DIVING IN
Scuba club gets shots and info on vaccine
FRANCONIA >> In the past, Vickery Vaccine Services has brought its mobile vaccine services to Indian Valley Scuba to give vaccinations for overseas travel groups.
On March 9, it was to provide the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for 75 people at the monthly Dive Club meeting.
Many of the club’s members are involved in public safety programs, either as first responders or instructors of first responders, David Valaika, Indian Valley Scuba’s founder and owner, said.
With no centralized system set up for the vaccinations, it has been challenging to get the shots, he said.
“People are registering for 20 and 30 different sites hoping to get a call from one of those sites that their number has come up, which borders on insanity from two sides,” Valaika said. “One that you as an individual need to work that hard to get on a list, and two is that how can the state possibly make any sense as to where to send the vaccines when the same name is appearing on 30 different lists?”
After giving the shots, pharmacist Jim Vickery presented a short talk and took questions about the vaccine.
The mobile vaccine clinic goes to places including businesses and assisted living communities
to make it easier for people to get a variety of vaccinations, including the shingles vaccine, he said.
The COVID-19 vaccines are very effective and do not use live versions of the disease, as earlier vaccines did, he said.
The vaccine leads to the body producing the same antibodies a person would develop after getting COVID-19, but allows the antibodies to form quicker so if the person is exposed to the disease, they can avoid it, he said.
“The nice thing about having the vaccine is it tells the body ahead of time, hey, this is what this looks like,” Vickery said.
The changes in the way vaccines are developed may lead to other advances, he said.
“This whole technology may help us cure cancer and maybe make one shot for flu vaccine instead of changing it every year,” Vickery said.
The second dose will be given at next month’s club meeting, with a second date set up for persons who cannot make it on the club night, Valaika said.
The club, which includes both divers and non-divers, held one virtual meeting in March of last year, then returned to in-person meetings, he said.
“Through this whole Covid thing, it’s been a real ray of sunshine,” he said.
“From a mental health point of view,” Valaika said, “it played a very positive role for a lot of people to have this outlet, to be able to interface with others.”