The St. Joseph County Health Department was able to keep its vaccination clinic open on Feb. 22, despite missing a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the state.
The delayed doses arrived Monday morning, along with word that the health department’s vaccine allotment is expected to increase soon.
County Health Officer Dr. Bob Einterz said the health department was expecting a regular shipment of 2,500 doses on Friday, Feb. 12.
Due to state vaccine shortages and inclement weather, that shipment never came, leaving health officials “scrambling” to find a week’s worth of doses.
“We were very concerned," Einterz said. "We wanted our community vaccinated and we scrambled to do that and fortunately, we had some very willing partners.”
Einterz said St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Maple City Health Care Center and local HealthLinc centers all donated doses to the health department’s South Bend clinic, allowing it to stay open throughout last week.
Einterz said both last week’s doses and this week’s arrived Monday morning, along with word from the state that the health department’s vaccine allotment has increased. Starting next week, he said the clinic at St. Hedwig Memorial Center will move from vaccinating 500 people a day to 1,000.
Einterz said the health department will be “tapping” its volunteer lists to help staff the clinic as its vaccination effort doubles.
Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.
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