Mass vaccination clinic set for this morning

IMPERIAL – Imperial County Public Health Department and other partners will be vaccinating about 1,300 seniors 65 and older this morning at Imperial Valley College.

The mass vaccination clinic is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and end at 1 p.m.

The vaccinations are by appointment only.

Public Health Department staff will be taking protective measures at the vaccination event and anyone arriving to the clinic with symptoms of COVID-19, will be unable to receive the vaccination.

Attendees should have a picture ID that includes their date of birth. In addition, they must wear a face covering, and they are encouraged to wear a short sleeve shirt.

“We are pleased to be able to offer a mass vaccination event for our community,” Dr. Stephen Munday, county health officer, said in a release. “We know that our community is interested in receiving their vaccine in a variety of settings including at drive-thru clinics and fortunately we received enough vaccine this week to make this a possibility. We are grateful for the partnership we have developed with Imperial Valley College that has allowed us to use their campus to provide this important service to our community.”

“Due to the partnership we have established, we are excited about the opportunity to offer the vaccine to our senior community in this large-scale setting,” said Michael Kelley, chairman of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors. “I want to thank all the individuals who are working very hard to put this event together.”

“Imperial Valley College is honored to host the COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Clinic on site,” said Dr. Martha Garcia, superintendent/president at IVC. “We sincerely thank Imperial County Office of Emergency Services, Imperial County Public Health Department and every Medical and Allied Health professional who is directly supporting our COVID-19 impacted community. IVC is the community’s college and we are committed to continue to serve Imperial County as best as possible.”

Clinic attendees are encouraged to arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to their scheduled appointment time and will need to arrive in a vehicle. Individuals should also expect to stay no less than 15 minutes after they receive their vaccine for observation. Entrance to the clinic will be through the north side of the college campus via southbound traffic on Old Highway 111. This will not be the only mass vaccination event that is planned for Imperial County.

As larger allocations of vaccine arrive to the area, other mass vac

cination events will be scheduled. For more information or additional assistance, seniors 65 years and older may contact the Imperial County Public Health Department COVID-19 Information Line at (442) 265-6700 or Area Agency on Aging Information Line at (442) 265-7033.