NEW BEDFORD — The City of New Bedford announced today that the waterfront vaccination center would be closing down after this weekend, and that it was offering a $20 Dunkin’ card to any city resident who gets vaccinated against COVID-19.

The waterfront vaccination site on Hervey Tichon Avenue operated by CIC Health will end its walk-up clinic this weekend. Vaccinations will still be available Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., and some second-dose appointments will still be honored on June 1, but otherwise the site will be closing up shop.

Instead, CIC will offer vaccinations at the Andrea McCoy Recreation Center Mondays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., beginning June 7. There will also be mobile vaccination clinics held at places like grocery stores and schools, with a schedule to be announced.

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In addition, Mayor Jon Mitchell announced the City is expanding its program of providing $20 Dunkin’ gift cards to residents getting the vaccine to include all residents, whereas previously it was only available to those age 65 and older.

Any New Bedford resident who gets their first dose at specified clinic sites in the city between May 29 and June 30 will receive a $20 gift card. Those clinics include: the Andrea McCoy Recreation Center, New Bedford Health Department mobile clinics and homebound appointments, the Southcoast Health mobile van, and the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center.

They will also be available at the last two days of the waterfront vaccination clinic this weekend.

The Health Department also operates at-home vaccinations by appointment to the homebound via New Bedford EMS. To sign up for these clinics, residents should call (508) 984-2661.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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