A sign points to LMH Health s drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination center on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020.
Lawrence resident Deb Umberger received a text alert Wednesday night at 6:23 p.m. informing her that residents over the age of 65 could register for a drive-thru vaccination clinic.
It was the first opportunity for Douglas County residents who qualified for Phase 2 of the state’s vaccination plan to sign up to receive a COVID-19 dose. Just over an hour earlier, Gov. Laura Kelly had announced that the state would move to Phase 2 on Thursday.
Umberger had been eager to get the shot for weeks. She hasn’t seen her 91-year-old mother in over a year. When she heard the clinic would be on Jan. 29, she was already thinking about how it would be a gift to receive her first vaccine dose that day her birthday.