400 receive COVID vaccine here Wednesday

Posted on January 15, 2021

Cold temperatures did not deter 400 senior citizens from taking part in the first mass COVID vaccination clinic organized by the local health department here on Wednesday.

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteers manned a registration station outside Forest Capital Hall, passing out clipboards and pens, directing patients where to park and asking them to complete the necessary forms and wait for their allotted time before entering the building.

Once inside, those registered to receive the vaccine were welcomed by additional volunteers and staff, who reviewed the paperwork and helped answer any questions.

The next stop was one of three nurses’ stations, where the vaccines were administered. Those receiving vaccinations received a quick jab in the arm before they were asked to sit in one of several chairs placed a safe distance apart in a makeshift waiting area on the former armory building’s main floor.

Additional nurses patrolled the area, monitoring those who just received the vaccine.

In most cases, the process was completed within 30-45 minutes. Each patient was given a card with their appointment date to receive the second dose of the vaccine in approximately four weeks.

“Really it was about just being able to vaccinate as many people as we could in a short period of time,” Taylor County Department of Health Public Information Officer Martine Young said when asked why the health department opted to cancel daily appointments scheduled throughout the week and instead hold the one-day mass vaccination.

“We only have two nurses at the health department, so we were limited as to the amount of patients we could handle in a day. By planning a large clinic, we were able to get assistance from a regional response team,” she said.

Members of the National Guard also joined the effort Wednesday, entering all of the patient data as it was received.

“We have to have data entered for each patient and each dose of vaccine given,” Young said. “By having them here to help with that, we can move much faster.”

The health department has received two separate shipments of vaccines in the past two weeks, each with enough doses to treat 500 patients. They hoped to receive word Thursday of when the could expect a third shipment.

“The faster we are able to get the vaccines out, hopefully the faster we will be receiving more vaccines. We have been assured that we will receive enough of the second doses of vaccine for everyone who received the first dose.”

Each vial of vaccine contains 10 doses. Once the seal on the vial is popped,, the clock starts ticking.

“We have six hours to administer all of the doses out of the vial before it expires,” Young said.

With this latest round of vaccinations, more than 1,000 local seniors and healthcare workers have received the COVID vaccine here.

“Patients who were not able to change their previous appointments and attend Wednesday’s clinic will receive their vaccines here at the health department as scheduled. Moving forward, we hope to continue holding these larger one-day clinics. We are very pleased with how the first one went,” Young said.

The health department also continues to offer free COVID testing on Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment only.

As future vaccination clinics are planned “we will be working from our waiting list of patients. Currently, we have approximately 1,800 individuals on that list. I would encourage any senior citizen who wants to receive the vaccine, to register now online at our health department website or by calling us here at 584-5087,” Young said.

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