DOTHAN, Ala. – Despite the state moving into phase 1C of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Southeast Health said they are not seeing a rush of people signing up to receive it compared to what they usually encounter when the rollout expands.
On Friday, March 12th, new COVID vaccine guidelines were released by the Alabama Department of Public Health, expanding the eligibility into phase 1C.
Typically, people hurry to make an appointment, but this time Southeast Health said they are surprised to not see the community respond like usual.
“I think it is just going to take a little bit of time for the community to actually make those appointments and come out,” Wyndi Thompson, Doctorate of Nurse Practice at Southeast Health, said.
The state of Alabama has administered over 1.2 million doses of the COVID vaccine, thousands were administered at Southeast Health. The hospital said they are ready to continue vaccinating for those in phase 1C.
With the expansion of the rollout, Thompson wats to remind the community that the path to get back to normalcy is reaching herd immunization.
“We have multiple strains, it’s becoming a lot more contagious,” Thompson said. “So you’re either going to get the vaccination or you’re going to get COVID.”
The hospital offers the Pfizer vaccine. They claim to have had no issues since they have began administering in December 2020.
“We’ve had very little reaction, if any,” Thompson said. “We haven’t had any that I would call true anaphylaxis. We’ve had just your normal episodes that you would have with any shot, just like your vagal response.”
Multiple paramedics, nurses and practitioners are on site at the clinic in case of reaction.
“For the community and for us to get back to what we see as a normal way of life, the vaccination is the way to do that,” Thompson said.
Once arriving to the clinic there is a short registration process. You then move up to the vaccination line, get your shot, then wait 15 minutes in case of reaction. All in all, each appointment takes about 20 to 30 minutes at the most.
“We have a pleather of vaccines and we have appointments that are available online to really accommodate most people’s days and times. “
The vaccine clinic is open Monday through Friday. Thompson says right now it takes about 72 hours to receive an appointment.
