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Salem Health will shut down fairgrounds vaccine clinic July 24

People wait in line outside of a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan. 28. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

The first mass vaccination site opened in Oregon will also be the last to close.

Salem Health announced Friday it will end Covid vaccinations at the state fairgrounds on July 24. To date, the site has administered more than 212,000 vaccines to over 100,000 people.

With 70% of adult Oregonians vaccinated against Covid, demand for mass vaccinations has been falling. Salem Health closed a smaller site in Polk County on June 25.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to care for our community throughout this pandemic and our vaccination program has been some of the most important work of our careers in health care,” said Cheryl Wolfe, president and CEO of Salem Health in a prepared statement.

Anyone 12 or older can still get vaccinated at the fairgrounds through July 24. The clinic will remain open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. People who get a first dose of vaccine in the coming weeks will be given directions for getting a second dose elsewhere, Salem Health said in a news release.

Salem Health will continue offering smaller vaccination clinics, targeting areas with lower rates of vaccination.

That includes upcoming vaccination clinics scheduled Saturday, July 10 and July 17 at Mega Foods, 3695 Devonshire Ave., off Lancaster Drive N.E. in Salem. From 2-6 p.m., vaccines will be available and Salem Health will provide a free meal from the site’s food carts for anyone getting a first or second dose of vaccine.

-Rachel Alexander