At the old Macy’s in the Eastridge Mall, pink cosmetics counters now separate piles of medical supplies from rows and rows of tables and chairs. Yellow tape arrows direct people to eight vaccination stations lining walls that used to be stocked with handbags or menswear.
Mall management offered the space to the county health department for free. Plastic tables and chairs emblazoned with “FAIR” on the back came from the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds. Casper College and University of Wyoming nursing students will be helping county health department employees give vaccinations, while teams of volunteers point people in the right direction.
The site, dubbed the Casper Vaccination Center, is set to open to the public on April 7. As Natrona County moves into Phase 2 and the vaccine becomes available to most of the population, it’s part of the county’s effort to get shots in as many arms as possible.
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Anna Kinder, executive director of the Casper-Natrona County Health Department, said the space should allow them to vaccinate up to 1,500 people in a day, working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. When it opens its doors to the public on April 7, the center will hold clinics three times a week — Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or Saturday alternating each week.
“This space … will become our main COVID vaccination distribution site moving forward,” department spokesperson Hailey Bloom said Monday. “Our structure and process have been designed, tested and refined to be easy, fast and efficient. We’re proud of the results and we think the community will have a smooth vaccination experience for every appointment.”
Mass vaccination will help the county foster immunity on a larger scale, especially, as Kinder said Monday, since only 40% of those eligible for the vaccine prior to Phase 2 have gotten a shot. The department has distributed around 18,000 doses based on the most recent count.
“We’re hoping we run out,” Kinder said. “We would love to run out of the vaccine.”
The Casper Vaccination Center has slots scheduled through the end of May, hopefully allowing enough time for people to come back for their second dose. If needed, the department’s funding and its contract with the mall can allow it to keep vaccinating there through the end of June.
The department is now also offering an expanded online appointment system, which lets people choose which kind of shot they want, make appointments online and change them if needed.
People can still call in to schedule an appointment, of course — but Kinder said if those who have internet access should opt for the online process to keep the department’s busy phone lines free for those without internet.
For now, the mall site is set to distribute Pfizer vaccines while the department’s downtown office will be giving doses of Moderna. The office has a much smaller capacity than the Casper Vaccination Center, able to vaccinate around 300 people on a good day.
The department also announced that Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available to the general population as they begin to get more supply. In April, 600 doses are scheduled for shipment to Natrona County.
Before, the one-dose vaccine was reserved for people in prisons, rehab centers and others whose living situations make it harder to schedule an appointment for the second dose.
The site has had a few dry runs before its official opening next week, vaccinating groups of city and county employees, Casper College faculty and staff and other essential workers. Kinder said it was a “frenzy” getting the site set up, but their first day of operations on Thursday went well — a good sign for next week’s opening.
There’s no longer a formal waste avoidance list for the county, which residents were able to use to be notified if the department had any extra use-or-lose doses at the end of the day. Now, since availability is open to all adults and the appointment capacity has been expanded so much, Bloom said they should be able to budget doses to avoid any waste.
However, in the case of canceled appointments or unexpected extra doses, Bloom said the clinic will be able to take walk-ins who call the department or who come in from the mall to make sure they use every last drop.
Online appointment slots are available for scheduling now (for as soon as Tuesday) at caspervcovid.com/vaccine. Those who can’t schedule online can call the department at 307-577-9892.
Photos: Casper Natrona-County Health Department tours new mall vaccination clinic