Vaccines for veterans
Hundreds turn out to receive their shots at VA clinic in Conroe
Pearl Govea arrived at the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Conroe at 7 a.m. Saturday, an hour before a walk-in vaccination event started. About 75 people were already in line, she said.
By opening time, the line snaked around the building. People waited patiently, reading a book or the newspaper, tapping on their phone, chatting with the person next to them. A man stepped out of his car, his license plate decorated with a Purple Heart, and put on an American flag face mask as he walked to the end of the line.
“Any Marines out here? Front of the line,” joked another man who joined the crowd.
The mood inside the clinic was jovial. The Houston VA has administered about 51,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to veterans since December. The staff planned to give an additional 700 at the Conroe vaccination event, one of four organized in Greater Houston on Saturday for veterans of all ages.
Govea, 44, would not have qualified for the vaccine if the VA hadn’t opened up eligibility. She drove 45 minutes from her home in Atascocita to receive her first dose.
She served in the Navy from 2001 to 2008, both in Japan and at the Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Fla. She said she can’t complain about the pandemic, as her job at an insurance company allowed her to work from home easily.
“The hardest part was not seeing my family,” said Govea. They live in Antigua and are also in the process of getting vaccinated. As soon as they have their second dose, she said, they’re coming to visit her.
By 9 a.m., the clinic staff had vaccinated more than 200 people. The line outside moved quickly, and the process was orderly: Temperature check and screening questionnaire at the front door, sign-in as an existing patient, brief sit in the waiting room, a quick jab in the arm, then a 15-minute observation period to make sure the patient has no severe side effects.
Samuel Dominique, 42, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan between 1997 and 2007, sat in the hallway after his first shot.
He said he didn’t even try to find appointments elsewhere; there was no question where he would get his vaccine. “I was just waiting for the VA,” he said.
Dominique lives in Conroe and is a pastor at Good Hope Baptist Church. He took a selfie of his shot to show his congregation. He regularly encourages them to seek the vaccine.
“It’s important for my life, but also other people’s lives,” he said.
The first thing Dominique will do after the pandemic, he says, is take a vacation.
He plans to visit Orlando, Fla., in July with his wife and daughters.
“It’s clear that veterans want to get the vaccine,” said VA physician assistant Stewart Miller. “We’re seeing them in droves.”
A veteran himself, Miller has worked as a physician’s assistant for the VA for 20 years. He said some veterans have mental health issues, others are homeless; transportation is often a problem. These challenges became greater during the pandemic.
“We want to take care of our veterans,” said Miller.
The Houston VA offers the Pfizer vaccine almost exclusively. It has the capability to freeze the vaccine, said Maureen Dyman, the communications director for the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. The center received some Johnson & Johnson vaccines as well, which it is reserving for veterans who are homebound or homeless, as it doesn’t need to be kept frozen and requires only one dose.
After the shot, patients received stickers saying “COVID-19 vaccinated at the Houston VA.” Many in the crowd already came wearing gear, from Marines Tshirts to Vietnam veteran caps.
Roger Barrick, 72, served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1973. He lives on 2 acres of land in Cut and Shoot, just east of Conroe. He said he heard about vaccine opportunities in Houston but didn’t see much information for Montgomery County. He didn’t want to trek to the city and was glad when the Houston VA organized vaccination events near him.
Barrick said figuring out where to sign up online was difficult; the fact that the VA offered walk-ins was helpful.
“I feel great,” he said during his post-shot observation period. “I can feel better about going out now.”
Barrick was afraid to go anywhere because of the pandemic. During normal times, he said, he stays at home a lot anyway, but he does enjoy going bowling and shooting pool. He looks forward to returning.
“I’ve seen a lot of things. I’m a survivor,” Barrick said. “I know how to get through.”