Organizers of the community COVID-19 vaccination pilot event in Marshall said one task they faced was managing the line of people who arrived for their shots. Concerns over Saturday’s snowstorm led many vaccine recipients to arrive for their appointments early. Local law enforcement and members of the National Guard helped direct traffic, and organizers worked to help make sure people waited in their vehicles or indoors, said site manager Germaine Grueneberg.

MARSHALL — Minnesotans who managed to get appointments to receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine were eager to get in to the clinic set up at the Marshall Middle School gymnasium. And with Saturday’s snowstorm causing travel concerns, some showed up early.

“We were doing a lot of line management,” said Germaine Grueneberg, incident commander and site manager for the COVID-19 vaccination pilot site in Marshall. And when word went out Saturday afternoon that extra doses of vaccine were available for people age 65 or older, a couple of people who tried to make walk-in appointments had to be turned away, Grueneberg said.

However, even in spite of weather concerns, a total of 1,155 people were vaccinated on Friday and Saturday, Grueneberg said. All of the COVID-19 vaccine that organizers brought to Marshall was used, she said.

In spite of weather concerns, travel and the wait to get a dose of vaccine, organizers said people were excited to be at the pilot site this weekend.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘I feel like I won the lottery,'” said MERIT Center training facility coordinator Jasmine DeSmet, who was among the local organizers helping to run the vaccination site. “It’s just fantastic to see we’re able to offer it.”

Due to a very limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine, the state has only been able to schedule a limited number of vaccinations so far. In addition to the community site events, public health organizations like Southwest Health and Human Services are continuing to vaccinate health care workers and long-term care workers and residents, said SWHHS public health director Carol Biren.

Marshall is one of nine communities around Minnesota chosen to be pilot sites for COVID-19 vaccination events. The state will also be holding vaccination events a few weeks from now to administer second doses of the vaccine, Grueneberg said.

While the state took the lead in the pilot events, they needed lots of help to make them happen. Grueneberg said the Minnesota National Guard, local law enforcement and firefighters, Marshall Public Schools, Southwest Health and Human Services, area pharmacists and Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center were all part of organization efforts at the Marshall site.

“It’s a large coordinated effort, but so far everyone has been a fabulous partner,” she said.

The first vaccination event in Marshall wasn’t without some hiccups. Organizers had to resolve some technology difficulties on Friday, and concerns about the snow that moved through the region on Saturday led some people to show up early for their appointments, Grueneberg said.

On Saturday morning, the doors hadn’t yet opened for the first vaccine appointments when a few people had already pulled into the MMS parking lot. They were instructed to wait in their vehicles. Grueneberg said local law enforcement and members of the National Guard helped direct traffic, and a short line of people was allowed to wait inside the school building, but outside the gymnasium.

The Marshall vaccination site got ahead of schedule on Saturday, to try and avoid weather concerns, Grueneberg said. When organizers knew they could fulfill additional appointments, they first turned to a waiting list of area educators and child care workers. Around 12:30 p.m., the city of Marshall announced on social media that additional people age 65 or older could make appointments for vaccines. People were encouraged to sign up using an online link.

Grueneberg said a couple of people mistakenly thought they could walk in and make a vaccine appointment on-site, and had to be turned away. However, the extra vaccination slots did fill up. Between Friday and Saturday, a total of 1,155 people received COVID-19 vaccinations.

The next step for Marshall site organizers will be to debrief with state and local organizers, and begin planning for future vaccination events, Grueneberg said.