COAST VACCINE CLINIC A SUCCESS
FORT BRAGG » Hundreds of coast residents showed up at a vaccination clinic at C.V. Starr Community Center, Feb. 18, where more than 720 first-round vaccine shots were administered by Adventist Health.
“I’m thrilled to be able to come to Fort Bragg and not have to go somewhere else,” said Maria Hanson, of Albion.
Hansen and her husband, Miguel Elac, were among the hundreds of people over the age of 75 who were given round 1 of the Moderna vaccine — which consists of two shots over the course of 4 weeks. A second clinic administered a further 350 vaccines on Sunday.
Hansen said she was “so impressed” by the efficiency of the makeshift clinic and its staff. “It’s just the organization, the friendliness, and the number of people who are here to make it go smoothly,” she said. “They are professionals.”
Hundreds of patients waited patiently outside between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., as well as a long line of “overflow” — people who did not meet the age requirement, but hung on until the end of the clinic for any unused shots.
Patients were given the necessary paperwork, ushered in through the front doors of C.V. Starr in small groups, and into a room where the vaccine was administered deftly and quickly by a large team of staff from the local hospital. Then, the patients were asked to wait 15 minutes in the lobby to watch for any immediate reaction.
Dr. John Cottle, medical director at Sherwood Oaks Health Center, said the day had gone “flawlessly.”
“We’ve got a really well-organized team,” he said. “Everyone is working well together.”
Cottle said it was typical for a small reaction to the vaccine, including injection site pain, headache, tiredness and muscle aches.
“It’s your immune system kicking into high gear,” he said. “A certain amount of reaction is to be expected.” however, he added, severe reactions are extremely rare, and if you have no reaction at all, it doesn’t mean your vaccine won’t work.
Cottle also said he was very proud of the staff at Sherwood Oaks, who are nearly all vaccinated — a voluntary decision. (Sherwood Oaks was the first nursing home in the county to have an outbreak of Coronavirus last summer, leaving several dead.)
Adventist Health hospitals in Mendocino County announced that it was celebrating an important milestone as of Feb. 18: It administered its 10,000th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine that day.
Of the more than 11,000 total doses, more than 7,100 are first doses and over 4,000 are second doses, Adventist Health announced in a press release.
“Our team has been determined to roll out this highly anticipated vaccine safely, quickly and efficiently to protect the most vulnerable community members,” said Judson Howe, president for Adventist Health in Mendocino County, in a press release. “We know what this vaccine means to our patients and our friends and neighbors — hope, a sense of relief and a step towards putting this pandemic behind us. We will continue working hard to administer every dose as quickly as we can as we keep receiving supplies from the state.”
Ann Jamgochian and her friend, Cheryl Conwell, both of Fort Bragg, were waiting Feb. 18 in the overflow line, hoping to score a leftover dose at the end of the event.
“We’re hoping to get a shot but we’re OK if we don’t,” Jamgochian said. “It’s the only way we’re ever going to get enough herd immunity.”
“We’re here to do a public service — in case they have extra,” Conwell said.
Jamgochian and Conwell were cheering on those from the overflow line who were picked to receive a vaccine — Adventist Health staff chose a lucky few who were close to the cutoff age, but not quite at 75 yet.
“I’ll be here next week. I’ll be here until I get it,” Conwell said. Unfortunately, neither woman was chosen to receive an extraneous dose.
Hansen, who did get her vaccine that day, reported that the injection didn’t hurt at all, and she was pleased to have her first round done. “It’s the key to freedom, that’s how I think of it,” she said.