First vaccines

Jeannine Poole sat in a chair in a small room on the north side of the Jay County Health Department building.

Public health nurse Laura Coleman asked her a few questions.

Coleman then approached and administered Poole’s injection.

“That’s it already?” asked Poole.

It was.

“You did a good job,” Poole added. “That was so easy. I did not feel one thing.”

Her husband, Larry, echoed those same thoughts a few minutes later.

“Didn’t feel a thing,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”

The Pooles were among the first in line at 11 a.m. Tuesday as the health department opened its first coronavirus vaccination clinic.

By the end of the day, the health department had administered 50 vaccinations.

“I think it went pretty well,” said Jay County Health Department environmentalist and administrator Heath Butz shortly after the clinic closed at 6:30 p.m. “The clinic went pretty smoothly. Pretty much everyone showed up for their appointment. So we got a decent amount of people vaccinated today.”

The health department announced its initial vaccination clinic plans Friday after Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s announcement Jan. 6 that some Hoosiers would be able to begin signing up for appointments at ourshot.in.gov.

As of this morning, appointments are currently available to those 70 and older as well as healthcare workers and first responders who “have face-to-face interactions with patients or infectious material or work in a public-facing position that requires in-person contact.”

Holcomb said next steps will be to open appointments to those 60 and older. Those age groups account for the majority of hospitalizations and deaths attributed to COVID-19.

The current vaccination clinic schedule at Jay County Health Department, 504 W. Arch St., Portland, is as follows:

•11:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday

•8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Jan. 16

•11:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19

•11:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21

•8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Jan. 23

Indiana State Department of Health lists additional vaccination clinics available in adjacent counties at Adams County Health Department, Adams Memorial Hospital, Wells County Health Department, the Hartford City Elks Lodge, Delaware County Health Department, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, Randolph County Health Department and Reid Health in Lynn. Any eligible Hoosier can make an appointment at any of the clinics available in Indiana.

Jeannine Poole said she signed up for an appointment as soon as she was able to do so. Several of her family members have had COVID-19, she added, and she misses activities like attending church in person and going out to eat.

“I’m so happy to get this shot,” she said. “So happy.

“I don’t want to get sick. … I don’t want to worry about, ‘Am I a carrier? Did I give it to someone?’”

As for Larry Poole’s thoughts about receiving the vaccine.

“It’s great,” he said. “It’s great. Anybody that doesn’t take it would be very unwise as far as I’m concerned. …

“I want to get rid of the pandemic. And I want to go back to life the way it was. And this is the way to do it.”

Appointments were scheduled in 10-minute increments for the opening day of the clinic. It took the Pooles each about five minutes to go through the registration process.

After receiving the shots, patients were moved to a waiting room where they were observed for 15 minutes in order to ensure that they did not have an allergic reaction.

“All the people that came in today seemed very happy about getting the vaccine,” said Butz, who was among the health department staff checking in on patients, providing information and reminding them about their appointment to receive their second dose. (According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it typically takes a few weeks to build immunity after the second vaccine.) “And we didn’t have any adverse reactions or anything afterward. So, good day. …

“I think a lot of people see it and they see those first steps to the light at the end of the tunnel. And especially for those high-risk populations. These are people that have been on lockdown since March, a lot of them. They’ve been trying to be safe. This gives them somewhat of a peace of mind, which is a great thing.”

He noted that the goal is that as higher-risk populations are vaccinated, the number of hospitalizations and deaths will decrease.

Jay County Health Department received its first 100 doses Friday. Another 100 doses came in this week, and staff is hoping that another allotment will arrive in the next few days.

“We want to get it out there to the public as quickly as we can,” Butz said.

Coronavirus is mainly spread through respiratory droplets or small particles from an infected person coughing, sneezing, talking or breathing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that it may be possible those particles and droplets remain suspended in the air for an unknown period of time and travel beyond 6 feet, especially indoors.

CDC guidelines encourage wearing a mask and avoiding close contact when around others and frequent hand washing and surface cleaning as ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The virus causes a range of symptoms, which can appear two to 14 days after exposure. Older adults and those with pre-existing health problems are susceptible to more severe illnesses.