Date: 6/7/2021
SOUTHWICK – Health Director Tammy Spencer said during the June 3 Board of Health meeting that she is working to set up a mobile vaccine clinic to focus on the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District.
Spencer said that she contacted Curative, a COVID-19 testing and vaccination service, about setting up a mobile vaccine clinic in front of one of Southwick’s schools. Southwick and Hampden County as a whole have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state. Spencer said that her goal is to eliminate as many barriers to getting the vaccine as possible
“Curative will do as many clinics as needed if we want,” said Spencer.
She said that Superintendent Jennifer Willard’s office sent out a poll to Southwick, Tolland, and Granville students’ families gauging the interest in such a clinic. She said that they received 50 responses with 85 people saying they want the vaccine.
No date had been determined for the clinic as of June 3.
Spencer said that Curative will be using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, meaning that each person who receives their vaccine through them will need to set up an appointment three weeks later for their second shot. It also means that students age 12 and older could receive the vaccine through the clinic, because the Pfizer vaccine has emergency approval for people as young as 12.
Spencer noted that she is trying to get local businesses to participate and possibly offer incentives for more people to come get vaccinated. Though the clinic is planned to take place on school property, Spencer said that anyone could stop by to receive a shot.
“It would be great if we could see a 50 percent [vaccination rate],” said Spencer, “some other towns aren’t really pushing past 40.”
Forty-one percent of Southwick’s population, or 4,037 people, are considered fully vaccinated. Hampden County as a whole also has a 41 percent fully vaccinated rate.