Hundreds get COVID-19 vaccine at all-day clinic

Hundreds of people were inoculated against COVID-19 on Saturday as part of an all-day clinic organized by the City and a medical practice in town.

The event was organized by Sultan Ayoub, a family nurse practitioner with Southwestern Pediatrics & Family Care, who staffed the clinic at Copper Sky with eight other volunteers from the practice and two volunteers from the Eloy Detention Center.

According to Ayoub, 400 people had appointments with another 100 on the wait list. Online registration was held Tuesday and all slots were filled in one hour, though on Saturday the City announced additional slots were open in the afternoon.

Recipients received their first dose of the Moderna vaccine and will return for a required booster shot in 28 days. Ayoub said the second doses would be administered on Feb. 20, likely at Copper Sky again.

Glen Belisle of Maricopa, who has stayed home for months due to the pandemic, was excited to get the vaccine.

“I’m looking forward to getting out again,” he said.

The all-day clinic was held in a grassy area at community center between the parking lot and the pool.

The clinic was for Groups 1A and AB-1. The first group includes healthcare professionals and long-term care residents; the latter composed of essential and infrastructure workers (including law enforcement, corrections, education sector, food and agriculture, utilities and transportation) and people aged 75 years and older.

Before the clinic, registrants were emailed a link to a video that told them what to expect when they arrived at Copper Sky. Recipients had to be pre-registered.

In one outdoor area volunteers checked in recipients, who had to present a vaccine consent form and waiver, photo ID, employment verification and insurance information. People were then led inside to receive their shot at one of five inoculation stations and then back outside to a separate sitting area, where they waited for 15 minutes under the watchful eye of paramedics with the Maricopa Fire/Medical Department to ensure they had no adverse side effects.

Councilmember Rich Vitiello, who was volunteering at the clinic, said Ayoub and his team organized the event in just two weeks. His wife is a family nurse practitioner at the practice.

“They did a terrific job,” he said.

Another Maricopa woman, who asked not to be named, said she thought the clinic was very well organized, adding she appreciated being able to get vaccinated in the city.

She added that while she was not fearful of the virus, “I do want to do my part to keep others safe.” And she wanted to resume her volunteer service at Chandler Regional Hospital, she said.

Another woman receiving the vaccine was 99 years old, her family told nurses.

In Pinal County, 375 new cases and 12 new deaths were reported Saturday. The positivity rate is 13.8% and fatality rate is 119.72 per 100,000 population.

Through Friday, a total of 5,658 cases has been reported in the 85138 and 85139 zip codes (4,128 and 1,530 cases, respectively).