Photo By Senior Airman Mckenzie Airhart | Service members with Joint Task Force Steelhead's mobile vaccination team board a...... read more read more
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CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Tears of joy and sighs of relief greeted the Washington National Guard’s mobile vaccination team late last month when they began administering vaccines on the San Juan Islands in Washington State. As the guardsmen set up the vaccination site community members gathered around, adding music and food as many community members saw their neighbors for the first time in months.
MVT specializes in reaching Washington residents in high-risk communities and those in remote areas. These efforts are critical in making sure that everyone gets access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Many San Juan Islands residents were skeptical if they would ever get access to the vaccine due to their remote location.
“Everyone was so welcoming and appreciative of us being there," said Sgt. Valorie Reed, a combat medic working on the MVT. “For many people I talked to, getting the vaccine is a step closer to being able to travel to see family and friends again. I’m grateful that we were able to fulfill a need in the community.”
The communities on the island rallied around the MVT’s site. The town bakery brought in pastries and people donated pizza for lunches. One person even played the piano while patients waited and received the vaccines.
“There was an intense happiness to be there,” said Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Teets, an operations coordinator for the MVT. “There were many eye smiles afterwards.”
The MVT’s mission hit a snag when inclement weather temporarily halted distribution of the vaccine across Washington in late-February. Undeterred, the MVT returned on March 1, continuing where they left off.
The MVT continues to support the Washington State Department of Health to ensure that people have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of their location. The MVT will return to the San Juan Islands in the near future to provide the second dose of the vaccine.
The Washington State Department of Health requested the MVT deploy to the San Juan Islands to provide vaccines to the remote island county. The MVT’s service members are nationally-certified and licensed medical providers. They hold the same qualifications as their civilian counterparts administering vaccines.
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.09.2021 18:30 |
| Story ID: | 390969 |
| Location: | FRIDAY HARBOR, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Washington National Guard’s Mobile Vaccination Team welcomed by San Juan Island community, by SGT Alec Dionne, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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