Volunteers sought to assist at vaccination clinics
Andrea Martinez, a registered nurse at Samaritan, pulls a single dose of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer out of a vial containing multiple doses diluted with a saline solution.
Emry Dinman/Columbia Basin Herald
MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Vaccine Task Force is looking for volunteers to assist at COVID-19 vaccination clinics around the county, and there is a bonus.
Misty Aguilar, public information officer for the Grant County Health District, said volunteers will qualify for vaccination if they don’t qualify already.
Whether the vaccination happens the day of the clinic or at a later date will depend on vaccine availability, she said. A clinic was held March 13, and two more are scheduled for this weekend.
Vaccine task force officials want to expand the number and frequency of clinics, she said, especially as more people become eligible. But that depends on vaccine availability and personnel.
“We want to do more. We need volunteers,” Aguilar said.
The first clinics were conducted by health care workers to see how the process would work, Aguilar said. With some experience, vaccine task force officials decided to recruit volunteers for assistance, she said.
“We are continuously updating the process,” she said.
Qualified volunteers will administer the shots. Other people will help direct traffic and act as runners.
“It’s the help we need to bring this pandemic to an end,” she said. “Volunteering makes you feel good, and sometimes you can leave with more, like a shot in your arm.”
Once people have volunteered, they will receive documentation of their participation. If the vaccination isn’t available on the day of the clinic, the documentation will allow people to be vaccinated at other sites, Aguilar said.
People can sign up to volunteer on the GCHD website, www.granthealth.org/vaccination-volunteers/. People can designate where they want to work, and what times they are available. Volunteers also have the option to work a half-day or a full day.