Creative COVID-19 vaccine clinics see mixed results in Lorain County

Grocery stores, barber shops and outdoor celebrations have been the venues for several recent COVID-19 vaccine clinics sponsored by Lorain County Public Health, and health commissioner David Covell described mixed results for these creative clinics on Tuesday. He told participants of a Lorain County Community Protection Team meeting that some of these events have drawn unexpectedly high turnouts, while others have failed to attract more than a dozen residents to be inoculated. For example, Covell said he was shocked how many people attended a pair of vaccine clinics at Fligner's Market in Lorain and Apples Market in Sheffield Township earlier this month. Between the two locations, 143 individuals chose to get the shot. "Really a lot more than I thought. We were thinking we might get 20 and we ended up doing really, really well," Covell said. "So much so that the Community Foundation said 'Go for it and do it again.'" The Community Foundation provided anyone who participated with a $20 gift card to the grocery store at which they were vaccinated. The second editions of the grocery store clinics will be held from 2-5 p.m. on July 1 at the Sheffield Township Apple's, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 2 at Fligner's. Both clinics will offer the two-dose Pfizer vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. However, other locations that have been tried recently have not been such a success. Covell said just 12 people were vaccinated at a recent clinic during a Third Thursday event in Elyria, and a clinic held during a local Juneteenth celebration only managed eight vaccinations. "Sometimes it's just not the right atmosphere, it's not the right time," Covell said. "We were a little reluctant on Juneteenth just because it's a celebration, it's a thing that really doesn't fit with the vaccine piece all that well, but we wanted to at least give it a try in these different locations." He said Lorain County Public Health will continue offering COVID-19 shots at different locations despite the low attendance at some sites. With many people who want a vaccine having already received theirs, Covell said the new strategy is "small ball" because "hitting the home run with 2,000 people at a clinic is just not happening any longer." As of Tuesday, Ohio Department of Health data showed that 158,481 people in Lorain County (51.15 percent of the county population) had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 145,948 of them (47.11 percent of the county population) had completed their vaccinations by receiving all recommended doses. Omitting Lorain County residents who are under the age of 12 and ineligible for the vaccine, Covell said the county has about a 62 or 63 percent vaccination rate. In addition to the grocery store clinics, other locations shots will be offered in the coming weeks include two local libraries — from 2-5 p.m. July 8 at the Elyria South Branch Library, 340 15th St., Elyria, and July 15 at the Lorain Public Library System Main Library, 351 W. Sixth St., Lorain. The time is not yet determined for the Lorain Public Library clinic, but Director Anastasia Diamond-Ortiz said it will be scheduled for a busy time and heavily promoted. Another vaccine opportunity will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, at Sacred Heart Chapel, 4301 Pearl Ave, Lorain. "My staff will be there with a table, helping with interpretation or educating people," said Victor Leandry, executive director of El Centro de Servicios Sociales. Information on clinics and a link to all community vaccine partners is available online at loraincountyhealth.com/coronavirus. Help with getting vaccinated is also available over the phone by calling 211. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.