Iron County Health Department holds COVID vaccination clinic in Hurley

By RICHARD JENKINS

rjenkins@yourdailyglobe.com

Hurley - The Iron County Health Department held its first COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the Iron County Memorial Building Wednesday, as it continues to work to combat the coronavirus pandemic's spread in the county.

"We requested vaccine for this week and then got a large allocation, so we were able to say on Monday, 'OK, we can do this mass vaccination' and move people through," Health Officer Katie Hampston said.

Wednesday was the first of two vaccine clinics the health department was planning for this week, according to Hampston, with a second set for today. Both events are by appointment only.

She said the department planned to distribute 220 vaccines Wednesday and hopes to give out another 140-150 vaccines today.

"We've had people from Sherman, Springstead, Mercer, Saxon, Kimball, Hurley - everybody," Hampston said.

The vaccinations distributed Wednesday were the Moderna vaccines, Hampston said, with a mix of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines expected to be distributed today.

Hampston said a majority of those being vaccinated at Wednesday's clinic were over the age of 65. However, some were also in the 1A category, which includes health care workers and first responders.

"We have created a list and then we call down the list and fill in our slots," Hampston said. "Right now, we're doing six people per 10 minutes."

Hampston said people can still call the health department at 715-561-2191 to get on the list for the department staff to call and schedule an appointment.

This is the fourth week the health department has been providing vaccinations, Hampston said, and the first week residents over the age of 65 were eligible.

Wednesday's process featured four phases - first people were checked in, they then had to register and schedule their follow-up appointments for the second dose of the vaccine, followed by being vaccinated and finally a 15-30 minute observation period to make sure there were no reactions to the vaccine.

Future events will likely be held around the county.

"We're anxious to vaccinate as many people as we can to move forward and make progress," Hampston said.

She credited the local law enforcement agencies, White Cross Pharmacy, Villa Maria Health and Rehabilitation Center, the health department staff, as well as the other community partners and volunteers for making Wednesday's clinic such a success.