A wind, lightning and rainstorm put the brakes on a COVID-19 vaccine and testing clinic Sunday in Yachats, but organizers say they’ll be back starting at 11 a.m. Monday and give shots until everyone has what they want.
A big yellow bus provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency along with 23 contracted staff members arrived Sunday morning in Yachats to be greeted by winds over 50 mph and at least three lightning storms.
Oregon Health Authority staffer Timothy Hall, who is organizing the bus’s tour of Oregon and two-week visit to Lincoln County, said the group decided it didn’t want people out in the storm, and were also worried about getting back to their motels in the Newport area and crossing the Waldport and Yaquina bay bridges during the height of the storm Sunday night. The clinic had been scheduled from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
“We’ll be back and ready to go at 11 a.m. Monday and we’ll stay as long as we need to get everyone a vaccine who wants one,” Hall said late Sunday morning.
No appointments are necessary.
But with continued stormy weather expected Monday, the Yachats clinic will now be set up in the Commons instead of the pavilion. People will go through the main entrance, register, and go to the multipurpose room to get their first vaccine, a booster shot or a COVID-19 test, wait for 15 minutes to see if there is a reaction, and then leave through the north doors, Hall said.
The big yellow FEMA bus has been in the Roseburg area for the past 12 days, Hall said, with staff from New York, Texas, California and a handful of other states.
The bus and clinic will be at the Waldport Community Center from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.
The clinic is offering free COVID-19 vaccinations to any eligible person, including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. It is also offering booster shots of all three vaccines to eligible people now that federal and state agencies have approved a third shot.
After leaving Waldport, the bus goes to Toledo and then Lincoln City. It will also be the base for several smaller, mobile clinics in other nearby locations.
Third doses and boosters have eligibility requirements. Only people who are currently immunocompromised can receive a third dose at least 28 days after the second dose. Boosters are approved six months after the second dose, but only under certain conditions.
Eligible people also includes those with certain underlying medical conditions or who are at higher risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus due to where they live or work. In Oregon that includes everyone who was in Phase 1A of the initial vaccine rollout earlier this year. The Lincoln County Public Health website provides more details on third dose and booster eligibility.
Clinics at the mobile vaccination bus are open from noon to 7 p.m. every day during the visit. The locations are:
- Tuesday and Wednesday: Waldport Community Center;
- Thursday through Saturday: Toledo Library;
- Oct. 31 to Nov. 5: Chinook Winds Casino Resort, Lincoln City.
In addition to the main clinics, smaller pop-up clinics will also be available:
- Tidewater: 2-6 p.m. Oct. 27, Alsea River Boarding Kennels;
- Siletz: 1-5 p.m. Oct. 28, Siletz City Hall;
- Otis: 2-6 p.m. Nov. 4: Salmon River Grange;
- Newport: 2-7 p.m. Nov. 5, La Juquilita Mexican grocery.
To assist with questions and scheduling, the Lincoln County Call Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To reach the call center, please call 541-265-0621 or email the call center. People may also schedule online on the county website.