| Just four months ago, nurses administered a few hundred flu shots at the Louisiana state fairgrounds in Shreveport to prepare for the arrival of Covid-19 vaccines. They're now giving 1,300 Covid shots a day in the parking lot. Louisiana State University Health in Shreveport combined its shots with those from other nearby hospitals to create Louisiana's first mass-vaccination clinic in mid-January. Since then, more than 36,000 first doses have been given there, said John Vanchiere, a doctor and professor at the university who oversees the site. "I tell folks who come in, they didn't teach this stuff in medical school and they probably still don't," he said of the logistical work that goes into running the clinic.  Health-care workers at a drive-thru flu shot clinic at the Louisiana State Fairgrounds in Shreveport in November. It was a trial run for Covid vaccinations. Photographer: Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg Vanchiere's team learned from the flu season practice round. They switched up the traffic flow and installed tents to shield volunteers from the elements after the unseasonably warm November days had nurses grabbing umbrellas for shade. And they now encourage people to register online beforehand, helping cut down on data entry that bogged down the flu clinic. Staff shuttles doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech shots to the fairgrounds in coolers. Upward of 50 nurses, students and National Guard members run the site, which currently operates Monday through Friday. Most people are in and out within an hour, Vanchiere said. The program hasn't been without some kinks. Shots were originally prepared offsite. More syringes were filled than needed one day, leaving about 100 extra shots. (Staff dialed seniors and first-responders to get every dose into an arm, said Martha Whyte, the regional health director.) Now lines are closely monitored to ensure the number of shots prepared matches how many people are waiting. The fairgrounds site is serving as a model for others. LSU planned another clinic at the Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City this past weekend across the Red River from Shreveport, to administer about 4,000 Johnson & Johnson's shots.
In another month, the vaccination clinic could be replaced by an event from the Before Times: the state fair. The annual festivities are scheduled to start April 29 after the pandemic forced months of delays. If it happens, you can thank all the workers who administered shots in the fairgrounds parking lot.—Angelica LaVito | 
♯⊗⋮ 2020 Noticias del Gran Mundo PelÃcula Completa En LÃnea released 2020. story: Cinco años después del fin de la Guerra Civil estadounid...
Post a Comment