A day in the life of a COVID-19 vaccine clinic
GREENWICH — Walk into the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center in Old Greenwich, and it looks like the sort of unassuming public building that can be found in nearly every town in Connecticut.
Lit by the glow of fluorescent lighting, enlivened by soft rock music playing over the sound system, it’s a facility that typically attracts crowds for youth basketball games, model train shows or the Lions Club’s pancake breakfast.
But it is a special place for people seeking their vaccination shots against COVID-19. And for many, the trip through those glass doubledoors is a life-changing event.
For the dozens of people who streamed into the aging brick building on a recent afternoon at the clinic run by the nonprofit Family Centers health care program, that vaccine might mean seeing a family member for the first time in nearly a year, eating inside a restaurant again, or smiling at a friend.
“A lot of grateful people. It’s a pretty happy place to be,” said Heather Dawson, the vaccination director and nurse practitioner working at the clinic. “We had one person who said, ‘I haven’t been out of the house in a year.’ She was shaking with excitement.”
It’s a scene repeated across the state, and the nation, as the COVID-19 vaccination program expands to more of the population just about a year after the coronavirus hit so hard.
Nearly everyone arrived early for their appointments, and they often apologized while standing around. No worries, came the reply from staff — they understand.
First there was a check-in, and a request to verify their identification. There was not much waiting time to go from check-in to vaccination, the process was fast and smooth.
Two nurses dispensed the Moderna shots in the makeshift clinic in the Civic Center’s utility room, and during a recent vaccination session, many of the patients were teachers who had become priority recipients due to recent changes initiated by the office of Gov. Ned Lamont.
A nurse dispensing the shots, Denisha Russell, took a reassuring and humorous approach as she prepared to vaccinate the recipients who rolled up their sleeves for her.
“You won’t even know it — I’m fast and furious,” Russell told Heather Sanderson, a teacher from Glastonbury who drove down to Greenwich with her husband, Timothy. The nurse explained the procedure, how the follow-up vaccination would work and the possibility of some soreness or itching where the needle went in.
It’s been a pleasant job, Russell said, gesturing to the vaccination recipients who were seated nearby. “It’s as if they’ve won the lottery, and it’s a million-dollar ticket,” she joked.
“Yea, thank you so much,” Sanderson said after getting her vaccine. She then took a seat in a waiting area, where she stayed for 15 minutes, to make sure there were no adverse reactions to the shot — a highly unlikely outcome, the medical staff said.
Sitting down for her waiting period, Sanderson said the short procedure could open up possibilities for her and her husband, also a
teacher in Glastonbury, that had been closed off for the last year. They have only had limited contact with their daughter in Brooklyn, N.Y., she said.
“I just want to go back to things when they were normal,” she said.
“We haven’t been to a restaurant in one year,” said Tim Sanderson, “Takeout only.”
Alaina Kakos, a Danbury resident who teaches in Ridgefield, said the procedure was short and simple, but it would leave a lasting memory.
“I took a picture, which I want my kids to see, it’s kind of like being part of history,” she said. Kakos was planning
to celebrate at some point, “maybe with a glass of wine,” and she was also looking to tell friends and colleagues about the experience. Kakos said she knows there are people who are a bit uncertain or hesitant about taking the vaccine. “I’m certainly going to share this, to alleviate fear,” she said.
The vaccinations have been running smoothly since Family Centers opened the clinic in late January, as part of its mission to promote health care, education and human services in the region.
They have received assistance in recent days with personnel and resources from the Connecticut Air National Guard, and support from the town of Greenwich. “It’s been a case study in collaboration,” said Bill Brucker, senior vice president of communications and strategy at Family Centers. “And we’ll keep doing it as long as it’s necessary.”
As the afternoon progressed, vaccine recipients came and went, often leaving the building with a renewed sense of hope for the future.
Many burdens have been imposed in the past year, especially on educators, said Chris Mira, a Westport teacher who lives in Stamford. “I’m very happy to get the vaccination — I have an elderly mom. And a lot of masking, hand-washing, distancing, plexiglass,” he said, his thoughts trailing off. “I’m excited to have everyone get it (vaccinations) so we can all see each other’s faces again.”
Cynthia Violette, a teacher in Lebanon, exuded cheerful enthusiasm when it was her turn to get the vaccination — and the needle prick did nothing to dampen her spirits. “I didn’t even feel it,” she said afterward. “I’m just so glad to get it. Peace of mind. Nothing changes yet — I need to get the second shot — but I’m looking forward to the way things used to be.”
Despite attempts to reach hard hit communities, Connecticut’s inner cities still fall behind in vaccination rates.
Providers and community leaders say barriers to getting more Black and Hispanic residents vaccinated has been two-fold — access and education.
Access to the vaccines has been limited for many because of bottlenecks in the registration system, transportation to clinics and the supply itself.
Providers, public officials and state leaders have talked extensively about the need to bolster vaccinations in communities of color, especially since they’ve been torn apart by the pandemic but also have reported the most vaccine hesitancy.
To help address vaccine hesitancy in the Black community, Gov. Ned Lamont made a show of receiving his inoculation last month at the state’s largest predominantly Black church, joined there by Black religious leaders and elected officials from the community.
Lamont and the state Department of Public Health recently committed 25 percent of vaccine supply to 50 key areas to bolster vaccinations in vulnerable populations.
The list includes much of Bridgeport, New Haven, Danbury, Hartford, Waterbury, New Britain, Derby and East Hartford, along with swaths of West Haven, Stamford, Ansonia, Norwalk and other municipalities.
The state’s capital and Bridgeport both rank at the very bottom for percentage of first doses administered to their populations, according to DPH data from Feb. 23. In both cities, less than 8 percent of the population has received a first dose of the vaccine. Waterbury, Danbury and New Haven also all ranked toward the bottom.
“Our communities are lacking all the time, and the state has to do a better job of making sure cities get resources,” said Pastor William McCullough, head of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Greater Bridgeport. “We need more vaccines. Our people are impacted hugely, more than any other in the state.”
McCullough said the supply just isn’t there. Even as he tried to make an appointment for a second dose, no dates were available.
“It’s not because people don’t want it — it’s because people can’t get it,” he said.
Yale New Haven Health is tackling these barriers by dedicating multiple vans to churches and community centers to act as mobile vaccination sites. They started in New Haven and are beginning soon in Bridgeport, said Dr. Victor Morris, chief medical officer of Bridgeport Hospital.
Through the YNHH call center, people from the designated zip codes are directed to specific vaccination sites that have reserved slots for area residents, he said.
Samuel Diaz III, the chief strategy officer for Southwest Community Health Center, said the state is making great strides, but multi-language communication and reliable internet access to make appointments are two reasons more people of color struggle with access.
To help reach more critical communities, Diaz said the health center has been blocking out appointment times for Bridgeport residents and have talked about setting up registration days to help people make appointments.
But access only matters if people are willing to take their dose, so the health center and YNHH have partnered with local faith groups to spread the word on safety.
“We could put clinics door to door, but if they don’t want to get it, it’s not much good,” Morris said. “You can have the smartest doctor say it’s safe, but people trust those in their community.”
McCullough and other faith leaders are making education on vaccination a priority because of the distrust in the Black community that goes back decades.
“I think there's been progress,” McCullough said. “I think it’s helping some people, maybe not to the extreme we want it to, but there’s some increase in people’s willingness. Education is a key to liberation, and so is making sure we have the knowledge and information to make that choice.”