The health corporation says it will use the Pfizer vaccine primarily for teenagers who are 16 or 17 years old. It will also give second doses of Pfizer to people who received a first dose of that vaccine elsewhere.
The Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation announced Wednesday it is now offering the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. Previously, it had only offered the Moderna vaccine.
BBAHC says it will offer all three vaccines in village clinics as well as in Dillingham.
The health corporation says it will use the Pfizer vaccine primarily for teenagers who are 16 or 17 years old. Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for those ages. It will also give second doses of Pfizer to people who received a first dose of that vaccine elsewhere.
The health corporation received an allocation of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which it will use for people who can’t schedule the second dose required for the Pfizer or Moderna series.
In Dillingham, more than 40% of residents have completed a vaccine series through the Public Health Clinic and BBAHC. The health corporation said 931 people have completed a vaccine series, which includes 20 people who have received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, while 1,055 people have received a first dose.
In communities outside of Dillingham, the health corporation has administered 1,099 first doses and 846 second doses of Moderna.
Over to the east, in the Bristol Bay Borough, roughly 470 people have received at least one dose of the Moderna vaccine from the Camai Community Health Center and BBAHC. Camai expects the first doses of Johnson & Johnson in the next few days.
Around Iliamna Lake, Southcentral Foundation’s Regional Manager Dustin Parker said the foundation hopes to roll out the Pfizer vaccine next week. He said 90% of adults are vaccinated in six of the communities they serve around the lake. In Port Alsworth, that number is at 65%.
Contact the author at isabelle@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.
