Coronavirus vaccination clinics targeting older Cordovans gave health care providers a chance to prepare for future larger-scale distribution of vaccines.
A Jan. 14 clinic at Ilanka Community Health Center vaccinated 40 Tribal members aged 65 and older, including 91-year-old Virginia Dale, Cordova’s oldest Tribal member. A Wednesday, Jan. 20 clinic at Cordova Community Medical Center vaccinated 111 Alaskans aged 65 and over.
Although the Jan. 14 ICHC clinic was projected to take most of the afternoon, vaccinations were carried out in about an hour and a half, said Native Village of Eyak Health and Wellness Director Kari Collins.
“We have a few little tweaks to work out, but it went really, really well,” said ICHC Nursing Coordinator Nicole Piché, who has acted as a liaison between the clinic and the state. “We’ve been getting a huge amount of public interest.”
The ICHC clinic administered doses of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine allocated by the Indian Health Service. Unopened vials of the Moderna vaccine have a six-month shelf life, but only last six hours once opened. Each vial contains 10 doses, meaning that clinics using the Moderna vaccine must treat patients in multiples of 10 to avoid waste. Even with newly acquired pharmaceutical fridges and freezers, managing the logistics of a vaccination clinic can pose a challenge. However, ICHC has steadily improved its ability to keep up with a brisk public demand for coronavirus testing, and will be ready to run mass vaccination clinics when supplies become available, staff said. With adequate supplies, ICHC could vaccinate between 300-400 people per day, Piché estimated.
“It has been a little bit challenging, but it’s been a good challenge — a lot to learn,” said nurse practitioner Delia Reyes, who joined ICHC in November.
The dedication of staff like Piché has helped the clinic respond to the coronavirus pandemic while also carrying out its normal day-to-day operations, Reyes said.
The Jan. 14 clinic offered ICHC an opportunity to fine-tune its approach to group vaccinations. Following the clinic, ICHC plans to slightly change its scheduling system so that appointments are more evenly distributed throughout the day, Collins said.
CCMC’s Jan. 20 clinic took a different approach, administering drive-up vaccinations in the hospital’s ambulance bay. Reservations were available by phone, a method selected with older patients in mind, though future clinics may use a different method, CCMC Medical Director Dr. Hannah Sanders said.
“Patients were happy to get the vaccine, and the weather cooperated,” Sanders said. “It was really a perfect day.”
The Jan. 20 clinic used a coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech with a much shorter shelf life than the Moderna vaccine. However, the hospital would be prepared to rapidly administer any number of doses that became available in the future, Sanders said.
“As soon as we have it, the following day we will have a vaccine clinic and get it in the arms of our Cordovans,” Sanders said.
CCMC is working closely with ICHC and the city to lay the groundwork for mass vaccinations when supplies become available, Piché said. However, it remains unknown what Cordova’s vaccine allocation for February will be, or when it will be received.
“Please be patient,” Reyes said. “Everybody is going to be vaccinated.”
