San Juan County Urges Islanders to Register For Local COVID Vaccine Clinics

Contributed Image/CDC

More than a Thousand Appointments Available

From San Juan County

As of Tuesday, more than 1,000 vaccine appointments were available for San Juan County’s upcoming COVID-19 vaccine clinics on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan islands.

Sign up at www.sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info as soon as possible to ensure a spot. This is the best opportunity for islanders 18 and older to be vaccinated.

The Moderna vaccine will be administered and is only approved for 18 and up. The Pfizer vaccine is available for ages 16 and up at mainland locations. The county is looking to host Pfizer clinics in the islands in the next month or so.

Not sure if you want to get vaccinated? Here’s why you need to:

COVID is no fun. Sure, some individuals have mild cases or are even asymptomatic, but for many people of all ages the disease is miserable, and in some cases, its effects last for months or more.

Protect children. There won’t be vaccines for all children until early 2022. While rare, some children do experience very severe and potentially long-term or fatal health impacts from COVID. Keeping island kids safe matters. If kids are healthy, schools can get back to normal operations. Sports, sleepovers, playdates, theater, tutoring, classes, and other activities essential for happy and healthy children can resume.

Vaccines work. All available vaccines drastically reduce your chances of dying or ending up in the hospital from COVID. They also greatly reduce the likelihood of becoming infected and transmitting the disease to others.

Vaccines allow communities to return to normal faster. If we all get vaccinated, we eliminate COVID locally. If we eliminate COVID in the islands, we get our lives back sooner. This matters to our schools, our businesses, our local services, our athletic activities for kids and adults, and it matters for our collective mental and physical health. Not getting vaccinated affects the whole community.

Vaccines let us do stuff. We can socialize or work with other vaccinated people unmasked. We can ride in cars together. In the weeks and months to come, some travel and other activities will be limited to those who are vaccinated. Getting vaccinated is a choice, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be limitations for those who do not.

There is no need to quarantine after being vaccinated. If you’re a close contact of someone with COIVD, you need to quarantine for 14 days. Unless you’re vaccinated. If you’re vaccinated, you can live your life, go to work, shop at the store, and avoid the two weeks at home you’d be restricted to otherwise.

Vaccines are safe. The vaccine side effects that have been reported to date are extremely rare. Your chances of having severe impacts from COVID are far, far, far more likely.

Vaccines provide a sense of relief. Ask anyone you know who is vaccinated if they feel a weight has lifted after doing so. Anxiety and fear have dominated for the last year. Getting vaccinated lets us start moving toward openness, security, and relaxation. Goodness knows we all need it.

Do it for yourself. Your family. Your community. Find the reason that motivates you and do it.

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