COVID-19 Vaccinations Begin on U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll

Photo By Jessica Dambruch | U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll Commander Col. Jeremy Bartel receives the first dose in his two-part COVID-19 vaccination from Kwajalein Hospital nurse Aigul Omarova Feb. 12, 2021. The image was edited for operational security. (U.S. Army photo by Jessica Dambruch)  

U.S. ARMY GARRISON - KWAJALEIN ATOLL, MARSHALL ISLANDS

02.20.2021

Story by Jessica Dambruch 

U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll

More than 200 residents of U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll have received their first COVID-19 vaccinations following delivery of the Pfizer vaccine via a C-17 cargo flight from Hickam Air Force Base Feb. 12, according to Kwajalein Hospital staff.

Aigul Omarova, Kwajalein Hospital nurse, administered the first doses of the vaccine Feb. 13 during the clinic’s opening day. USAG-KA Commander Col. Jeremy Bartel, Command Sgt. Maj. Ismael Ortega and Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site Range Director Lt. Col. David Taylor rolled up their sleeves to receive the first three shots. Following the Soldiers, a steady stream of healthcare workers, civilian Department of Defense employees and Logcap personnel received vaccines until the clinic closed for data tabulation later that afternoon.

In the hospital waiting area, vaccinated community members bonded over the experience of receiving their first dose. Some compared bandages. Others discussed the relative benefits of getting a shot in the right arm as opposed to the left and if either arm hurt more after the shot. Many were interested in how their friends experienced any possible vaccine side effects.
Most expressed surprise that the first vaccine in the two-dose series had been quick, easy and painless.

After a monitoring period of 15 minutes, vaccine recipients left the hospital with a follow-up appointment card for their second dose.
In the weeks to come, residents who opt to receive the FDA emergency-approved vaccine will visit the Kwajalein Hospital during prescheduled timeslots during specially scheduled clinic hours.
Island residents who will travel off island before receiving a second dose are unable to receive the first shot on island and should make arrangements to receive the vaccine at their destination.

After a year of travel restrictions and hope for a safe way forward, receiving the vaccines on island has been a major Kwajalein milestone, second only to keeping COVID-19 out of the Marshall Islands for the past year.

One might say Kwaj history was made Feb. 13, as Omarova both received and administered vaccinations to the community, but the nurse shrugged off the suggestion as she prepared a new vaccine for the next recipient. This wasn’t history: Feb. 13 was simply a day at work keeping people healthy.

“This is normal,” said Omarova during the Feb. 13 clinic. “It’s just what we do on the job.”

• Date Taken: 02.20.2021
• Date Posted: 02.20.2021 00:27
• Story ID: 389460
• Location: U.S. ARMY GARRISON - KWAJALEIN ATOLL, MH