COVID has hit hard in Rubonia area. Residents line up to get their vaccine shots
Seniors were elated on Wednesday morning as they arrived at the Rubonia Community Center to get their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Among the smiling faces was 71-year-old Sharon Thomas.
“We were very anxious to get ours done. We wanted to make sure that we are protected and we are just blessed to be able to do this today. So grateful,” she said as she and her husband, Pastor Danny Thomas, Sr., 74, of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, waited to be monitored for any potential reactions to the vaccine.
On Wednesday, there were 192 local residents who received their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the Rubonia Community Center, 1309 72nd St. E., Palmetto, by staff with MCR Health. The event was the first by MCR Health, which provides health care to many under-served residents in Manatee County.
Manatee County’s standby vaccine pool currently has nearly 160,000 seniors waiting to get vaccinated at the county’s drive-thru vaccine location at Tom Bennett Park in Bradenton. But that list includes many who do not live in Manatee County, where the senior population is about 113,000, according to 2019 U.S. Census population estimates.
Some like Thomas struggled to sign-up, never managing to do so.
“We tried, my husband and I, had some people helping us, trying to get us signed up through the computer,” she explained. “I do have an underlying condition, which is one of the reasons we were always so protective of ourselves. We didn’t do crowds and only went out when it was necessary. We have a large family but we don’t gather that often now. That is kind of sad for us, but we are getting over it.”
But after getting their first doses on Wednesday, the couple said they were feeling great. Sharon Thomas was looking forward to soon being able to see more of their nine children, more than 50 grandchildren and more than 35 great-grandchildren.
Across the country, minority or lower income communities have been hit the hardest by COVID-19. Of Manatee County’s 29,828 total cases since the start of the pandemic — 14.5% of them have been in the 34421 zip code, which includes Rubonia north of Palmetto.
“That is why it’s even more important to make the access available right in or in close proximity to these communities,” said Patrick Carnegie, CEO and president of MCR Health. “So that is why we decided to take that approach and go straight to those communities that have been impacted the worst and provide the vaccine right in the community.”
“What better way to do that then partner with community centers that are located right inside the neighborhoods. We are a trusted name. The community centers are a trusted name. It’s in close proximity for folks and its a good way for us to reach that population.”
On Saturday, MCR Health will be hold a similar event at the 13th Ave Dream Center, 922 24th St E., Bradenton. All of the 320 appointments for that date have already been filled.
The county’s allotment of vaccines was increased this past week to 6,100, with 1,000 of those doses going to MCR Health.
“We are going to continue to vaccinate and we will be announcing other dates.,” Carnegie said. “We can do more, so we are working out the logistics.”
MCR Health is also considering other locations in the county to hold vaccination events, Carnegie said.
Local photographer Leo Alexander Scott, 74, was glad his wait for a vaccine was over on Wednesday. Scott has been on the county’s vaccine standby waiting pool and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ waiting list and was about to sign-up through Walmart for the newly announced Federal Retail Pharmacy program.
“I feel very great,” Scott said. “It’s an effort to make the whole nation safer. It will enable me to have a longer longevity.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 4:28 PM.
