SALISBURY — Starting this week, the Rowan County Health Department will stop first-dose COVID-19 vaccination clinics because of a “drastic drop” in the number of people signing up to receive the shot.

As vaccinations have become more widely available and the general public became eligible, the regular drive-thru clinics at West End Plaza experienced a sharp decline in people claiming vaccination appointments and a rise in the number of extra doses each week. Leftovers included hundreds of vaccine doses from an April 8th clinic during the first week the general public was eligible, hundreds more after a vaccination clinic at Livingstone College and another swath of its weekly allocation last week.

“As Rowan County Public Health transitions from mass vaccinations, please know that our number one priority continues to be making sure our community gets vaccinated. As we move forward, we will now focus on targeting more local businesses and areas throughout Rowan County where access may be an issue,” the county said in a news release.

Data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services show 24.4% of Rowan County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which is about 13% lower than the state average.

The health department will wrap up vaccination sequences at West End Plaza on April 28, May 5 and May 12 for people who already received a first dose. Afterward, there will be no more COVID-19 vaccines offered by the Rowan County Health Department at West End Plaza.

People still in need of a COVID-19 vaccine can turn to one of the following locations:

• Novant Health at the J.F. Hurley YMCA in Salisbury, 828 Jake Alexander Blvd. W. Walk-ins are accepted Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Chain pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens.

• Grocery stores such as Walmart, Food Lion in Salisbury and China Grove as well as Sam’s Club.

• Local pharmacies such as Moose Pharmacy, the Medicine Shoppe, Country Pharmacy in Rockwell, Price Pharmacy and Cannon Pharmacy.

• Rowan Diagnostic Clinic and Cleveland Wellness Clinic.

The Health Department asks people to contact the providers directly for information about which vaccines the each entity provides and the hours of operation.