'Will Make A Big Difference': Mass Vaccination Clinic Held In Turlock
TURLOCK (CBS13) – A mass vaccination clinic temporarily suspended this week was back on track in Turlock on Thursday – and for those in line, the doses could not be delivered fast enough.
Hundreds showed up early at Stanislaus State University's Fitzpatrick Arena to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
"This is great, it will make a big difference," said Barbara Campbell, who was in line with her husband.
The county had originally planned to host a mass vaccination clinic Tuesday, but the state recommended providers press pause on the distribution of more than 300,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine after a small group had an allergic reaction.
Kamlesh Kaur with the Stanislaus County Public Health Department said, "None of our recipients had any reaction to that vaccine. Even at the location where they had the reactions, it was less than ten people."
Stanislaus County Public Health says even though the state has cleared that batch of vaccines to be released, the county will hold off.
"That made me feel good because it was a little scary," said Jean Bothun, who was also in line Thursday.
This week, just under 2,000 new doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines arrived, and the county was busy getting them into the arms of seniors 65-and-up and groups in the first phase of the state's inoculation plan.
"I'm a health care provider and I haven't been offered it yet through work. And I'm trying to get it today," Bothun said.
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Bothun said she has been frustrated with the vaccination process.
"Myself and my coworker, yesterday we were in Merced trying to get it and got turned away because at the end of the day they ran out of vaccinations," she said.
Now there are two public vaccination sites in Stanislaus county – the arena and the Modesto Centre Plaza – with two more opening in Patterson and Oakdale in the next couple days. Many don't want to wait.
"I want it because it's something necessary to do. I took all my childhood vaccines and if you don't have it, you can't complain about it," said Betty Bennett.
The county says it will no longer use the Scenic Drive location in Modesto – where the mass vaccination clinic was last week – because it is not big enough given rules regarding social distancing protocols.
