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SCAHC holding more vaccine clinics

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The San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation is offering two more drive-through Covid-19 vaccine clinics this week.

The clinics will be held at Apache Gold Pavilion on Friday, Jan. 29 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and at the San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation in Peridot on Saturday, Jan. 30 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both clinics will be offering the Pfizer vaccine.

To receive a vaccine you must be a tribal or community member, and/or employed by the tribe or SCAHC. Eligible groups are healthcare workers, first responders, essential non-healthcare employees (selected tribal departments, grocery workers and food preparers, school and child care workers), elders age 65 and older, and adults with underlying medical conditions.

As of Sunday, Jan. 23, 3,176 people had received the vaccine (either Pfizer or Moderna). This included 659 healthcare workers, 823 essential employees and 1,694 patients.

In drive-through clinics held Jan. 15 and Jan. 22, 689 people received the Moderna vaccine.

“Despite a vaccine constraint in the United States, we should give the vaccine to all people twice. There’s some degree of immunity after the first Covid-19 vaccination, but it is not optimal. We know definitively that immunity increases dramatically after the second dose and it also lasts longer,” said Dr. James Darragh of the San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation. Darragh added that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have shown in testing to be 95 percent effective. He also cautioned that patients should not take one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and one dose of the Moderna.

Health officials remind everyone to practice social distancing, keeping a six-foot distance and avoiding large crowds or gatherings, wear a face mask when leaving home and washing your hands often for 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer.