A couple thousand more St. Clair County residents received the first dose of the COIVD-19 vaccine Wednesday during a mass vaccination event in Marysville. The clinic was put on by the St. Clair County Health Department at the Knight Club banquet facility on Gratiot Boulevard. Molly Distelrath is a retired nurse who volunteered her time to help administer shots. She tells WPHM that participants have been very excited to receive the vaccine.“They feel like the weight has been lifted off their shoulders, that there is hope,” said Distelrath.
Asked Wednesday about those who are hesitant to get the vaccine, she says she is happy to help answer questions and concerns. “So often they’ll have questions that they have not been able to get concrete answers to,” said Distelrath. “So I’ve found that if we can answer those questions, the resistance drops.”
Distelrath says the most common side effect of the vaccine has been a sore arm. After the second dose, it is possible to have flu-like symptoms that usually go away within a day. “That’s your body responding to the vaccination, it’s not a bad thing.” She says anaphylactic reactions to the vaccine are rare, but that that the health department is prepared to treat anyone who may have allergies.
More mass vaccination clinics are planned for the coming weeks, you can preregister online at www.scchealth.co. Those without computer access can also dial 2-1-1 or contact their local senior center.
