County health departments in southern New Jersey are bringing the COVID-19 vaccine right into the communities.

“We have a megasite, but not everybody has transportation there,” says Virtua Health President and CEO Dennis Pullin.

Virtual Health is bringing the vaccine to the people by setting up popup clinics inside Tabernacle Baptist Church in Burlington this weekend. They hope to get 3,000 underserved residents vaccinated.

“We just put it out there on social media and our worship services and tell people, ‘Hey, I know you haven’t been able to get through online, but guess what? You can come here and you can register in person on site and we will get you in for the vaccination,’” says Pastor Cory Jones.

A similar clinic is taking place in Camden. The Rutgers School of Nursing is administering about 40 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“My kids and my family are very important and I do care. I have my granddaughters coming to visit and staying over and I want to keep them safe,” says Camden resident Sylvia Alago.

Health officials say that not only do these pop-up clinics serve as a way to get more people vaccinated and do it quickly but also serve as a way to get more residents to trust the vaccine.

“There is a connection between the church and the community that no matter what goes on, the church is an institution that people trust,” says Jones. “The pastor is the person that they trust to give them information not only from God, from the Scriptures, but also for what’s best for them in their own daily personal lives.”

Virtua Health says they're hoping to offer more popup clinics in underserved communities in the future, but that it all depends on vaccine supply.