City Distributes COVID-19 Vaccines At Convention Center
Tuesday, September 27th, 2022
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the City of Dalton was a leader among Georgia's municipalities in fighting the disease first with vaccinations and later through the distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments in drive-thru clinics at the Dalton Convention Center. On Tuesday, September 27th, the City of Dalton once again conducted a drive-thru vaccination clinic to distribute doses of Pfizer's new bivalent vaccine that is designed to target both the original strains of the disease and also the omicron variant.
Caption: Deputy Fire Chief Mike Russell prepares to perform a COVID-19 vaccine injection at the Dalton Convention Center on Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday's vaccine clinic was only open to those who were previously fully vaccinated with one of the COVID-19 vaccine. No first or second doses of the vaccine were available. Patients were asked to show their vaccine card to receive the booster dose. Medically trained members of the Dalton Fire Department performed the injections along with City Councilmember Annalee Sams. Councilmember Sams, who owns a local hospice, was one of the pioneering leaders behind bringing the vaccination effort to Dalton.
Tuesday's vaccination clinic was slightly more busy than organizers anticipated, with 140 patients receiving their booster doses during the four hour clinic. While the new bivalent vaccines are widely available at pharmacies and medical facilities in the area, many people seem to prefer the convenience of receiving their vaccinations in a drive-thru setting without leaving their cars.
The City of Dalton was among the first Georgia municipalities to offer the COVID-19 vaccines in 2021, with Dalton Fire Department personnel and volunteer nurses performing the injections at drive-thru clinics at the Dalton Convention Center and other satellite clinics. The city's vaccination efforts served as a supplement to those of the Department of Public Health's North Georgia Health District. City personnel distributed more than 18,000 doses of the vaccine after the City took over as a vaccine administrator. Later in 2021, the City of Dalton also began to distribute injections of monoclonal antibodies to combat COVID-19 infections and eventually treated more than 1,000 patients.
There are currently no more vaccination clinics scheduled at the Dalton Convention Center, but the City of Dalton could schedule more in the future based on demand.
