A new COVID-19 vaccination site opened in the city of Camden on Tuesday with the hope of making the vaccine more accessible to residents.

Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer says that 44% of the city’s COVID-19 cases come from the Cramer Hill section.

“And it makes up 35% of Camden, so this is important to have this here and partner with Cooper,” he says.

Frustrated with the vaccine availability, Camden resident Cynthia Coleman stood in line outside the new site at the Kroc Center with her mother.

“The fact that they have a bus route that comes through here for people who take public transportation is very convenient,” she says.

The site will operate on Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays. It has the potential to administer 500 vaccinations per day if the supply is available.

But will those in the community trust the vaccine and show up to get it?

“The faith-based groups – everyone’s playing a part. We need to get these numbers down and any time we have a place like this that is attached to the community. We have a lot of ambassadors throughout the city saying, ‘This is what’s going on,’ and trying to get everybody a shot,” Dyer says.

The site will also serve as an information hub for city residents who can come there to make their appointments if they can’t get online.

“I’m fortunate that I’m able to be in line today to get our virus shot, because it’s true, a lot of us don’t have access to computers and it’s a little difficult,” says Camden resident Toni Smith.

Appointments can be made through the Cooper Health website or by phone. The site is open from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Mondays, and from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Tuesdays.