Monadnock Community Hospital held its first COVID-19 public vaccine clinic in the Medical Arts Building parking lot on Saturday.
A total of 39 individuals went to the three-hour drive-through clinic that was held in partnership with the Greater Monadnock Public Health Network. Of those 39, 14 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, while five others got their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The remaining 20 were given their first shot of the Pfizer vaccine. A total of 12 Pfizer vaccines administered were given to those under the age of 18, including one local camper from Austria.
“This came out of the fact we wanted to make it easy for students,” said LeeAnn Moore, manager of philanthropy and community relations at MCH. “We wanted to make it as easy as possible for those families to be vaccinated.”
Moore said four individuals received a vaccine shot inside the hospital at the suggestion of their doctor. Two of those, a father and daughter, had never received a vaccination before.
Moore said a number of volunteers who had done so at the Krif Road vaccine clinic site in Keene helped with Saturday’s clinic.
“It was great to have them because they knew what to do,” Moore said.
Moore said there is a second clinic scheduled for July 10 from 8 to 10 a.m. where both first and second Pfizer shots will be administered along with the one-shot Johnson & Johnson; depending on the interest and appointment numbers more clinics may be scheduled.
“Just to offer people as many times as we feel is necessary,” Moore said. “You want everybody to have the opportunity.”
According to the State of NH COVID-19 Dashboard, 821,649 residents have received their first vaccine dose, but only 2,393 in the last seven days. A total of 721,818 residents are now considered fully vaccinated, including 11,499 in the last seven days. The state announced in May that state vaccination sites would close for first shot appointments on June 1 and July 1 for second dose appointments.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 99,254 residents have tested positive for the novel coronavirus with 1,367 deaths. According to the most recent release from the NH Department of Health and Human, 25 new cases were announced on June 18 for an average of 30 cases per day from June 12-18, down 31 percent from the previous seven days.
To make an appointment, individuals must log in to the state of New Hampshire VINI website at https://vini.nh.gov/. The code for the MCH clinic is NH4959. For those seeking to receive their vaccination in a hospital setting, call (603) 924-1795 to make an appointment. For those homebound who are seeking to receive a vaccine, Moore said to call 2-1-1.