SEARHC begins COVID-19 vaccinations in Haines and Klukwan

A shipment of COVID-19 vaccines reached Haines for the first time on Friday. Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium began vaccinating health care workers and first responders at its clinics in Haines and Klukwan that same day. More vaccines are expected in the coming weeks.

It’s a cold grey morning at the Haines small boat harbor. A pile of fresh snow coats the docks and thick flakes fall from the sky. Harriet Brouillette, the tribal administrator for Chilkoot Indian Association is waiting patiently for a boat to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. 

“I’m very excited,” Brouillette says. “I feel like this is a historic moment.”

For months, she has been participating in teleconferences with the Indian Health Service, staying up to date on the latest pandemic developments. She was told that the vaccines would be coming soon, but it’s still hard for her to believe. 

“When it happened it was almost as if it was this wonderful surprise that I was holding my breath for. And now it’s here. Not only is it here in Alaska, it’s here in Haines,” Brouillette says.

Around 10 a.m. a private catamaran chartered by Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) arrives at the harbor. 

Eric Gettis, SEARHC’s Vice President of Clinics, steps off the boat, carrying a white box containing vaccines. He says SEARHC has been busy making deliveries for the past few days.

“Due to weather we’ve been able to get down south to Prince of Wales, Wrangell, Angoon and Kake. And then we’re doing Haines and Klukwan and Hoonah today,” Gettis says.

SEARHC Haines Health Center Director Stephanie Pattison has been dealing with the challenges of the pandemic for months. She says the vaccine couldn’t arrive soon enough. 

“We have been waiting for this vaccine to come out for what seems like a lifetime,” Pattison says. “COVID has been long and drawn out and exhausting.”

Pattison received the very first vaccine dose in Haines.

“I feel good. I got my vaccine at 11:30 this morning, waited my 15 minutes of observation time and then went on up to Klukwan to vaccinate some of our elders up there,” Pattison says. 

The first phase of COVID-19 vaccine distribution is limited. 

The Haines Health Center prioritized vaccinating clinic staff, emergency responders, police, and Haines Assisted Living staff and residents. Pattison says they were able to vaccinate some other high risk elders as well.

“We did not know exactly how many vaccine doses we were going to get until this morning. Then we were able to start contacting different people in the community who are 80 years old and older and offering it to the most vulnerable first.”

The vaccine is administered in two doses. The second shot comes a few weeks after the first. 

Eric Gettis says SEARHC staff will administer the 90 vaccine doses delivered today and more will be delivered in the coming weeks.

“The minute we get vaccinations we’re going to be bringing them up by boat or by plane, however we need to get them here so that it’s available for all of our partners in all of our communities,” Gettis says. 

SEARHC is storing its vaccines in a freezer in Sitka. That’s because the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer must be stored at -70 degrees Celsius. Once the vaccines leave ultra cold storage there is a limited window of time to use them. A second vaccine created by Moderna will soon be available that does not require storage at such cold temperatures. 

There is still no clear timeline for the vaccine’s distribution among the wider public.

About 25,000 Alaskans are eligible to receive vaccines during the first phase of distribution.