BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – Bedford County leaders teamed up to vaccinate 1,200 residents this week.
Nearly 600 people in categories 1A, 1B and 1C received their first Moderna shot Thursday.
“I actually had COVID in August, and I was sick for a good 10 days with high fever. So, hearing that these new strands are coming in, it did bring some concern,” said Dawn Hamilton, who received the vaccine.
The vaccination clinic was organized by the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Bedford County Fire and Rescue and Bedford County Public Schools.
“One county entity cannot do this on their own. So, we’ve come together as a team,” said Sheriff Mike Miller.
They’re partnering with faith-based organizations throughout the region, like EastLake Community Church in Moneta.
Pastor Troy Keaton said their new gym makes a great place to help stop the spread.
“We built this place to be a blessing to this community, and this is just a small way – maybe a not-so-small way – for us to do that,” said Keaton.
Fire Chief Jack Jones said they’re doing everything they can to reach the county’s 80,000 residents.
“Just over 20,000 have received at least one vaccination, so that gives us about 25 percent of our population; which I think is probably pretty significant when you look at the challenges that we face,” said Jones.
One of those challenges is vaccine supply. The county receives doses from the Central Virginia Health District based on the number of those registered.
“[The district] assigns them to us based on our numbers. We can’t just go and draw 1,000 doses and then go to a clinic and be hopeful that people will show up. That’s why we refer to these as appointment-only clinics,” said Jones.
Organizers said the best way to register is through the health department’s website, but if you’re having difficulty, you can call the sheriff’s office at 540-586-6800 or fire and rescue at 540-587-0700 for help.