The Salina Journal
The former site of J.C. Penney at Salina s Central Mall will be used as a temporary location for COVID-19 vaccinations of Phase 1 and Phase 2 populations in Saline County.
The Saline County Health Department, Salina Family Healthcare Center and Salina Regional Health Center announced a partnership to meet the demand for vaccinations for populations in Phases 1 and 2 in the county.
Currently the Kansas Vaccination Plan is in Phase 1, the vaccination of health care workers, long-term care employees and patients and emergency medical services workers.
Salina Family Healthcare said only Phase 1 is currently scheduled and is anticipated to last through the end of January. It also said a scheduling website will be available to handle vaccination appointments for eligible individuals. All communications about scheduled appointments will come from SFHC and its health care platform, Athena.
Salina Family Healthcare Center will be hosting a free COVID-19 community testing drive-thru event in coordination with Salina’s Salvation Army, NAACP and North Salina Community Development from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at the Salvation Army, 1137 N. Santa Fe Ave. in Salina.
There will be 400 tests available, and the first 50 community members who get tested will receive a $20 voucher for Prairieland Market food.
This weekend the NAACP and North Salina Community Development will be passing out 400 goodie bags with information about the event. The bags also will contain hand sanitizer, sanitizer wipes, paper towels, sanitizing spray, granola bars and a face mask for community members who live in north Salina.
Nothing dramatic was reported by the front-line medical workers who received the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month in Saline County.
“I had a very mild sore arm for about 24 hours,” said Dr. Robert Kraft, CEO and chief medical officer at Salina Family Healthcare Center. “It was much less painful or symptomatic than the flu shot I get every year.
A similar sentiment was echoed by Dr. Rob Freelove, chief medical officer at Salina Regional Health Center.
“My arm was sore for a couple of days,” he said.
SRHC has been closely monitoring side effects of the 938 people who were immunized “in the first go-round,” he said. “Most common side effect has been tenderness or arm soreness. Some had redness, and there were some complaints about body aches and headaches, and we have had some report fevers.”
Hope for Saline County arrived before Christmas, in liquid form, containing the potion to immunize humans from COVID-19.
The long-awaited vaccines have finally begun trickling into Kansas, and as of Tuesday afternoon, 938 people in Salina had received the first of two injections that aim to stem the tide of the global pandemic.
Early on, the distribution process has been a nightmare for officials on the front lines in Saline County. Half a year of more misery may follow before the vaccines are available to the general public.
Meanwhile, local officials say, the pipeline of vaccine and information is loaded with rough tributaries.
County health officer Jason Tiller updated the Saline County Board of Commissioners on the status of COVID-19 in the county, including some information about the county receiving vaccines for the novel coronavirus.
As part of the county s resolution on the topic, the commission revisits the mask mandate every two weeks and receives an update from Tiller.
Tiller said that in the 24 hours after his update to the commission two weeks ago the health department was notified of eight additional deaths related to the disease. Thankfully though, the number of deaths has tapered of since then, Tiller said. I will be happy when we can be able to report again that we ve had no new deaths in the reporting periods.