Officials hope for repeat visits
Marion County was able to be part of a test run of Governor Greg Abbott’s Mobile Vaccine Clinic last Friday, providing 100 residents with COVID-19 vaccines.
“The event today went on with very few kinks!” said Marion County Judge Leward LaFleur.
“We learned a whole lot of ways to polish it up but it went great.
“I pray we get more vaccines in the future and hope that what we learned here in Marion County will help others, we are blessed to live in such a great County in the greatest state in the union!”
Texas Department of Emergency Management coordinated the mobile clinic and the Texas National Guard administered the shots.
LaFleur received notification from TDEM on how residents could register late in the afternoon the day before, and the 100 registration slots were filled in less than 20 minutes. He posted the information on the County website and the Jimplecute posted it on their website and FaceBook. LaFleur shared the Jimplecute story to his Judge’s page.
“The entire event was announced, planned, and executed in 48 hours!” he said.
Phones in his office were still ringing as of Monday morning with residents trying to get on a waiting list for the clinic’s next visit.
“The phones have not stopped ringing since Thursday afternoon,” LaFleur said. “Sandra [his Administrative Assistant] has not had time to get anything else done and can’t get to her voicemail to respond to those requests.”
TDEM asked LaFleur to supply them with a waiting list of up to 200 names for a future visit. The list was completed Monday afternoon and sent to the state. LaFleur has stopped taking additional names until the state responds.
LaFleur said he hopes TDEM contacts him soon with a date for another visit.
“I’ve told them, ‘Send me 1,000 doses a week for 10 weeks and we’ll get everyone vaccinated that wants one’,” he said.
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, Marion County had 312 Confirmed cases, 23 Fatalities, 102 Estimated Active Cases, and 336 Estimated Recoveries.