KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Two days of COVID-19 clinics will exhaust Kalamazoo County’s current supply of vaccine, and for the first time, senior citizens are on the schedule.
The first of thousands who will be inoculated over the next few months began receiving their shots Tuesday at the Kalamazoo County Expo Center.
Media members watch as 99-year-old Frances DeYoung gets her COVID-19 shot at Tuesday’s mass inoculation clinic. (Photo courtesy of John McNeil).
Among those that were the first to receive vaccines were Darrel Plough and his wife, Rosslind, both 73. Darrell Plough spent 32 years on the job, starting at Upjohn and later retiring from Pfizer. He said he is proud that Pfizer is now inoculating the nation.
“Last summer, I call it a lost summer,” Plough said in an interview. “I couldn’t do a lot of things or I didn’t feel like it. I’ll be looking forward to this coming summer.”
Both Darrel and Rosslind said that the COVID-19 pandemic changed their plans for 2020, adding that they weren’t going out to eat, seeing friends or taking any of their planned vacations.
90-year-old Arthur Anderson and his 73-year-old wife, Dianne, also received vaccine does on Tuesday. Anderson says he was talked into getting the shot by his family, and is now glad he did.
“My granddaughter encouraged me to take it,” Anderson said. “I was scared to take it, but I finally made up my mind and decided that I’ll take it again. I want to try to enjoy life as long as I can.”
In a related matter, County Health Director Jim Rutherford says the shots are only available by appointment because of limited supply.
“All of these are scheduled appointments, so we ask people to be on time,” Rutherford said.
Rutherford says that the news over the weekend that there aren’t as many dose reserves at a Federal level, as previously indicated, has made organizing these vaccine clinics more difficult without a dependable supply.
“I’ve got the space, I’ve got the human resource to be able to do thousands and thousands of these vaccines every day,” Rutherford said. “It’s impossible for us to really pre-plan clinics not knowing what the product availability is.”
Kalamazoo County residents over 65 can sign up to receive the vaccine through an online form at the Kalamazoo County Health Department website. Those who don’t have access to the internet may also call 269-373-5200.
— John McNeil contributed to this report. —
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