccine will be administered.
Residents may also call the COVID-19 hotline at 615-862-7777 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day for more information on COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. Vaccination appointments in Davidson County can be made online by clicking here.
