Starting this week, there will be weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics at the Avera Medical Group clinic building in Pierre.
The walk-in clinics will be held Thursdays (April 29) from 5-6:30pm. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are also welcome.
Those scheduled to receive their second dose of COVID vaccine May 5 or May 12 should still go to the “old” hospital building’s south commons area.
President and Chief Medical Officer at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital Dr. Mikel Holland says in the last few weeks, they’ve seen an increase in the number of COVID variant cases. At the same time, the average age of patients hospitalized for COVID has trended younger.
Holland says as more mutations of the virus develop, the urgency for people to get vaccinated grows. He says they need everyone– not just the at-risk– to get vaccinated.
Holland says mass vaccination can decrease circulation of the coronavirus and, therefore, decreases the ability of the virus to mutate. He says without the vaccine, it would take years to reach herd immunity.
Avera in Pierre is responsible for providing COVID-19 vaccine for people living in Hughes, Stanley, Sully and Jones counties.
In South Dakota, all people ages 16 and older are eligible to get vaccinated. Find more information at covid.sd.gov.
To schedule an appointment, visit Avera.org/covid-vaccine.
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